Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Mercedes-Benz Vito 2004: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 51 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2004 Mercedes-Benz Vito were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension mounting area (rear).

Summary

With 605 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2004 Mercedes-Benz Vito differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist.

At a glance

How 605 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
51 in every 100
Did not pass first time
49 in every 100297 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
21 yearsabout 131,639 miles
First tests counted
605

What failed most often

  1. Suspension mounting area (rear)20 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2004 Mercedes-Benz Vito vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Body and structure

One fault: chassis condition (front), 8.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 273 of 297 failed first attempts (91.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like. 8.1% of failures are excluded because no mileage was recorded, so treat these shares as indicative for this model year.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Chassis condition (front)

Failed on 28 first tests8.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A main load-bearing structural member that is fractured, deformed, modified or inadequately repaired is Major when structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and Dangerous where steering or braking is likely to be adversely affected. Corrosion of the body, cab or chassis at a mounting point is Dangerous where overall security or stability is impaired.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the suspension mounting area (front): 6.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension mounting area (front)

Failed on 27 first tests6.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 54 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 26 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Flexible brake hoses (front)

Noted on 23 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
51in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
8in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
41in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 50.9% of 605 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 58.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 41 not fixed make the 49 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

4060801002004201020152020Newer cars
406080100200420102020Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 54 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200345 in every 100317
2004 This car51 in every 100605
200552 in every 1001,462
200656 in every 1002,846
200755 in every 1003,600
200857 in every 1003,729
200960 in every 1003,499
201060 in every 1003,634
201161 in every 1003,118
201263 in every 1003,765
201363 in every 1004,054
201465 in every 1004,283
201567 in every 1004,515
201668 in every 1005,697
201769 in every 1007,490
201871 in every 1005,693
201973 in every 1007,710
202074 in every 1004,043
202176 in every 1004,432
202283 in every 1001,767

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

With 605 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2004 Mercedes-Benz Vito differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 50.9% of 605 first MOTs on the 2004 Mercedes-Benz Vito passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 58.7%. Among 297 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Chassis condition (front) appears more often than on similar cars (10.3% of those tests; 28 observed failures; about 8.6× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2004 Mercedes-Benz Vito at the first attempt were Suspension mounting area (rear) (19.8%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Chassis condition (front) (10.3% of those tests; 28 observed failures; about 8.6× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Chassis condition (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (10.3% of those tests; 28 observed failures; about 8.6× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2004 Mercedes-Benz Vito include Chassis condition (front), Suspension mounting area (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2004 Mercedes-Benz Vito (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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