Volkswagen Transporter 2003: reliability & common MOT faults

At a glance

How 6,356 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time: 54 in every 100
Did not pass first time: 46 in every 1002,892 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car: 22 yearsabout 172,459 miles
First tests counted: 6,356

What failed most often

Suspension mounting area (rear)11 in every 100 failed tests
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)8 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 2003 Volkswagen Transporter 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.

Lamps and electrical

Two faults. The strongest is the horn: 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,889 of 2,892 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

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.

Horn

Failed on 209 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A horn that does not work, or is likely to be confused with an emergency vehicle siren, is graded Major. Gongs, bells, sirens and anything with more than one tone, which includes a horn that alternates between its notes, are not allowed, except a gong, bell or siren on vehicles first used before a set date. Sound defects are Minor for named cases such as a bell or harsh sound, and Major under a general row.

Rear fog light

Failed on 208 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing obligatory rear fog lamp, one that is not working, or one that does not emit a steady red light is graded Major. A rear fog lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp is Major too. The manual allows it to go out when main beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off.

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

Steering

One fault: steering rack (front), 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Steering rack (front)

Failed on 147 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.

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

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the brake efficiency below minimum (roller test): 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 172 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Service brake efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and efficiency less than half of the required value is graded Dangerous. On a roller brake tester, if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock, the efficiency requirement for that system counts as met.

Flexible brake hoses (rear)

Failed on 95 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.

Flexible brake hoses (front)

Failed on 135 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 221 first tests, 2.4 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008), 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008)

Failed on 190 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 73 first tests, 7.6 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.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front): 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 69 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Excessive wear in an anti-roll bar linkage pin or bush is Major. If the pin or bush is likely to become detached, it is graded Dangerous. The wording is DVSA's general one for a suspension pin, bush or joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 108 first tests, 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 188 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Whether a suspension arm ball joint dust cover still keeps dirt out decides its grade. Severely deteriorated is Minor, while missing, or no longer preventing the ingress of dirt, is Major.

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.

Brake cable

Noted on 22 first tests10 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Other towbar components

Noted on 28 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 128 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 104 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Other suspension component ball joint (front)

Noted on 23 first tests2.2 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: 54in every 100; Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station: 6in every 100; Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed: 40in every 100; Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 54.5% of 6,356 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 60.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 40 not fixed make the 46 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 53 in every 100 passed first time.

Year	Passed first time	First tests
1985	59 in every 100	414
1986	63 in every 100	668
1987	61 in every 100	586
1988	64 in every 100	751
1989	62 in every 100	1,014
1990	63 in every 100	1,024
1991	62 in every 100	696
1992	53 in every 100	915
1993	54 in every 100	880
1994	55 in every 100	1,547
1995	53 in every 100	1,828
1996	53 in every 100	2,153
1997	55 in every 100	2,564
1998	54 in every 100	3,263
1999	54 in every 100	3,621
2000	54 in every 100	4,114
2001	54 in every 100	5,678
2002	55 in every 100	5,811
2003 This car	54 in every 100	6,356
2004	54 in every 100	8,432
2005	55 in every 100	9,265
2006	55 in every 100	10,567
2007	57 in every 100	12,554
2008	58 in every 100	11,988
2009	59 in every 100	8,628
2010	63 in every 100	10,394
2011	65 in every 100	11,699
2012	67 in every 100	12,064
2013	70 in every 100	14,083
2014	69 in every 100	15,453
2015	71 in every 100	17,534
2016	74 in every 100	19,427
2017	75 in every 100	19,561
2018	77 in every 100	19,427
2019	79 in every 100	18,198
2020	80 in every 100	14,018
2021	81 in every 100	17,468
2022	84 in every 100	12,292

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2003 Transporter.

Of 2003 Transporter vehicles with under 123,000 miles, 63 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 221,000 miles or more, 50 in every 100 did.

Under 123,0001,263 tests

63

123,000–157,0001,289 tests

56

157,000–187,000 Typical car1,249 tests

53

187,000–221,0001,281 tests

51

221,000 and over1,268 tests

50

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

	Under 123,000	157,000–187,000	221,000 and over
Suspension mounting area (rear)	2.0	5.4	7.6
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)	1.7	4.4	6.0
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)	1.5	3.8	5.4
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)	2.3	3.5	5.4
Headlight aim	2.0	3.4	4.5

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

19in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

60in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

9in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

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

Is the 2003 Volkswagen Transporter reliable?

The 2003 Volkswagen Transporter follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Suspension mounting area (rear), about 11 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 54.5% of 6,356 first MOTs on the 2003 Volkswagen Transporter passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 60.0%. Among 2,892 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Horn appears more often than on similar cars (7.2% of those tests; 209 observed failures; about 4.0× 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.

What is most likely to fail on a 2003 Volkswagen Transporter?

Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2003 Volkswagen Transporter at the first attempt were Suspension mounting area (rear) (11.5%), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (9.7%) and Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (8.3%), 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.

What common MOT faults stand out on the Volkswagen Transporter 2003?

Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Horn (7.2% of those tests; 209 observed failures; about 4.0× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Why does Horn stand out?

Horn shows up more often than on similar cars (7.2% of those tests; 209 observed failures; about 4.0× 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.

What are common problems with the 2003 Volkswagen Transporter?

Common MOT problem areas for the 2003 Volkswagen Transporter include Horn, Steering rack (front), Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.

How should I read advisories vs fails?

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.

What does this Volkswagen Transporter 2003 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2003 Volkswagen Transporter (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.

Does this include engine and gearbox problems?

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.

At a glance

What failed most often

Lamps and electrical

Horn

What it means

Rear fog light

What it means

Steering

Steering rack (front)

What it means

Brakes

Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

What it means

Flexible brake hoses (rear)

What it means

Flexible brake hoses (front)

What it means

Also noted as an advisory

Noise, emissions and leaks

Diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008)

Also noted as an advisory

Suspension

Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front)

What it means

Also noted as an advisory

Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)

What it means

Advisories

Brake cable

Other towbar components

Suspension arm (rear)

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)

Other suspension component ball joint (front)

MOT pass rates

Same model, other years

If you are buying one

Mileage matters most on a 2003 Transporter.

What to check at your mileage

When a car fails

FAQs

About this data

What we include

Same-day repairs

How we compare

What this does not cover

Check any vehicle’s MOT history