Volvo V70 2004: reliability & common MOT faults

At a glance

How 2,407 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time: 54 in every 100
Did not pass first time: 46 in every 1001,108 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car: 21 yearsabout 154,552 miles
First tests counted: 2,407

What failed most often

Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)21 in every 100 failed tests
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)20 in every 100 failed tests
Headlight aim11 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 Volvo V70 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.

Suspension

One fault: anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear), 4.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,100 of 1,108 failed first attempts (99.3%) 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.

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 26 first tests4.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

An anti-roll bar pin or bush that is excessively worn is Major, and one likely to become detached is graded Dangerous. The wording is DVSA's general rule 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 67 first tests, 7.0 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.

Brakes

Two faults. The strongest is the handbrake lever: 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 39 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A parking brake lever pivot or ratchet mechanism that is obviously worn is graded Minor. It is Major when worn to the extent that the brake may inadvertently release, and also when the ratchet is not holding correctly. A lever must have obvious excessive travel before being rejected.

Handbrake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 42 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake that is inoperative on one side is Major. When tested on the road, the failure is the vehicle deviating excessively from a straight line. Vehicles whose parking brake was already tested as the secondary brake are not tested again for this.

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

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.

Side repeater indicators

Noted on 29 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Individual direction indicators (front)

Noted on 57 first tests4.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Other power steering components

Noted on 28 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Anti-roll bar (rear)

Noted on 26 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel condition (rear)

Noted on 24 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring

Noted on 35 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 221 first tests2.3 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: 8in every 100; Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed: 38in every 100; Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 54.0% of 2,407 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 62.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 38 not fixed make the 46 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage

Diesel1,264173,027 miles5455

Petrol1,137138,702 miles5451

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

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.

Year	Passed first time	First tests
1997	60 in every 100	440
1998	59 in every 100	634
1999	61 in every 100	777
2000	60 in every 100	1,030
2001	54 in every 100	1,244
2002	53 in every 100	1,825
2003	54 in every 100	2,042
2004 This car	54 in every 100	2,407
2005	57 in every 100	2,886
2006	58 in every 100	2,267
2007	60 in every 100	2,320
2008	65 in every 100	3,014
2009	63 in every 100	3,328
2010	67 in every 100	2,662
2011	70 in every 100	1,993
2012	71 in every 100	1,501
2013	72 in every 100	1,656
2014	77 in every 100	1,887
2015	80 in every 100	1,942
2016	81 in every 100	735

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2004 Volvo V70.

Of 2004 Volvo V70 vehicles with under 114,000 miles, 62 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 201,000 miles or more, 49 in every 100 did.

Under 114,000478 tests

62

114,000–143,000478 tests

56

143,000–169,000 Typical car485 tests

55

169,000–201,000479 tests

49

201,000 and over474 tests

49

Petrol or diesel?

	Typical mileage	Passed first time, as tested	Passed first time, same mileage
Diesel	173,027 miles	54	55
Petrol	138,702 miles	54	51

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

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 114,000	143,000–169,000	201,000 and over
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)	4.8	8.9	11.6
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)	6.5	9.7	10.3
Headlight aim	2.7	5.8	6.3
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)	4.4	3.5	3.8
Tyre condition (front)	4.0	2.7	4.0

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

When a car fails

22in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

57in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

11in 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 2004 Volvo V70 reliable?

The 2004 Volvo V70 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test), about 21 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 54.0% of 2,407 first MOTs on the 2004 Volvo V70 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 62.2%. Among 1,108 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (2.4% of those tests; 26 observed failures; about 4.9× 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 2004 Volvo V70?

Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2004 Volvo V70 at the first attempt were Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (20.8%), Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (19.7%) and Headlight aim (11.5%), 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 Volvo V70 2004?

Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear) (2.4% of those tests; 26 observed failures; about 4.9× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Why does Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear) stand out?

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.4% of those tests; 26 observed failures; about 4.9× 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 2004 Volvo V70?

Common MOT problem areas for the 2004 Volvo V70 include Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear), Handbrake lever, Handbrake performance (roller test, rear). 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 Volvo V70 2004 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2004 Volvo V70 (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

Suspension

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear)

What it means

Also noted as an advisory

Brakes

Handbrake lever

What it means

Handbrake performance (roller test, rear)

What it means

Advisories

Side repeater indicators

Individual direction indicators (front)

Other power steering components

Anti-roll bar (rear)

Wheel condition (rear)

Coil spring

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

MOT pass rates

Petrol and diesel

Same model, other years

If you are buying one

Mileage matters most on a 2004 Volvo V70.

Petrol or diesel?

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