Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volvo V90 2017: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 80 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2017 Volvo V90 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Drive shaft joints and boots (front).

Summary

The 2017 Volvo V90 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 2,775 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
80 in every 100
Did not pass first time
20 in every 100545 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
8 yearsabout 81,470 miles
First tests counted
2,775

What failed most often

  1. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)17 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Tyre condition (rear)13 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 2017 Volvo V90 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: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 4.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 545 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 94 first tests4.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

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

Suspension

One fault: coil spring (front), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 77 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

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

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 43 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

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.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Noted on 41 first tests4.8 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
80in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
2in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
18in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 80.4% of 2,775 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 81.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 2 fixed and the 18 not fixed make the 20 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

4060801002016201720182019202020212022Older carsNewer cars
40608010020172020Newer 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, 82 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201676 in every 100420
2017 This car80 in every 1002,775
201883 in every 1003,804
201984 in every 1004,259
202085 in every 1002,355
202190 in every 1001,216
202290 in every 100984

If you are buying one

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

Mileage makes a modest difference on a 2017 Volvo V90.

Of 2017 Volvo V90 vehicles with under 59,000 miles, 84 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 110,000 miles or more, 77 in every 100 did.

Under 59,000567 tests
84
59,000–75,000565 tests
83
75,000–89,000 Typical car531 tests
78
89,000–110,000554 tests
80
110,000 and over558 tests
77

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 59,00075,000–89,000110,000 and over
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)0.95.64.3
Coil spring (front)2.13.42.7
Tyre condition (rear)2.52.42.9
Brake pads (rear)1.61.33.2

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

When a car fails

62in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

16in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

6in 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.

The 2017 Volvo V90 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Drive shaft joints and boots (front), about 17 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 80.4% of 2,775 first MOTs on the 2017 Volvo V90 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 81.8%. Among 545 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) appears more often than on similar cars (17.2% of those tests; 94 observed failures; about 4.4× 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 2017 Volvo V90 at the first attempt were Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (17.2%), Coil spring (front) (14.1%) and Tyre condition (rear) (12.8%), 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: Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (17.2% of those tests; 94 observed failures; about 4.4× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Drive shaft joints and boots (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (17.2% of those tests; 94 observed failures; about 4.4× 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 2017 Volvo V90 include Drive shaft joints and boots (front), Coil spring (front), Track rod end (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 2017 Volvo V90 (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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