Does the Volvo 400 Series fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The Volvo 400 Series records 18.34 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 15.04 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+3.30, 95% interval +1.40 to +5.21). It ranks 133 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a Volvo 400 Series by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volvo 400 Series is “A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated”, recorded 94 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 94 | 4.84 |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 86 | 4.43 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 55 | 2.83 |
| Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced | 50 | 2.58 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,941 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Volvo 400 Series brakes failures · Volvo 400 Series lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Volvo 400 Series noise, emissions and leaks failures · Volvo 400 Series seat belts and airbags failures · Volvo 400 Series steering failures · Volvo 400 Series suspension failures · Volvo 400 Series tyres failures · Volvo 400 Series visibility failures