Common problems

Renault Modus common problems

What MOT testers find on the Renault Modus: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 51,726 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 17 years, the most tested age

Lights and electrics fails per 100 MOTs (n=9,065)31.3

All cars at 17 years (n=4,040,458)21.0

Brakes advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=9,065)35.4

All cars, same age (n=4,040,458)31.1

What stands out

Lights and electrics fails show up on 31.3 of every 100 MOTs of a Renault Modus at 17 years old (n=9,065), against 21.0 for all cars of that age (n=4,040,458).
Body and structure fails are less common: 4.9 per 100 MOTs against 8.3 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 17 years: coil spring broken, on 10.4 per 100 MOTs (all cars 3.5).
The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 19.1 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 17 years

How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.

Renault Modus at 17 years (n=9,065) against all cars at 17 years (n=4,040,458). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Lights and electrics	31.3	21.0	21.0	16.9
Suspension	22.4	17.2	24.0	34.7
Brakes	13.5	12.3	35.4	31.1
Tyres	7.5	7.3	30.9	28.1
Steering	7.4	3.6	6.2	5.1
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	6.5	7.1	4.8	6.0
Body and structure	4.9	8.3	4.7	13.9
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	4.6	6.5	15.2	13.2
Seat belts and airbags	4.2	2.5	1.1	1.2
Number plates and VIN	0.3	0.6	2.8	5.2
Road wheels	0.3	0.6	3.3	1.4

What testers fail most on the Modus at 17 years

Fail items on the Renault Modus at 17 years (n=9,065), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=4,040,458).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Coil spring broken	Suspension	10.4	3.5	£64 to £236 per spring (rough guide)
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	9.2	5.8	£10 to £47 per lamp
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect	Lights and electrics	7.4	3.6	£16 to £39 per car (rough guide)
Steering track rod end: ball joint play	Steering	6.3	1.9	£54 to £128 per side (rough guide)
Suspension ball joint worn	Suspension	5.5	2.4	£75 to £237 per side (rough guide)
Brake light not working	Lights and electrics	4.7	4.0	£10 to £47 per lamp
Dipped headlight not working	Lights and electrics	4.5	2.2	£18 to £86 per lamp
Handbrake too weak	Brakes	3.8	2.7
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm	Tyres	3.3	3.0	£88 to £145 per tyre
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	Suspension	3.2	1.8	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 17 years

Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).

Advisories and minor defects on the Renault Modus at 17 years (n=9,065), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=4,040,458).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	19.1	17.9	£88 to £145 per tyre
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	16.9	11.3	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	13.6	11.7
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	12.6	10.5	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	11.2	9.6	£88 to £145 per tyre
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	Lights and electrics	7.3	5.9
Coil spring: corroded	Suspension	7.3	7.5
Brake pads: wearing thin	Brakes	5.8	6.6	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Track rod end: ball joint has slight play	Steering	5.3	2.0	£54 to £128 per side (rough guide)
Headlamp: lens slightly defective	Lights and electrics	4.6	3.7

Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.

How problems change with age

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 17 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Lights and electrics	Suspension	Brakes
11 years	1,536	18.9	25.8	7.7
12 years	3,210	20.5	23.8	7.3
13 years	4,141	21.9	22.2	8.8
14 years	5,865	24.4	22.8	9.8
15 years	6,392	25.8	21.8	9.8
16 years	7,167	28.6	23.3	12.0
17 years	9,065	31.3	22.4	13.5
18 years	7,270	31.6	22.1	15.5
19 years	4,649	30.4	22.3	15.2
20 years	2,431	32.3	21.8	15.5

Mileage

At 17 years, Renault Modus cars showing 30,000 to 60,000 miles failed 45.8% of MOTs (n=2,313); the band that failed most, 90,000 to 120,000 miles, failed 57.9% (n=2,025). For pass and fail rates by age, see Renault Modus MOT fail rates.

What to check on a viewing

On the Renault Modus, testers most often record coil spring broken; side/position light not working; headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Lights and electrics

With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.

Suspension

Listen for knocks or clonks over speed bumps and rough roads on the test drive.
Push down hard on each corner: the car should settle at once rather than keep bouncing.
Look behind the wheels for broken or heavily rusted coil springs and split rubber bushes.
Check that the car sits level and that no tyre is worn on one edge only.

Brakes

On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.

Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the most common problems on the Renault Modus?

At 17 years, the age with the most MOT tests (9,065), the fail items testers record most often on the Renault Modus are coil spring broken (10.4 per 100 MOTs), side/position light not working (9.2 per 100 MOTs), headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect (7.4 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (19.1) and brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (16.9).

Which parts of the Renault Modus fail more often than on other cars?

At 17 years: lights and electrics (31.3 per 100 MOTs against 21.0 for all cars); suspension (22.4 per 100 MOTs against 17.2 for all cars); steering (7.4 per 100 MOTs against 3.6 for all cars). Compared with 4,040,458 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Renault Modus problems by area

Other Renault models

All Renault models · Common problems by make

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Renault Modus?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record

Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources