Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Citroen C4 2011: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 53 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2011 Citroen C4 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Drive shaft joints and boots (front).

Summary

A 2011 Citroen C4 passed first time about 2 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2010 and 2012 model years.

At a glance

How 5,770 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
53 in every 100
Did not pass first time
47 in every 1002,740 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
14 yearsabout 103,203 miles
First tests counted
5,770

What failed most often

  1. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Suspension arm ball joint (front)12 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 2011 Citroen C4 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: other suspension component ball joint (front), 6.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,739 of 2,740 failed first attempts 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.

Other suspension component ball joint (front)

Failed on 60 first tests6.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Under DVSA's general suspension wording, a ball joint that is excessively worn is Major. One likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

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

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 373 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: individual direction indicators (front), 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Individual direction indicators (front)

Failed on 69 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Direction indicators must be amber, though vehicles first used before a set date may have white at the front and red at the rear when the indicators are combined with stop or position lamps, and sequential or dynamic ones are not a reason to fail. A lamp that is missing, inoperative or has more than half of a multiple light source not functioning is graded Major. A flashing rate outside the permitted range is graded Minor.

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

Brakes

One fault: electronic stability control, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 60 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

An ESC warning lamp is failed only when the tester is certain it indicates an ESC malfunction, because the lamp takes various forms and the owner's handbook may need checking. The system is also called ESP, VDC or DSC, among many other names. Every failure row is Major, covering the lamp, wheel speed sensors, wiring, other components and the switch.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. 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
53in 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
39in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 52.5% of 5,770 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 60.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 39 not fixed make the 47 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel5,055106,586 miles5253
Petrol71383,169 miles5551

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.

4060801002005201120152020Older carsNewer cars
40608010020112020Older carsNewer 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, 54 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200554 in every 100617
200650 in every 1001,235
200749 in every 1003,668
200846 in every 1004,812
200948 in every 1003,669
201046 in every 1004,635
2011 This car53 in every 1005,770
201254 in every 1007,285
201354 in every 10010,925
201456 in every 10018,913
201560 in every 10025,465
201662 in every 10015,965
201767 in every 100836
201873 in every 1002,576
201977 in every 1004,766
202084 in every 1001,641
202179 in every 1006,040
202283 in every 1007,742

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2011 Citroen C4.

Of 2011 Citroen C4 vehicles with under 78,000 miles, 62 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 131,000 miles or more, 48 in every 100 did.

Under 78,0001,170 tests
62
78,000–95,0001,131 tests
53
95,000–111,000 Typical car1,122 tests
50
111,000–131,0001,171 tests
49
131,000 and over1,173 tests
48

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Diesel106,586 miles5253
Petrol83,169 miles5551

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 106,586 against 83,169). 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 78,00095,000–111,000131,000 and over
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)5.76.66.6
Coil spring (front)5.36.76.1
Suspension arm ball joint (front)3.06.17.7
Headlight aim3.43.33.9
Tyre condition (front)2.62.95.2

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

When a car fails

27in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

50in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

12in 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.

A 2011 Citroen C4 passed first time about 2 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2010 and 2012 model years. In 2025, 52.5% of 5,770 first MOTs on the 2011 Citroen C4 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 60.8%. Among 2,740 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Other suspension component ball joint (front) appears more often than on similar cars (2.2% of those tests; 60 observed failures; about 6.3× 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 2011 Citroen C4 at the first attempt were Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (13.6%), Coil spring (front) (13.2%) and Suspension arm ball joint (front) (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.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Other suspension component ball joint (front) (2.2% of those tests; 60 observed failures; about 6.3× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Other suspension component ball joint (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.2% of those tests; 60 observed failures; about 6.3× 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 2011 Citroen C4 include Other suspension component ball joint (front), Drive shaft joints and boots (front), Individual direction indicators (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.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2011 Citroen C4 (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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