Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Fiat Punto 2004: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 50 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2004 Fiat Punto were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension mounting area (rear).

Summary

A 2004 Fiat Punto passed first time about 5 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2003 and 2005 model years.

At a glance

How 1,483 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
50 in every 100
Did not pass first time
50 in every 100740 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
21 yearsabout 75,000 miles
First tests counted
1,483

What failed most often

  1. Suspension mounting area (rear)14 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Headlight aim (front)12 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Petrol emissions (with catalyst)10 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 Fiat Punto 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.

Seat belts and restraints

Two faults. The strongest is the seat belt mounting area (rear): 6.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 737 of 740 failed first attempts (99.6%) 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.

Seat belt mounting area (rear)

Failed on 35 first tests6.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A seat belt anchorage likely to become detached in the event of a collision is graded Dangerous. The load bearing structure near an anchorage, called a prescribed area, is Major when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Anchorage points are inspected for all seat belts fitted, except a belt with no corresponding seat.

Airbag warning light

Failed on 51 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.

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

Body and structure

Four faults. The strongest is the exhaust system (front): 5.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (front)

Failed on 32 first tests5.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 26 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Vehicle structure condition (rear)

Failed on 22 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Structure that is fractured, deformed, corroded, modified or inadequately repaired is failed on rigidity only if the overall structural rigidity of the vehicle is significantly reduced. Structure that is likely to affect steering or braking adversely is graded Dangerous. Prescribed areas are not covered here, as they are checked under other sections, including brakes and steering.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 22 first tests, 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 44 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

Chassis condition (rear)

Failed on 25 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A main load-bearing structural member that is fractured, deformed, modified or inadequately repaired is Major when structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and Dangerous where steering or braking is likely to be adversely affected. Corrosion of the body, cab or chassis at a mounting point is Dangerous where overall security or stability is impaired.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the shock absorbers (rear): 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Shock absorbers (rear)

Failed on 36 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 76 first tests, 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 100 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol emissions not tested, 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions not tested

Failed on 41 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On a petrol car, an emissions test recorded as not tested or unable to be completed is failed as Major. DVSA's wording gives no reason why.

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

Lamps and electrical

One fault: individual direction indicators (rear), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Failed on 31 first tests2.1 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.

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.

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 35 first tests5.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring (rear)

Noted on 215 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (front)

Noted on 82 first tests3.8 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
50in 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
42in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 50.1% of 1,483 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 57.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 42 not fixed make the 50 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

406080100200420102015Older carsNewer cars
40608010020042010Newer 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, 51 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200252 in every 100539
200356 in every 100835
2004 This car50 in every 1001,483
200555 in every 1001,172
200651 in every 1004,208
200750 in every 1006,732
200852 in every 1005,519
200955 in every 1005,886
201052 in every 1006,606
201155 in every 1004,980
201256 in every 1005,358
201355 in every 1003,949
201457 in every 1003,382
201562 in every 1002,346
201665 in every 1001,634
201763 in every 1001,188
201861 in every 100304

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

A 2004 Fiat Punto passed first time about 5 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2003 and 2005 model years. In 2025, 50.1% of 1,483 first MOTs on the 2004 Fiat Punto passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 57.9%. Among 740 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Seat belt mounting area (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (4.7% of those tests; 35 observed failures; about 6.0× 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 2004 Fiat Punto at the first attempt were Suspension mounting area (rear) (13.6%), Headlight aim (front) (11.8%) and Petrol emissions (with catalyst) (10.4%), 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: Seat belt mounting area (rear) (4.7% of those tests; 35 observed failures; about 6.0× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Seat belt mounting area (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (4.7% of those tests; 35 observed failures; about 6.0× 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 2004 Fiat Punto include Seat belt mounting area (rear), Exhaust system (front), Vehicle structure condition (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.
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 2004 Fiat Punto (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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