Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford C-Max 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 63 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Ford C-Max were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Drive shaft joints and boots (front).

Summary

A 2012 Ford C-Max passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2011 and 2013 model years.

At a glance

How 10,220 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
63 in every 100
Did not pass first time
37 in every 1003,758 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 91,629 miles
First tests counted
10,220

What failed most often

  1. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Brake pads (rear)9 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Tyre condition (front)9 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 2012 Ford C-Max vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage (rear): 19 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 3,748 of 3,758 failed first attempts (99.7%) 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.

Anti-roll bar linkage (rear)

Failed on 261 first tests19 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

An anti-roll bar linkage is graded Dangerous when a suspension component is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail. Insecure attachment that impairs directional stability is graded Dangerous too. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens the part is Major, and so is plain insecure attachment to the chassis or axle.

Suspension sub-frame (front)

Failed on 78 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A suspension sub-frame insecurely attached to the chassis or axle is Major, and Dangerous when it is insecure and impairing directional stability. A sub-frame that is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail is also Dangerous. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens it is Major.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 98 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 336 first tests, 5.0 times as often as on similar cars.

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

Tyres

One wear pattern: tyre pressure monitoring system, 3.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Tyre pressure monitoring system

Failed on 54 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A tyre pressure monitoring system that is obviously inoperative is graded Major, and so is one listed as malfunctioning or obviously inoperative. The Minor row uses the word malfunctioning too, but its detail is a warning lamp indicating a fault, and it also covers a tyre that is obviously under-inflated.

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

Lamps and electrical

Two faults. The strongest is the reversing lights: 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Reversing lights

Failed on 75 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Reversing lamps must show a white light to the rear, and on some vehicles the engine has to be running before they work. A lamp that does not emit a steady white light, does not face the rear or has its light intensity significantly reduced is Major. A lamp not securely attached is Minor, but one likely to become detached is Major.

Horn

Failed on 88 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A horn that does not work, or is likely to be confused with an emergency vehicle siren, is graded Major. Gongs, bells, sirens and anything with more than one tone, which includes a horn that alternates between its notes, are not allowed, except a gong, bell or siren on vehicles first used before a set date. Sound defects are Minor for named cases such as a bell or harsh sound, and Major under a general row.

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

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake pads (rear), 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake pads (rear)

Failed on 334 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 369 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

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

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 401 first tests2.0 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.

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 (rear)

Noted on 66 first tests5.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Flexible brake hoses (front)

Noted on 46 first tests2.5 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
63in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
7in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
30in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 63.2% of 10,220 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 69.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 30 not fixed make the 37 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel5,55699,732 miles6264
Petrol4,66384,697 miles6463

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.

40608010020122015Older carsNewer cars
4060801002012Older 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, 67 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200751 in every 1003,659
200852 in every 1008,076
200954 in every 1004,451
201056 in every 1005,170
201163 in every 1009,555
2012 This car63 in every 10010,220
201368 in every 10012,957
201469 in every 10011,973
201572 in every 10010,919
201678 in every 10010,179
201782 in every 1007,766
201880 in every 1004,665
201983 in every 1002,514

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2012 C-Max.

Of 2012 C-Max vehicles with under 68,000 miles, 74 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 119,000 miles or more, 55 in every 100 did.

Under 68,0002,053 tests
74
68,000–85,0002,098 tests
67
85,000–100,000 Typical car1,966 tests
62
100,000–119,0002,032 tests
59
119,000 and over2,061 tests
55

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 68,00085,000–100,000119,000 and over
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)1.34.76.7
Brake pads (rear)2.13.04.5
Tyre condition (front)3.02.44.4
Anti-roll bar linkage (rear)1.93.31.4
Headlight aim0.82.04.2

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

When a car fails

38in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

35in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

13in 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 2012 Ford C-Max passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2011 and 2013 model years. In 2025, 63.2% of 10,220 first MOTs on the 2012 Ford C-Max passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 69.9%. Among 3,758 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (7.0% of those tests; 261 observed failures; about 19× 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 2012 Ford C-Max at the first attempt were Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (10.7%), Brake pads (rear) (8.9%) and Tyre condition (front) (8.8%), 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: Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) (7.0% of those tests; 261 observed failures; about 19× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (7.0% of those tests; 261 observed failures; about 19× 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 2012 Ford C-Max include Anti-roll bar linkage (rear), Suspension sub-frame (front), Suspension arm pins and bushes (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 2012 Ford C-Max (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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