Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Fiesta 2002: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 56 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2002 Ford Fiesta were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear).

Summary

The 2002 Ford Fiesta follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 5,496 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
56 in every 100
Did not pass first time
44 in every 1002,411 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
23 yearsabout 82,174 miles
First tests counted
5,496

What failed most often

  1. Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)11 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Brake light10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Suspension mounting area (rear)8 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 2002 Ford Fiesta 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.

Brakes

Two faults. The strongest is the brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear): 3.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,378 of 2,411 failed first attempts (98.6%) 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.

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)

Failed on 256 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.

Flexible brake hoses (rear)

Failed on 50 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.

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

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the wheel bearings (rear): 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Wheel bearings (rear)

Failed on 97 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Excessive play in a wheel bearing, or a bearing that is excessively rough, is Major. Play so excessive that the bearing is likely to break up or directional control is impaired is Dangerous, and so is a bearing so rough that it is likely to overheat or break up.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 115 first tests, 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 129 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Whether a suspension arm ball joint dust cover still keeps dirt out decides its grade. Severely deteriorated is Minor, while missing, or no longer preventing the ingress of dirt, is Major.

Shock absorbers (rear)

Failed on 94 first tests2.2 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.

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

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: seat belt mounting area, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Seat belt mounting area

Failed on 48 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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.

Wheel condition (rear)

Noted on 70 first tests5.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel condition (front)

Noted on 99 first tests5.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Swivel pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 89 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Suspension sub-frame pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 30 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Other power steering components

Noted on 36 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, rear)

Noted on 21 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake light (rear)

Noted on 36 first tests2.1 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
56in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
9in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
35in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 56.1% of 5,496 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 64.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 9 fixed and the 35 not fixed make the 44 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as tested
Petrol5,07480,258 miles56
Diesel422111,948 miles54

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020022005201020152020Older carsNewer cars
406080100200220102020Newer 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, 55 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199753 in every 100407
199852 in every 100879
199956 in every 1001,115
200054 in every 1001,109
200155 in every 1001,907
2002 This car56 in every 1005,496
200355 in every 10011,632
200453 in every 10015,586
200553 in every 10019,163
200652 in every 10032,932
200753 in every 10042,015
200852 in every 10046,538
200953 in every 10080,926
201055 in every 10078,060
201157 in every 10077,995
201258 in every 10092,486
201360 in every 100105,711
201462 in every 100115,867
201565 in every 100119,208
201667 in every 100108,889
201774 in every 10086,424
201883 in every 10089,668
201985 in every 10075,408
202086 in every 10048,062
202189 in every 10026,736
202291 in every 10024,525

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2002 Fiesta.

Of 2002 Fiesta vehicles with under 54,000 miles, 65 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 113,000 miles or more, 47 in every 100 did.

Under 54,0001,077 tests
65
54,000–73,0001,112 tests
62
73,000–91,000 Typical car1,068 tests
55
91,000–113,0001,096 tests
52
113,000 and over1,089 tests
47

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 54,00073,000–91,000113,000 and over
Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)2.05.15.6
Brake light2.93.96.3
Suspension mounting area (rear)3.84.12.9
Petrol emissions (with catalyst)0.83.06.7
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)0.13.36.0

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

When a car fails

23in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

54in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

8in 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.

The 2002 Ford Fiesta follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear), about 11 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 56.1% of 5,496 first MOTs on the 2002 Ford Fiesta passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 64.6%. Among 2,411 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear) appears more often than on similar cars (10.8% of those tests; 256 observed failures; about 3.6× 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 2002 Ford Fiesta at the first attempt were Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear) (10.8%), Brake light (10.0%) and Suspension mounting area (rear) (7.8%), 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: Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear) (10.8% of those tests; 256 observed failures; about 3.6× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (10.8% of those tests; 256 observed failures; about 3.6× 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 2002 Ford Fiesta include Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear), Wheel bearings (rear), Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (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.
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 2002 Ford Fiesta (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.

Check any vehicle’s MOT history

Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.

Run a free check