Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Focus C-Max 2006: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 52 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2006 Ford Focus C-Max were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Headlight.

Summary

At the same mileage, a diesel 2006 Ford Focus C-Max passed first time more often than a petrol one: 56 in every 100 against 51 in every 100.

At a glance

How 3,290 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
52 in every 100
Did not pass first time
48 in every 1001,594 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
19 yearsabout 105,811 miles
First tests counted
3,290

What failed most often

  1. Headlight13 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)12 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Headlight aim12 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 2006 Ford Focus 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

Two faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage (rear): 14 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,577 of 1,594 failed first attempts (98.9%) 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 48 first tests14 times as often as similar carsLikely 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 arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 32 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsPossible 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 88 first tests, 2.3 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.

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake pads (rear), 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake pads (rear)

Failed on 112 first tests3.1 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 146 first tests, 3.0 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault and one wear pattern. The strongest is the headlight aim not tested: 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Headlight aim not tested

Failed on 37 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Headlamp aim recorded as not tested, or unable to be tested, is a Major failure. These results must only be used where it becomes apparent during the test that the item cannot be tested, and this could not have been identified before starting. The reason must be included in the additional information box.

Headlight

Failed on 204 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On vehicles first used on or after a set date, a halogen headlamp unit converted to take HID or LED bulbs fails for light source and lamp not compatible, which is Major. A complete unit built with those light sources is not failed for that. The precise position of the lamps is not part of the inspection beyond a visual look to see that they sit at about the same height and distance from each side.

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.

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 175 first tests5.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Other power steering components

Noted on 39 first tests4.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Individual direction indicators (front)

Noted on 62 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Anti-roll bar (rear)

Noted on 22 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

Noted on 41 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Noted on 245 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Transmission oil leaks

Noted on 58 first tests2.4 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
52in 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
41in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 51.6% of 3,290 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 59.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 41 not fixed make the 48 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol2,627103,236 miles5151
Diesel662120,628 miles5456

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.

40608010020042005200620072008Older carsNewer cars
40608010020042005200620072008Older 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, 51 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200453 in every 1001,447
200551 in every 1002,145
2006 This car52 in every 1003,290
200752 in every 1002,313
200853 in every 100500

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2006 Focus C-Max.

Of 2006 Focus C-Max vehicles with under 78,000 miles, 63 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 135,000 miles or more, 44 in every 100 did.

Under 78,000651 tests
63
78,000–98,000673 tests
54
98,000–114,000 Typical car633 tests
50
114,000–135,000663 tests
47
135,000 and over634 tests
44

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol103,236 miles5151
Diesel120,628 miles5456

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage, diesel passed more often (56 against 51 in every 100).

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 78,00098,000–114,000135,000 and over
Headlight5.46.36.3
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)1.58.49.9
Headlight aim5.54.94.9
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)3.86.05.5
Tyre condition (front)3.74.65.2

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

When a car fails

20in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

58in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

15in 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.

At the same mileage, a diesel 2006 Ford Focus C-Max passed first time more often than a petrol one: 56 in every 100 against 51 in every 100. In 2025, 51.6% of 3,290 first MOTs on the 2006 Ford Focus 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 59.4%. Among 1,594 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (3.0% of those tests; 48 observed failures; about 14× 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 2006 Ford Focus C-Max at the first attempt were Headlight (12.9%), Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (12.1%) and Headlight aim (11.7%), 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) (3.0% of those tests; 48 observed failures; about 14× 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 (3.0% of those tests; 48 observed failures; about 14× 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 2006 Ford Focus C-Max include Anti-roll bar linkage (rear), Headlight, 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 2006 Ford Focus 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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