Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Focus 2015: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 72 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2015 Ford Focus were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Tyre pressure monitoring system.

Summary

A 2015 Ford Focus passed first time about 2 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2014 and 2016 model years.

At a glance

How 71,323 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
72 in every 100
Did not pass first time
28 in every 10019,851 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
10 yearsabout 77,374 miles
First tests counted
71,323

What failed most often

  1. Tyre pressure monitoring system21 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre condition (front)9 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)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 2015 Ford Focus 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.

Brakes

Two faults. The strongest is the anti-lock braking system (ABS): 6.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 19,773 of 19,851 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.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 1,307 first tests6.2 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

ABS is failed as removed only where it has obviously been removed, because not every vehicle in the age range where removal is not permitted has ABS. A warning lamp that does not light or shows an ABS fault is Major, as is a missing or excessively damaged wheel speed sensor. Every failure row for this component is Major.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 711 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Tyres

Two wear patterns. The strongest is the tyre pressure monitoring system (front): 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Tyre pressure monitoring system (front)

Failed on 4,221 first tests4.2 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.

Tyre pressure monitoring system (rear)

Failed on 21 first tests2.5 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 side repeater indicators: 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Side repeater indicators

Failed on 980 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Sequential or dynamic direction indicators are not a reason to fail. Where a side repeater is required, it is allowed to be part of the front direction indicator if it has a marked wraparound lens, or an amber light coming through the front lens when viewed from a set distance to the side of the rear bumper. A lens defect with no effect on the emitted light is Minor, and one that adversely affects the light is Major.

Rear fog light

Failed on 494 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing obligatory rear fog lamp, one that is not working, or one that does not emit a steady red light is graded Major. A rear fog lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp is Major too. The manual allows it to go out when main beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off.

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

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/01/2014), 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/01/2014)

Failed on 687 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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.

Anti-roll bar (rear)

Noted on 290 first tests15 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 1,132 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 58 first tests4.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Engine mounting condition (front)

Noted on 28 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Noise-suppression undertray (front)

Noted on 32 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Noted on 566 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Structural sub-frame condition (rear)

Noted on 22 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Other suspension component pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 43 first tests2.0 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
72in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
6in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
22in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 72.2% of 71,323 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 78.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 22 not fixed make the 28 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol39,15266,628 miles7371
Diesel32,17092,673 miles7174

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.

40608010020002005201020152020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000201020152020Older 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, 76 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199952 in every 100910
200053 in every 1001,696
200154 in every 1003,892
200252 in every 1006,783
200355 in every 1008,641
200452 in every 10011,427
200554 in every 10015,756
200657 in every 10022,078
200757 in every 10031,159
200855 in every 10037,319
200955 in every 10046,757
201056 in every 10047,851
201158 in every 10057,244
201261 in every 10061,916
201362 in every 10067,752
201464 in every 10069,468
2015 This car72 in every 10071,323
201677 in every 10060,894
201781 in every 10060,958
201882 in every 10045,414
201981 in every 10052,713
202086 in every 10036,414
202189 in every 10020,069
202290 in every 10014,931

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2015 Focus.

Of 2015 Focus vehicles with under 54,000 miles, 83 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 104,000 miles or more, 65 in every 100 did.

Under 54,00014,565 tests
83
54,000–70,00013,944 tests
75
70,000–85,000 Typical car14,177 tests
70
85,000–104,00014,053 tests
68
104,000 and over14,429 tests
65

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol66,628 miles7371
Diesel92,673 miles7174

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 92,673 against 66,628). 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 54,00070,000–85,000104,000 and over
Tyre pressure monitoring system2.26.68.4
Tyre condition (front)1.92.73.2
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)0.42.24.1
Tyre tread depth (front)0.82.12.6
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)1.81.71.7

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

When a car fails

44in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

28in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

7in 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 2015 Ford Focus passed first time about 2 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2014 and 2016 model years. In 2025, 72.2% of 71,323 first MOTs on the 2015 Ford Focus passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 78.3%. Among 19,851 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-lock braking system (ABS) appears more often than on similar cars (6.6% of those tests; 1,307 observed failures; about 6.2× 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 2015 Ford Focus at the first attempt were Tyre pressure monitoring system (21.3%), Tyre condition (front) (9.4%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (8.0%), 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-lock braking system (ABS) (6.6% of those tests; 1,307 observed failures; about 6.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS) shows up more often than on similar cars (6.6% of those tests; 1,307 observed failures; about 6.2× 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 2015 Ford Focus include Anti-lock braking system (ABS), Side repeater indicators, Electronic stability control. 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 2015 Ford Focus (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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