At a glance
How 2,862 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 53 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 47 in every 1001,337 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 22 yearsabout 96,770 miles
- First tests counted
- 2,862
What failed most often
- Headlight aim12 in every 100 failed tests
- Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)12 in every 100 failed tests
- Brake light11 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.
These are patterns across 2003 Ford Fusion 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
Three faults. The strongest is the brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear): 4.7 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 1,313 of 1,337 failed first attempts (98.2%) 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)
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.
Rigid brake pipes (front)
What it means
Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 230 first tests, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test)
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
Three faults. The strongest is the shock absorbers (rear): 3.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Shock absorbers (rear)
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.
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)
Wheel bearings (rear)
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 50 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: individual direction indicators (front), 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Individual direction indicators (front)
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.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 61 first tests, 3.3 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.
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.
Brake light
Macpherson strut (front)
Transmission oil leaks
Suspension mounting area (rear)
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
- 53in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 10in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 37in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 53.3% of 2,862 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 63.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 37 not fixed make the 47 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Petrol and diesel
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.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 54 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 52 in every 100 | 387 |
| 2003 This car | 53 in every 100 | 2,862 |
| 2004 | 54 in every 100 | 3,228 |
| 2005 | 56 in every 100 | 3,722 |
| 2006 | 52 in every 100 | 5,537 |
| 2007 | 57 in every 100 | 6,207 |
| 2008 | 58 in every 100 | 6,926 |
| 2009 | 59 in every 100 | 7,606 |
| 2010 | 61 in every 100 | 5,246 |
| 2011 | 66 in every 100 | 2,385 |
| 2012 | 68 in every 100 | 754 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2003 Ford Fusion.
Of 2003 Ford Fusion vehicles with under 68,000 miles, 65 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 129,000 miles or more, 46 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 93,624 miles | 53 | 53 |
| Diesel | 111,757 miles | 55 | 56 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. 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 68,000 | 88,000–106,000 | 129,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlight aim | 3.7 | 5.9 | 7.0 |
| Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear) | 3.9 | 4.8 | 7.5 |
| Brake light | 4.3 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Petrol emissions (with catalyst) | 1.8 | 4.5 | 7.5 |
| Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front) | 2.3 | 4.5 | 6.1 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
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.
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.
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