Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Fusion 2005: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 56 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2005 Ford Fusion were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

A 2005 Ford Fusion passed first time about 3 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2004 and 2006 model years.

At a glance

How 3,722 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
56 in every 100
Did not pass first time
44 in every 1001,654 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
20 yearsabout 94,028 miles
First tests counted
3,722

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Brake light11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Headlight aim10 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 2005 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.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the swivel pins and bushes (rear): 8.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,652 of 1,654 failed first attempts (99.9%) 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.

Swivel pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 53 first tests8.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A stub axle swivel pin or bush that is excessively worn is Major. One that is insecure, or so worn or insecure that directional stability is impaired, is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 82 first tests, 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 159 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Wheel bearings (rear)

Failed on 74 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible 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 43 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

Two faults. The strongest is the rigid brake pipes (front): 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Failed on 105 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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 295 first tests, 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 151 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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.

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 pedal

Noted on 29 first tests4.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 31 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Brake light (rear)

Noted on 47 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Transmission oil leaks

Noted on 62 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Noted on 140 first tests2.3 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
10in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
34in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 55.6% of 3,722 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 65.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 34 not fixed make the 44 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol3,01190,132 miles5656
Diesel711113,283 miles5255

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.

40608010020052010Older carsNewer cars
40608010020052010Newer 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
200252 in every 100387
200353 in every 1002,862
200454 in every 1003,228
2005 This car56 in every 1003,722
200652 in every 1005,537
200757 in every 1006,207
200858 in every 1006,926
200959 in every 1007,606
201061 in every 1005,246
201166 in every 1002,385
201268 in every 100754

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2005 Ford Fusion.

Of 2005 Ford Fusion vehicles with under 65,000 miles, 66 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 126,000 miles or more, 48 in every 100 did.

Under 65,000743 tests
66
65,000–85,000749 tests
60
85,000–103,000 Typical car736 tests
53
103,000–126,000753 tests
50
126,000 and over734 tests
48

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol90,132 miles5656
Diesel113,283 miles5255

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 113,283 against 90,132). 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 65,00085,000–103,000126,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)1.34.58.3
Brake light4.63.85.3
Headlight aim2.35.25.9
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)1.94.65.4
Rigid brake pipes (rear)3.44.25.4

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

When a car fails

21in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

59in 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.

A 2005 Ford Fusion passed first time about 3 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2004 and 2006 model years. In 2025, 55.6% of 3,722 first MOTs on the 2005 Ford Fusion passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 65.6%. Among 1,654 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Swivel pins and bushes (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (3.2% of those tests; 53 observed failures; about 8.1× 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 2005 Ford Fusion at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (11.3%), Brake light (11.0%) and Headlight aim (10.2%), 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: Swivel pins and bushes (rear) (3.2% of those tests; 53 observed failures; about 8.1× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Swivel pins and bushes (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (3.2% of those tests; 53 observed failures; about 8.1× 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 2005 Ford Fusion include Swivel pins and bushes (rear), Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front), Rigid brake pipes (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 2005 Ford Fusion (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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