Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Fusion 2006: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 52 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2006 Ford Fusion were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Brake light.

Summary

A 2006 Ford Fusion passed first time about 4 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2005 and 2007 model years.

At a glance

How 5,537 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
52 in every 100
Did not pass first time
48 in every 1002,658 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
19 yearsabout 91,045 miles
First tests counted
5,537

What failed most often

  1. Brake light12 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Headlight aim10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)10 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 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): 5.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,656 of 2,658 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 70 first tests5.2 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 138 first tests, 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 223 first tests3.6 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 105 first tests2.8 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.

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

Three faults. The strongest is the rear fog light: 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Rear fog light

Failed on 184 first tests4.3 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Failed on 167 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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 121 first tests, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake light (rear)

Failed on 318 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

All stop lamps missing or not working is graded Dangerous, and so is a stop lamp that stays on when the brakes are released. A stop lamp that is missing or not working is Major. On some vehicles with LED rear lamps, part of the stop lamp can go out when the rear fog lamp is lit, which is not regarded as a defect.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 69 first tests, 2.7 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): 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Failed on 144 first tests2.9 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 362 first tests, 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 216 first tests2.5 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.

Suspension spring mounting area (rear)

Noted on 26 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pedal

Noted on 35 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 30 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible 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
10in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
38in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 52.0% of 5,537 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 62.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 38 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
Petrol4,43987,656 miles5251
Diesel1,098108,576 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.

40608010020062010Older carsNewer cars
40608010020062010Older 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, 53 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200252 in every 100387
200353 in every 1002,862
200454 in every 1003,228
200556 in every 1003,722
2006 This car52 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 2006 Ford Fusion.

Of 2006 Ford Fusion vehicles with under 64,000 miles, 63 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 121,000 miles or more, 44 in every 100 did.

Under 64,0001,126 tests
63
64,000–83,0001,110 tests
56
83,000–99,000 Typical car1,062 tests
50
99,000–121,0001,109 tests
47
121,000 and over1,127 tests
44

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol87,656 miles5251
Diesel108,576 miles5255

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 64,00083,000–99,000121,000 and over
Brake light3.75.85.7
Headlight aim4.44.16.7
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)1.24.97.5
Headlight3.14.05.6
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)1.54.25.9

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

When a car fails

19in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

60in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

9in 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 2006 Ford Fusion passed first time about 4 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2005 and 2007 model years. In 2025, 52.0% of 5,537 first MOTs on the 2006 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 62.4%. Among 2,658 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Swivel pins and bushes (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (2.6% of those tests; 70 observed failures; about 5.2× 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 2006 Ford Fusion at the first attempt were Brake light (12.0%), Headlight aim (10.5%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (9.9%), 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) (2.6% of those tests; 70 observed failures; about 5.2× 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 (2.6% of those tests; 70 observed failures; about 5.2× 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 2006 Ford Fusion include Swivel pins and bushes (rear), Rear fog light, 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 2006 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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