Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Galaxy 2005: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 50 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2005 Ford Galaxy were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Drive shaft joints and boots (front).

Summary

With 906 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2005 Ford Galaxy differs from the model years either side.

At a glance

How 906 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
50 in every 100
Did not pass first time
50 in every 100451 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
20 yearsabout 139,076 miles
First tests counted
906

What failed most often

  1. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension mounting area (rear)14 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)14 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 Galaxy 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.

Body and structure

Three faults. The strongest is the vehicle structure condition (front): 10 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 450 of 451 failed first attempts (99.8%) 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.

Vehicle structure condition (front)

Failed on 39 first tests10 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Structure that is fractured, deformed, corroded, modified or inadequately repaired is failed on rigidity only if the overall structural rigidity of the vehicle is significantly reduced. Structure that is likely to affect steering or braking adversely is graded Dangerous. Prescribed areas are not covered here, as they are checked under other sections, including brakes and steering.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 32 first tests, 10 times as often as on similar cars.

Chassis condition (front)

Failed on 30 first tests7.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A main load-bearing structural member that is fractured, deformed, modified or inadequately repaired is Major when structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and Dangerous where steering or braking is likely to be adversely affected. Corrosion of the body, cab or chassis at a mounting point is Dangerous where overall security or stability is impaired.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 72 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

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

Two faults. The strongest is the suspension mounting area (front): 7.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension mounting area (front)

Failed on 48 first tests7.9 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 23 first tests, 6.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 64 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 43 first tests, 2.4 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.

Steering

One fault: steering rack (front), 7.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Steering rack (front)

Failed on 33 first tests7.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.

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

Brakes

One fault: flexible brake hoses (front), 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Flexible brake hoses (front)

Failed on 23 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 32 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.

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.

Macpherson strut pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 28 first tests7.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Shock absorbers (rear)

Noted on 54 first tests3.1 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
50in 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
43in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 50.2% of 906 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 57.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 43 not fixed make the 50 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

4060801002005201020152020Newer cars
406080100200520102020Newer 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, 48 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200355 in every 100453
200448 in every 100538
2005 This car50 in every 100906
200650 in every 1001,175
200753 in every 1002,440
200854 in every 1002,696
200954 in every 1003,184
201055 in every 1003,613
201154 in every 1003,861
201257 in every 1003,977
201357 in every 1003,505
201456 in every 1003,931
201562 in every 1002,204
201677 in every 1004,211
201778 in every 1004,620
201879 in every 1002,974
201977 in every 1002,271
202081 in every 1001,520
202175 in every 1001,194
202282 in every 1001,134

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

With 906 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2005 Ford Galaxy differs from the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Drive shaft joints and boots (front), about 16 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 50.2% of 906 first MOTs on the 2005 Ford Galaxy passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 57.1%. Among 451 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Vehicle structure condition (front) appears more often than on similar cars (8.7% of those tests; 39 observed failures; about 10× 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 Galaxy at the first attempt were Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (16.0%), Suspension mounting area (rear) (14.2%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (13.6%), 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: Vehicle structure condition (front) (8.7% of those tests; 39 observed failures; about 10× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Vehicle structure condition (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (8.7% of those tests; 39 observed failures; about 10× 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 Galaxy include Vehicle structure condition (front), Suspension mounting area (front), Steering rack (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 Galaxy (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.

Check any vehicle’s MOT history

Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.

Run a free check