Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Ka 2002: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 49 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2002 Ford Ka were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension mounting area (rear).

Summary

With 607 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2002 Ford Ka differs from the model years either side.

At a glance

How 607 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
49 in every 100
Did not pass first time
51 in every 100308 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
23 yearsabout 46,946 miles
First tests counted
607

What failed most often

  1. Suspension mounting area (rear)21 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 2002 Ford Ka 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

Four faults. The strongest is the suspension mounting area (front): 5.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 308 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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.

Suspension mounting area (front)

Failed on 32 first tests5.2 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 28 first tests, 7.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 37 first tests4.6 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 54 first tests, 3.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 64 first tests4.2 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 27 first tests, 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 23 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

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 31 first tests13 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Flexible brake hoses (front)

Noted on 20 first tests2.1 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
49in 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
44in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 49.3% of 607 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 55.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 44 not fixed make the 51 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

4060801002002200520102015Newer cars
40608010020022010Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200152 in every 100306
2002 This car49 in every 100607
200349 in every 1001,035
200449 in every 1001,369
200552 in every 1001,643
200649 in every 1001,983
200749 in every 1002,698
200849 in every 1003,392
200955 in every 10014,844
201056 in every 10016,047
201161 in every 10014,315
201264 in every 10015,488
201366 in every 10017,337
201469 in every 10017,480
201568 in every 10012,575
201672 in every 1007,955
201781 in every 10012,895
201880 in every 10010,615
201986 in every 1009,684

FAQs

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

With 607 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2002 Ford Ka differs from the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Suspension mounting area (rear), about 21 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 49.3% of 607 first MOTs on the 2002 Ford Ka passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 55.5%. Among 308 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension mounting area (front) appears more often than on similar cars (10.4% of those tests; 32 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 2002 Ford Ka at the first attempt were Suspension mounting area (rear) (20.8%), 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: Suspension mounting area (front) (10.4% of those tests; 32 observed failures; about 5.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Suspension mounting area (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (10.4% of those tests; 32 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 2002 Ford Ka include Suspension mounting area (front), Suspension arm pins and bushes (front), Coil spring (rear). 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 2002 Ford Ka (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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