Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Mustang 2018: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 83 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2018 Ford Mustang were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test).

Summary

The 2018 Ford Mustang follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,982 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
83 in every 100
Did not pass first time
17 in every 100335 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
7 yearsabout 31,223 miles
First tests counted
1,982

What failed most often

  1. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)36 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre condition (front)17 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 2018 Ford Mustang 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 handbrake performance (roller test, rear): 42 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 335 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.

Handbrake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 29 first tests42 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake that is inoperative on one side is Major. When tested on the road, the failure is the vehicle deviating excessively from a straight line. Vehicles whose parking brake was already tested as the secondary brake are not tested again for this.

Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 120 first tests27 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A parking brake with efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and graded Dangerous where efficiency is less than half of the required value. On a roller brake tester, the requirement counts as met if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock. The check applies only to vehicles whose parking brake was not already tested as the secondary brake.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 22 first tests16 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake lever pivot or ratchet mechanism that is obviously worn is graded Minor. It is Major when worn to the extent that the brake may inadvertently release, and also when the ratchet is not holding correctly. A lever must have obvious excessive travel before being rejected.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. 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
83in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
2in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
15in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 83.1% of 1,982 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 85.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 2 fixed and the 15 not fixed make the 17 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020152016201720182019202020212022Older carsNewer cars
4060801002018Older 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, 82 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201585 in every 100318
201681 in every 1002,384
201782 in every 1001,781
2018 This car83 in every 1001,982
201985 in every 1001,145
202087 in every 1001,015
202190 in every 1003,007
202289 in every 1004,819

FAQs

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

The 2018 Ford Mustang follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test), about 36 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 83.1% of 1,982 first MOTs on the 2018 Ford Mustang passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 85.4%. Among 335 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) appears more often than on similar cars (35.8% of those tests; 120 observed failures; about 27× 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 2018 Ford Mustang at the first attempt were Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (35.8%) and Tyre condition (front) (17.0%), 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: Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (35.8% of those tests; 120 observed failures; about 27× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) shows up more often than on similar cars (35.8% of those tests; 120 observed failures; about 27× 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 2018 Ford Mustang include Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test), Handbrake performance (roller test, rear), Handbrake lever. These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2018 Ford Mustang (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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