Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Ranger 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 59 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Ford Ranger were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Leaf spring (rear).

Summary

The 2012 Ford Ranger follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,683 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
59 in every 100
Did not pass first time
41 in every 100682 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 112,192 miles
First tests counted
1,683

What failed most often

  1. Leaf spring (rear)13 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Track rod end (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)8 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 2012 Ford Ranger 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

Two faults. The strongest is the leaf spring (rear): 65 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 677 of 682 failed first attempts (99.3%) 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.

Leaf spring (rear)

Failed on 85 first tests65 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Modified spring anchor or shackle brackets with more mounting holes than the chassis are not a reason to reject leaf spring suspension, and neither is a missing bump stop rubber. A fractured main leaf is graded Dangerous. A spring that is fractured or seriously weakened is graded Major.

Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 51 first tests4.4 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.

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

Noise, emissions and leaks

Two faults. The strongest is the diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008): 5.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008)

Failed on 59 first tests5.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 46 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

An engine malfunction indicator lamp that is illuminated to show a malfunction is graded Major on a diesel, but only on the diesels the test covers, which depends on the vehicle type and when it was first used. DVSA lists it under exhaust emissions for compression ignition engines, and the detail line for the row also names an inoperative lamp.

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

Lamps and electrical

One fault: rear fog light, 5.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Rear fog light

Failed on 41 first tests5.0 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.

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

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the rigid brake pipes (front): 4.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Failed on 25 first tests4.8 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 96 first tests, 5.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 38 first tests4.1 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 63 first tests, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 32 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

ABS is failed as removed only where it has obviously been removed, because not every vehicle in the age range where removal is not permitted has ABS. A warning lamp that does not light or shows an ABS fault is Major, as is a missing or excessively damaged wheel speed sensor. Every failure row for this component is Major.

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: track rod end, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end

Failed on 28 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

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

Body and structure

One fault: exhaust system (rear), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 32 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

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

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.

Chassis condition

Noted on 39 first tests16 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Transmission oil leaks

Noted on 22 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Noted on 46 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Track rod end (front)

Noted on 26 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
59in 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
34in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 59.5% of 1,683 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 66.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 34 not fixed make the 41 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020002005201220152020Older carsNewer cars
406080100200020122020Older 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, 61 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200062 in every 100378
200160 in every 100433
200256 in every 100571
200355 in every 100797
200452 in every 1001,330
200556 in every 1001,555
200653 in every 1001,862
200755 in every 1002,238
200856 in every 1001,686
200955 in every 1001,901
201055 in every 1001,205
201158 in every 1001,328
2012 This car59 in every 1001,683
201365 in every 1002,633
201462 in every 1003,685
201564 in every 1005,675
201672 in every 1009,695
201773 in every 1009,941
201873 in every 10013,090
201975 in every 10013,484
202077 in every 10010,846
202180 in every 10015,077
202282 in every 10014,365

FAQs

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

The 2012 Ford Ranger follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Leaf spring (rear), about 13 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 59.5% of 1,683 first MOTs on the 2012 Ford Ranger passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 66.1%. Among 682 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Leaf spring (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (12.6% of those tests; 85 observed failures; about 65× 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 2012 Ford Ranger at the first attempt were Leaf spring (rear) (12.6%), Track rod end (front) (10.6%) and Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (8.0%), 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: Leaf spring (rear) (12.6% of those tests; 85 observed failures; about 65× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Leaf spring (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (12.6% of those tests; 85 observed failures; about 65× 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 2012 Ford Ranger include Leaf spring (rear), Rear fog light, 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 2012 Ford Ranger (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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