Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Ranger 2013: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 65 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2013 Ford Ranger were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Track rod end (front).

Summary

A 2013 Ford Ranger passed first time about 4 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2012 and 2014 model years.

At a glance

How 2,633 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
65 in every 100
Did not pass first time
35 in every 100919 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
12 yearsabout 106,006 miles
First tests counted
2,633

What failed most often

  1. Track rod end (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Leaf spring (rear)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 2013 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): 78 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 916 of 919 failed first attempts (99.7%) 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 96 first tests78 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 tests3.3 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): 5.2 times as often as on similar cars.

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

Failed on 75 first tests5.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 53 first tests2.3 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.

Brakes

Four faults. The strongest is the electronic stability control: 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 35 first tests4.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An ESC warning lamp is failed only when the tester is certain it indicates an ESC malfunction, because the lamp takes various forms and the owner's handbook may need checking. The system is also called ESP, VDC or DSC, among many other names. Every failure row is Major, covering the lamp, wheel speed sensors, wiring, other components and the switch.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 49 first tests4.0 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.

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Failed on 25 first tests3.9 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 107 first tests, 5.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 39 first tests3.7 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 85 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.

Body and structure

One fault: exhaust system (rear), 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 49 first tests2.8 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.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 128 first tests2.5 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 46 first tests, 3.1 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.

Chassis condition

Noted on 29 first tests12 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring (front)

Noted on 46 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Transmission oil leaks

Noted on 23 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Engine oil leaks

Noted on 154 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Noted on 43 first tests2.0 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
65in 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
28in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 65.1% of 2,633 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 71.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 28 not fixed make the 35 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020002005201020132020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000201020132020Older carsNewer cars

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

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
201259 in every 1001,683
2013 This car65 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

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2013 Ford Ranger.

Of 2013 Ford Ranger vehicles with under 78,000 miles, 73 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 139,000 miles or more, 60 in every 100 did.

Under 78,000534 tests
73
78,000–96,000512 tests
67
96,000–114,000 Typical car519 tests
62
114,000–139,000535 tests
64
139,000 and over526 tests
60

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 78,00096,000–114,000139,000 and over
Track rod end (front)1.55.47.2
Coil spring (front)2.63.74.4
Leaf spring (rear)2.64.84.8
Headlight1.12.94.9
Headlight aim1.31.92.5

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

When a car fails

26in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

49in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

6in 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 2013 Ford Ranger passed first time about 4 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2012 and 2014 model years. In 2025, 65.1% of 2,633 first MOTs on the 2013 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 71.7%. Among 919 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Leaf spring (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (10.5% of those tests; 96 observed failures; about 78× 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 2013 Ford Ranger at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (14.0%), Coil spring (front) (10.8%) and Leaf spring (rear) (10.5%), 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) (10.5% of those tests; 96 observed failures; about 78× 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 (10.5% of those tests; 96 observed failures; about 78× 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 2013 Ford Ranger include Leaf spring (rear), Electronic stability control, Anti-lock braking system (ABS). 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 2013 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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