Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Transit 2005: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 54 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2005 Ford Transit were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension mounting area (rear).

Summary

The 2005 Ford Transit follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 2,209 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
54 in every 100
Did not pass first time
46 in every 1001,010 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
20 yearsabout 113,197 miles
First tests counted
2,209

What failed most often

  1. Suspension mounting area (rear)20 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Chassis condition (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Vehicle structure condition (front)9 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 Transit 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 leaf spring (rear): 27 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 889 of 1,010 failed first attempts (88.0%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like. 12.0% of failures are excluded because no mileage was recorded, so treat these shares as indicative for this model year.

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 24 first tests27 times as often as similar carsPossible 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 spring mounting area (rear)

Failed on 47 first tests24 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Testers check the strength and continuity of the load bearing structure within a set distance of a spring, sub-frame or suspension mounting, an area DVSA calls a prescribed area. Strength that is significantly reduced, or an area inadequately repaired, is Major. Structure so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected is graded Dangerous.

Suspension mounting area (front)

Failed on 130 first tests11 times as often as similar carsStrong 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 42 first tests, 5.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension sub-frame mounting area (front)

Failed on 23 first tests7.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Structure around a sub-frame mounting that is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected is graded Dangerous, whether it is damaged, fractured, corroded or inadequately repaired. It is Major when strength is significantly reduced by excessive corrosion, damage or a fracture, or when it is inadequately repaired.

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

Four faults. The strongest is the chassis condition (front): 12 times as often as on similar cars.

Chassis condition (front)

Failed on 102 first tests12 times as often as similar carsStrong 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 35 first tests, 5.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Vehicle structure condition (front)

Failed on 84 first tests12 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 41 first tests, 6.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Chassis condition (rear)

Failed on 93 first tests7.0 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 65 first tests, 4.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Vehicle structure condition (rear)

Failed on 53 first tests5.4 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 43 first tests, 4.1 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.

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: seat belt mounting area (front), 5.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Seat belt mounting area (front)

Failed on 31 first tests5.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A seat belt anchorage likely to become detached in the event of a collision is graded Dangerous. The load bearing structure near an anchorage, called a prescribed area, is Major when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Anchorage points are inspected for all seat belts fitted, except a belt with no corresponding seat.

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

Brakes

One fault: brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear), 5.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)

Failed on 67 first tests5.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.

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.

Seat belt condition (front)

Noted on 55 first tests5.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pedal

Noted on 22 first tests4.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Power steering pipes and hoses

Noted on 20 first tests3.0 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
54in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
8in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
38in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 54.3% of 2,209 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 61.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 38 not fixed make the 46 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

406080100199520002005201020152020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000200520102020Older 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, 55 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199460 in every 100364
199559 in every 100548
199659 in every 100643
199764 in every 100694
199861 in every 100774
199964 in every 100783
200063 in every 100886
200159 in every 1001,014
200257 in every 1001,490
200355 in every 1001,729
200453 in every 1001,599
2005 This car54 in every 1002,209
200657 in every 1004,061
200755 in every 1006,955
200852 in every 1008,917
200951 in every 1008,514
201050 in every 10012,354
201150 in every 10015,280
201250 in every 10012,952
201355 in every 10017,619
201464 in every 10026,599
201565 in every 10033,241
201667 in every 10039,075
201767 in every 10041,381
201871 in every 10017,846
201975 in every 1002,613
202077 in every 1001,424
202180 in every 1001,776
202283 in every 1001,748

FAQs

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

The 2005 Ford Transit follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Suspension mounting area (rear), about 20 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 54.3% of 2,209 first MOTs on the 2005 Ford Transit passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 61.7%. Among 1,010 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Chassis condition (front) appears more often than on similar cars (11.5% of those tests; 102 observed failures; about 12× 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 Transit at the first attempt were Suspension mounting area (rear) (19.6%), Chassis condition (front) (11.5%) and Vehicle structure condition (front) (9.4%), 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: Chassis condition (front) (11.5% of those tests; 102 observed failures; about 12× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Chassis condition (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (11.5% of those tests; 102 observed failures; about 12× 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 Transit include Chassis condition (front), Suspension mounting area (front), Leaf 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 2005 Ford Transit (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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