Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Hyundai i40 2013: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 63 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2013 Hyundai i40 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Track rod end (front).

Summary

The 2013 Hyundai i40 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 2,348 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
63 in every 100
Did not pass first time
37 in every 100878 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
12 yearsabout 111,736 miles
First tests counted
2,348

What failed most often

  1. Track rod end (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Brake pads (rear)8 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Windscreen washers7 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 Hyundai i40 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

One fault: suspension arm pins and bushes (rear), 5.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 877 of 878 failed first attempts (99.9%) 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.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 41 first tests5.4 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 64 first tests, 3.7 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.

Brakes

One fault: rigid brake pipes (rear), 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 44 first tests4.3 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, 2.1 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.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 137 first tests2.8 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.

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.

Steering rack play

Noted on 35 first tests15 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Flexible brake hoses (rear)

Noted on 25 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Noted on 67 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 38 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Noted on 46 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
63in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
32in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 62.6% of 2,348 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 67.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 32 not fixed make the 37 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

406080100201120122013201420152016201720182019Older carsNewer cars
4060801002013Newer 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, 62 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201162 in every 100469
201260 in every 1002,658
2013 This car63 in every 1002,348
201467 in every 1003,224
201573 in every 1003,179
201678 in every 1003,139
201779 in every 1002,307
201880 in every 1001,033
201983 in every 100434

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 Hyundai i40.

Of 2013 Hyundai i40 vehicles with under 83,000 miles, 70 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 141,000 miles or more, 59 in every 100 did.

Under 83,000461 tests
70
83,000–103,000487 tests
63
103,000–120,000 Typical car464 tests
60
120,000–141,000469 tests
61
141,000 and over466 tests
59

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 83,000103,000–120,000141,000 and over
Track rod end (front)4.66.96.4
Brake pads (rear)2.41.93.4
Windscreen washers2.81.53.4
Headlight0.94.13.6
Coil spring (front)0.93.02.8

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

When a car fails

38in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

35in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

10in 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.

The 2013 Hyundai i40 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Track rod end (front), about 16 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 62.6% of 2,348 first MOTs on the 2013 Hyundai i40 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 67.7%. Among 878 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (4.7% of those tests; 41 observed failures; about 5.4× 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 Hyundai i40 at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (15.6%), Brake pads (rear) (7.6%) and Windscreen washers (7.4%), 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: Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear) (4.7% of those tests; 41 observed failures; about 5.4× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (4.7% of those tests; 41 observed failures; about 5.4× 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 Hyundai i40 include Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear), Rigid brake pipes (rear), Track rod end (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 2013 Hyundai i40 (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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