Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Kia Carens 2009: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 49 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2009 Kia Carens were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test).

Summary

With 812 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2009 Kia Carens differs from the model years either side.

At a glance

How 812 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
49 in every 100
Did not pass first time
51 in every 100412 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
16 yearsabout 99,057 miles
First tests counted
812

What failed most often

  1. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)24 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension arm ball joint (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)15 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 2009 Kia Carens 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

Two faults. The strongest is the handbrake lever: 6.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 411 of 412 failed first attempts (99.8%) 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.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 23 first tests6.0 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.

Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 98 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

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

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel engine warning light, 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 27 first tests4.2 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.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the suspension arm ball joint (front): 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Failed on 66 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A suspension arm ball joint is failed under the general suspension pin, bush or joint wording. Excessively worn is Major, and likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 25 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

Noted on 20 first tests7.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pads (rear)

Noted on 50 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 37 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 28 first tests3.4 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
49in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
9in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
42in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 49.3% of 812 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 58.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 9 fixed and the 42 not fixed make the 51 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsPassed first time, as tested
Diesel41550
Petrol39648

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

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

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200851 in every 100670
2009 This car49 in every 100812

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

FAQs

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

With 812 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2009 Kia Carens differs from the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test), about 24 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 49.3% of 812 first MOTs on the 2009 Kia Carens passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 58.4%. Among 412 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Handbrake lever appears more often than on similar cars (5.6% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 6.0× 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 2009 Kia Carens at the first attempt were Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (23.8%), Suspension arm ball joint (front) (16.1%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (15.3%), 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 lever (5.6% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 6.0× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Handbrake lever shows up more often than on similar cars (5.6% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 6.0× 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 2009 Kia Carens include Handbrake lever, Diesel engine warning light, Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test). 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 2009 Kia Carens (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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