Toyota Auris 2007: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 58 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2007 Toyota Auris were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

The 2007 Toyota Auris follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 8,906 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
58 in every 100
Did not pass first time
42 in every 1003,724 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
18 yearsabout 101,504 miles
First tests counted
8,906

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)13 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake light (rear)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 2007 Toyota Auris vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

One fault: suspension arm (front), 8.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 3,718 of 3,724 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.

Suspension arm (front)

Failed on 93 first tests8.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a suspension arm. A component that is fractured, missing or likely to fail is graded Dangerous, and one excessively damaged or corroded is Major. On some vehicles, some highly stressed parts are thin pressed steel, and many of those have hollow box sections or up-facing areas that can collect road dirt and salt, so they get special attention.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 346 first tests, 4.6 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

Two faults and one wear pattern. The strongest is the flexible brake hoses (rear): 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Flexible brake hoses (rear)

Failed on 114 first tests4.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 310 first tests, 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake discs (rear)

Failed on 116 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 510 first tests, 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 235 first tests2.4 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 666 first tests, 2.5 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: individual sidelight or tail light (rear), 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Individual sidelight or tail light (rear)

Failed on 396 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A position lamp showing red light to the front or white light to the rear is Major. Rear lamps must show a steady red light, and front ones can show white, predominantly white with a blue tinge, or yellow if combined in a yellow headlamp. With a multiple light source, up to half not working is Minor and more than half is Major.

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.

Macpherson strut (front)

Noted on 160 first tests5.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Other suspension component (front)

Noted on 35 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Steering rack play

Noted on 49 first tests4.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring

Noted on 90 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Other suspension component (rear)

Noted on 79 first tests2.5 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
58in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
12in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
30in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 58.2% of 8,906 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 69.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 12 fixed and the 30 not fixed make the 42 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol7,37498,733 miles5958
Diesel1,528117,907 miles5658

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

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

406080100200720102015Newer cars
40608010020072010Newer 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, 59 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
2007 This car58 in every 1008,906
200859 in every 1009,819
200962 in every 1009,720
201063 in every 1008,943
201163 in every 1008,904
201266 in every 1008,069
201375 in every 10013,056
201476 in every 10015,606
201577 in every 10015,711
201679 in every 10014,103
201780 in every 10012,550
201880 in every 10011,953
201979 in every 1001,013

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2007 Auris.

Of 2007 Auris vehicles with under 73,000 miles, 70 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 131,000 miles or more, 50 in every 100 did.

Under 73,0001,783 tests
70
73,000–93,0001,791 tests
61
93,000–110,000 Typical car1,762 tests
57
110,000–131,0001,756 tests
54
131,000 and over1,803 tests
50

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested
Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol98,733 miles5958
Diesel117,907 miles5658

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 117,907 against 98,733). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.


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 73,00093,000–110,000131,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)1.87.111.0
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)2.25.68.7
Brake light (rear)2.43.73.9
Headlight aim2.43.53.4
Headlight (front)1.02.24.4

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


When a car fails

23in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

51in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

9in 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 2007 Toyota Auris follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 16 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 58.2% of 8,906 first MOTs on the 2007 Toyota Auris passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 69.6%. Among 3,724 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension arm (front) appears more often than on similar cars (2.5% of those tests; 93 observed failures; about 8.3× 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 2007 Toyota Auris at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (16.0%), Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (13.1%) and Brake light (rear) (7.6%), 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 (front) (2.5% of those tests; 93 observed failures; about 8.3× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Suspension arm (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.5% of those tests; 93 observed failures; about 8.3× 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 2007 Toyota Auris include Suspension arm (front), Flexible brake hoses (rear), Individual sidelight or tail light (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 2007 Toyota Auris (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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