Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Vauxhall Corsa 2017: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 68 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2017 Vauxhall Corsa were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Track rod end (front).

Summary

At the same mileage, a diesel 2017 Vauxhall Corsa passed first time more often than a petrol one: 76 in every 100 against 68 in every 100.

At a glance

How 49,963 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
68 in every 100
Did not pass first time
32 in every 10015,917 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
8 yearsabout 50,933 miles
First tests counted
49,963

What failed most often

  1. Track rod end (front)25 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (front)20 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Petrol engine warning light9 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 2017 Vauxhall Corsa 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.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 11 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 15,914 of 15,917 failed first attempts 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.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 3,955 first tests11 times as often as similar carsStrong 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.

Brakes

One fault: electronic stability control, 10 times as often as on similar cars.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 993 first tests10 times as often as similar carsStrong 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.

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

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the coil spring (front): 4.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 3,238 first tests4.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 157 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Shock absorbers (front)

Failed on 796 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 1,529 first tests, 4.2 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol engine warning light, 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol engine warning light

Failed on 1,395 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on a petrol engine is a Major failure when it is illuminated indicating a malfunction. The detail line DVSA gives for the same row also names an inoperative lamp. The test covers only certain petrol vehicles, depending on their age, size and fuel type.

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 ball joint (front)

Noted on 34 first tests13 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Macpherson strut pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 570 first tests12 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

Macpherson strut bracket and mounting (front)

Noted on 48 first tests7.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Handbrake lever

Noted on 49 first tests5.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Suspension sub-frame (front)

Noted on 290 first tests4.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, rear)

Noted on 73 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsPossible 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
68in 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
27in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 68.1% of 49,963 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 72.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 27 not fixed make the 32 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol47,87550,044 miles6868
Diesel2,08783,976 miles7076

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.

40608010020002005201020172020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000201020172020Older 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, 74 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199761 in every 100393
199863 in every 100581
199958 in every 100746
200058 in every 100978
200152 in every 1002,291
200250 in every 1003,422
200351 in every 1005,112
200449 in every 1006,100
200550 in every 1008,630
200649 in every 10012,977
200752 in every 10025,689
200853 in every 10034,291
200954 in every 10038,165
201054 in every 10044,205
201156 in every 10051,511
201257 in every 10065,235
201358 in every 10066,425
201457 in every 10069,021
201563 in every 10083,121
201666 in every 10072,530
2017 This car68 in every 10049,963
201873 in every 10051,156
201980 in every 10051,441
202085 in every 10043,640
202182 in every 10038,722
202286 in every 10033,935

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2017 Corsa.

Of 2017 Corsa vehicles with under 33,000 miles, 77 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 72,000 miles or more, 62 in every 100 did.

Under 33,0009,919 tests
77
33,000–45,0009,786 tests
71
45,000–57,000 Typical car10,390 tests
67
57,000–72,0009,800 tests
64
72,000 and over10,060 tests
62

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol50,044 miles6868
Diesel83,976 miles7076

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage, diesel passed more often (76 against 68 in every 100).

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 33,00045,000–57,00072,000 and over
Track rod end (front)6.08.58.5
Coil spring (front)6.66.75.9
Petrol engine warning light1.22.84.4
Tyre tread depth (front)0.62.33.0
Electronic stability control0.32.23.1

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

When a car fails

44in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

25in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

5in 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.

At the same mileage, a diesel 2017 Vauxhall Corsa passed first time more often than a petrol one: 76 in every 100 against 68 in every 100. In 2025, 68.1% of 49,963 first MOTs on the 2017 Vauxhall Corsa passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 72.9%. Among 15,917 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Track rod end (front) appears more often than on similar cars (24.9% of those tests; 3,955 observed failures; about 11× 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 2017 Vauxhall Corsa at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (24.9%), Coil spring (front) (20.3%) and Petrol engine warning light (8.8%), 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: Track rod end (front) (24.9% of those tests; 3,955 observed failures; about 11× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Track rod end (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (24.9% of those tests; 3,955 observed failures; about 11× 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 2017 Vauxhall Corsa include Track rod end (front), Electronic stability control, Coil spring (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 2017 Vauxhall Corsa (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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