MOT failures by make
Ford MOT failures for “Stop lamp: not working”
Ford cars failed their MOT on “Stop lamp: not working” in 3.74% of 8,887,606 tests in 2023–2024 (332,441 tests) — 1.8 times as often as comparable cars of the same age, mileage and fuel, which would have failed on it in about 2.11% of tests. It is the number 1 most common failure item on Fords.
Data to 2024-12-30 · Page updated 2026-09-28 · Publisher: 73 Auto
- Ford tests failing on it
- 3.74%
- 332,441 of 8,887,606 tests, 2023–2024
- Comparable cars
- 2.11%
- national rate at the same age, mileage and fuel
- Observed ÷ expected
- 1.78×
- 73 Auto analysis · rank #1 for Ford
How unusual this is for the make
Across all MOT failures, Fords fail 1.07× as often as comparable cars. On this item the gap is 1.67× wider than that overall level, so it is a genuine Ford pattern rather than a reflection of how often the make fails in general. It is a major defect in the lights, reflectors and electrical part of the test. Nationally it appears on 1.96% of MOT tests.
Ford models and “Stop lamp: not working”
The Ford Transit Courier is most affected (7.98× comparable cars); the Ford Mustang least (0.11×). Not every model follows the make: the pattern is concentrated in some models. Model rows compare with cars of the same age and fuel.
| Model | Tests | Failed on it | vs similar cars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Transit Courier | 51,128 | 6.02% | 7.98× |
| Ford EcoSport | 200,751 | 4.82% | 7.21× |
| Ford B-Max | 109,334 | 8.28% | 4.38× |
| Ford Fiesta | 2,842,979 | 5.98% | 2.62× |
| Ford Transit | 617,551 | 4.23% | 2.19× |
| Ford Fusion | 110,939 | 7.91% | 2.03× |
| Ford Transit Custom | 266,195 | 1.01% | 2.03× |
| Ford Transit Connect | 338,158 | 3.53% | 1.95× |
| Ford Galaxy | 125,639 | 4.26% | 1.90× |
| Ford Tourneo | 55,719 | 1.38% | 1.48× |
| Ford C-Max | 302,383 | 2.96% | 1.38× |
| Ford Ka | 370,138 | 3.15% | 1.25× |
| Ford Ranger | 211,022 | 1.50% | 1.08× |
| Ford S-Max | 151,304 | 2.40% | 1.04× |
| Ford Focus | 1,956,630 | 2.19% | 0.93× |
| Ford Mondeo | 408,571 | 2.09% | 0.84× |
| Ford Kuga | 563,605 | 0.87% | 0.74× |
| Ford Escort | 20,696 | 1.44% | 0.72× |
| Ford Puma | 87,338 | 0.11% | 0.37× |
| Ford Edge | 17,851 | 0.13% | 0.15× |
| Ford Mustang | 23,925 | 0.15% | 0.11× |
By age at test
The difference is largest at 7-8 years old: 3.85% of Ford tests against 1.39% for comparable cars.
| Age (years) | Ford tests | Ford | Comparable cars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | 1,067,214 | 0.57% | 0.34% |
| 5-6 | 1,305,087 | 1.86% | 0.76% |
| 7-8 | 1,439,981 | 3.85% | 1.39% |
| 9-10 | 1,270,122 | 4.84% | 2.25% |
| 11-12 | 1,030,920 | 4.56% | 2.92% |
| 13-15 | 1,331,519 | 5.23% | 3.73% |
| 16+ | 1,131,094 | 5.97% | 3.93% |
Limitations
Official data: DVSA's anonymised MOT results (2023–2024), class 4 initial tests, cars at least 2.5 years old. 73 Auto analysis: the comparison rate applies the national rate of this item for each test's own age, mileage band and fuel to the Ford tests. An MOT result reflects maintenance, mileage and how a car is used as well as its design, so this is not a measure of which make is most reliable. The wording of the defect is DVSA's.
Has this Ford failed on it before?
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UK number plate or 17-character VIN
Where these figures come from
- Anonymised MOT tests and results (2023 and 2024) — Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Open Government Licence v3.0.
Figures labelled as 73 Auto estimates are our own analysis of these sources, set out in the methodology and data sources. To report a factual error, see corrections.