MOT failures by make
Honda MOT failures for “Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn”
Honda cars failed their MOT on “Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn” in 1.39% of 1,860,164 tests in 2023–2024 (25,776 tests) — 1.6 times as often as comparable cars of the same age, mileage and fuel, which would have failed on it in about 0.87% of tests. It is the number 10 most common failure item on Hondas.
Data to 2024-12-30 · Page updated 2026-09-28 · Publisher: 73 Auto
- Honda tests failing on it
- 1.39%
- 25,776 of 1,860,164 tests, 2023–2024
- Comparable cars
- 0.87%
- national rate at the same age, mileage and fuel
- Observed ÷ expected
- 1.59×
- 73 Auto analysis · rank #10 for Honda
How unusual this is for the make
Across all MOT failures, Hondas fail 14% less often than comparable cars. On this item the gap is 1.85× wider than that overall level, so it is a genuine Honda pattern rather than a reflection of how often the make fails in general. It is a major defect in the suspension part of the test. Nationally it appears on 0.68% of MOT tests.
Honda models and “Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn”
The Honda FR-V is most affected (2.86× comparable cars); the Honda S2000 least (0.31×). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda FR-V | 15,430 | 4.51% | 2.86× |
| Honda Civic | 577,560 | 1.67% | 1.88× |
| Honda CR-V | 403,332 | 1.66% | 1.79× |
| Honda Insight | 17,876 | 1.12% | 1.55× |
| Honda Jazz | 673,876 | 1.05% | 1.43× |
| Honda Accord | 56,534 | 1.80% | 1.28× |
| Honda HR-V | 65,506 | 0.21% | 1.01× |
| Honda S2000 | 10,058 | 0.37% | 0.31× |
By age at test
The difference is largest at 16+ years old: 2.62% of Honda tests against 1.44% for comparable cars.
| Age (years) | Honda tests | Honda | Comparable cars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | 148,574 | 0.02% | 0.03% |
| 5-6 | 192,437 | 0.04% | 0.12% |
| 7-8 | 207,967 | 0.17% | 0.26% |
| 9-10 | 201,471 | 0.53% | 0.49% |
| 11-12 | 199,799 | 1.37% | 0.92% |
| 13-15 | 349,967 | 2.30% | 1.48% |
| 16+ | 513,612 | 2.62% | 1.44% |
Other Honda MOT faults that stand out
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 Honda 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 Honda 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.