Ford Escort MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Ford Escort took 11,034 MOT tests in Britain and passed 75% of them first time, above the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.

MOT tests in 2023: 11,034
First-time pass rate: 75%
All cars: 71%

What the Escort fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Lights and electrics10.7% (all cars 11.3%)
Suspension8.8% (all cars 9.0%)
Brakes8.1% (all cars 6.8%)
Body and structure7.6% (all cars 3.5%)
Exhaust and emissions5.0% (all cars 3.1%)
Visibility4.6% (all cars 4.8%)
Seat belts and airbags2.7% (all cars 1.0%)
Tyres2.3% (all cars 6.4%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength 3.9%
Service brake imbalance: across an axle 2.6%
Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 2.6%
Prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced 2.0%
Position lamp: not working 2.0%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 1.8%
Stop lamp: not working 1.5%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 1.5%

Most common advisories

Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 9.1%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 8.0%
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 5.7%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 5.1%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 3.9%
Wheel bearings: has slight play 3.6%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 3.6%
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive 3.6%

Pass rate by year of registration

Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.

First registered	Tests	Pass rate
1980	347	95%
1985	440	83%
1987	336	79%
1988	564	77%
1989	910	78%
1990	921	77%
1993	357	79%
1994	368	71%
1995	472	74%
1996	650	66%
1997	635	59%
1998	500	60%
2000	528	56%
2001	464	63%
2002	362	62%

Check a particular Escort

Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.

Other Ford models

Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.