Does the Ford Escort fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The Ford Escort records 20.39 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 15.74 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+4.65, 95% interval +4.33 to +4.97). It ranks 102 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a Ford Escort by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Escort is “A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated”, recorded 3,742 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 3,742 | 4.84 |
| Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced | 3,088 | 4.00 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 2,675 | 3.46 |
| Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point | 1,792 | 2.32 |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 1,259 | 1.63 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 77,294 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Ford Escort gets a body, chassis and structure advisory, how often does it fail next time?
23.2% of Ford Escort MOTs with a body, chassis and structure advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 1,272 miles later (4,848 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,848 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Ford Escort 1998 · Ford Escort 1999 · Ford Escort 2000 · Ford Escort 2001 · Ford Escort 2002 · Ford Escort in the Netherlands · Ford Escort by postcode area · Ford Escort brakes failures · Ford Escort vehicle identification failures · Ford Escort lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Escort noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Escort road wheels failures · Ford Escort seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Escort steering failures · Ford Escort suspension failures · Ford Escort tyres failures · Ford Escort visibility failures