Does the Ford Explorer fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The Ford Explorer records 14.18 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 14.57 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.39, 95% interval −1.55 to +0.77). It ranks 322 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 Explorer by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Explorer is “Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point”, recorded 172 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point | 172 | 4.13 |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 122 | 2.93 |
| Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced | 84 | 2.02 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 51 | 1.23 |
| Fuel system leaking, or missing or ineffective filler cap | 39 | 0.94 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,162 (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
Other pages for this model
Ford Explorer in Norway · Ford Explorer in the Netherlands · Ford Explorer by postcode area · Ford Explorer brakes failures · Ford Explorer vehicle identification failures · Ford Explorer lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Explorer noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Explorer seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Explorer steering failures · Ford Explorer suspension failures · Ford Explorer tyres failures · Ford Explorer visibility failures