Does the Ford Fiesta fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The Ford Fiesta records 4.26 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 5.56 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.30, 95% interval −1.32 to −1.29). It ranks 414 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 Fiesta by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Fiesta is “Exhaust system leaking or insecure”, recorded 124,718 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 124,718 | 1.49 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 54,042 | 0.65 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 43,873 | 0.52 |
| Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced | 19,516 | 0.23 |
| Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point | 15,597 | 0.19 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 8,370,825 (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 Fiesta gets a body, chassis and structure advisory, how often does it fail next time?
12.6% of Ford Fiesta MOTs with a body, chassis and structure advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,953 miles later (223,027 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 223,027 (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 Fiesta 1998 · Ford Fiesta 1999 · Ford Fiesta 2000 · Ford Fiesta 2001 · Ford Fiesta 2002 · Ford Fiesta 2003 · Ford Fiesta 2004 · Ford Fiesta 2005 · Ford Fiesta 2006 · Ford Fiesta 2007 · Ford Fiesta 2008 · Ford Fiesta 2009 · Ford Fiesta 2010 · Ford Fiesta 2011 · Ford Fiesta 2012 · Ford Fiesta 2013 · Ford Fiesta 2014 · Ford Fiesta 2015 · Ford Fiesta 2016 · Ford Fiesta 2017 · Ford Fiesta 2018 · Ford Fiesta 2019 · Ford Fiesta 2020 · Ford Fiesta in Finland · Ford Fiesta in the Netherlands · Ford Fiesta in Norway · Ford Fiesta by postcode area · Ford Fiesta brakes failures · Ford Fiesta vehicle identification failures · Ford Fiesta lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Fiesta noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Fiesta road wheels failures · Ford Fiesta seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Fiesta steering failures · Ford Fiesta suspension failures · Ford Fiesta tyres failures · Ford Fiesta visibility failures