Does the Ford Focus fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Ford Focus records 4.04 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.24 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) (−0.20, 95% interval −0.22 to −0.19). It ranks 304 of 678 models on noise, emissions and leaks (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on noise, emissions and leaks · check a Ford Focus by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Focus is “Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction”, recorded 72,427 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 72,427 | 1.19 |
| Emissions levels exceed default limits | 33,638 | 0.55 |
| Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit | 30,984 | 0.51 |
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 25,169 | 0.41 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 23,904 | 0.39 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 6,074,731 (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 Focus gets a noise, emissions and leaks advisory, how often does it fail next time?
6.6% of Ford Focus MOTs with a noise, emissions and leaks advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 5,438 miles later (199,786 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 199,786 (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 Focus 1998 · Ford Focus 1999 · Ford Focus 2000 · Ford Focus 2001 · Ford Focus 2002 · Ford Focus 2003 · Ford Focus 2004 · Ford Focus 2005 · Ford Focus 2006 · Ford Focus 2007 · Ford Focus 2008 · Ford Focus 2009 · Ford Focus 2010 · Ford Focus 2011 · Ford Focus 2012 · Ford Focus 2013 · Ford Focus 2014 · Ford Focus 2015 · Ford Focus 2016 · Ford Focus 2017 · Ford Focus 2018 · Ford Focus 2019 · Ford Focus 2020 · Ford Focus in Finland · Ford Focus in the Netherlands · Ford Focus in Norway · Ford Focus by postcode area · Ford Focus body, chassis and structure failures · Ford Focus brakes failures · Ford Focus vehicle identification failures · Ford Focus lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Focus road wheels failures · Ford Focus seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Focus steering failures · Ford Focus suspension failures · Ford Focus tyres failures · Ford Focus visibility failures