Does the Mercedes-Benz 420 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz 420 records 11.66 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 20.29 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−8.63, 95% interval −10.17 to −7.10). It ranks 636 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Mercedes-Benz 420 by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz 420 is “Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake”, recorded 102 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 102 | 3.07 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 34 | 1.02 |
| Warning device shows system malfunction | 32 | 0.96 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,320 (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
Mercedes-Benz 420 by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz 420 body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz 420 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz 420 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz 420 steering failures · Mercedes-Benz 420 suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz 420 tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz 420 visibility failures