Does the Subaru Forester fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Subaru Forester records 10.49 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 14.91 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−4.42, 95% interval −4.65 to −4.18). It ranks 551 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 Subaru Forester by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Subaru Forester is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 2,326 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 2,326 | 2.24 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 1,599 | 1.54 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 1,239 | 1.19 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 741 | 0.71 |
| A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded | 503 | 0.48 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 104,014 (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 Subaru Forester gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
11.3% of Subaru Forester MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 4,954 miles later (16,400 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 16,400 (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
Subaru Forester 1999 · Subaru Forester 2000 · Subaru Forester 2001 · Subaru Forester 2002 · Subaru Forester 2003 · Subaru Forester 2004 · Subaru Forester 2005 · Subaru Forester 2006 · Subaru Forester 2007 · Subaru Forester 2008 · Subaru Forester 2009 · Subaru Forester 2010 · Subaru Forester 2011 · Subaru Forester 2012 · Subaru Forester 2013 · Subaru Forester 2014 · Subaru Forester 2015 · Subaru Forester 2016 · Subaru Forester 2017 · Subaru Forester 2018 · Subaru Forester 2019 · Subaru Forester 2020 · Subaru Forester in Norway · Subaru Forester in Finland · Subaru Forester in the Netherlands · Subaru Forester by postcode area · Subaru Forester body, chassis and structure failures · Subaru Forester vehicle identification failures · Subaru Forester lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Subaru Forester noise, emissions and leaks failures · Subaru Forester road wheels failures · Subaru Forester seat belts and airbags failures · Subaru Forester steering failures · Subaru Forester suspension failures · Subaru Forester tyres failures · Subaru Forester visibility failures