Does the Vauxhall Zafira fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The Vauxhall Zafira records 6.71 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 6.59 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) (+0.12, 95% interval +0.08 to +0.16). It ranks 257 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 Vauxhall Zafira by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Vauxhall Zafira is “Exhaust system leaking or insecure”, recorded 46,528 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 46,528 | 2.89 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 18,494 | 1.15 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 14,432 | 0.90 |
| A door will not open using the relevant control or close properly | 7,844 | 0.49 |
| Fuel system leaking, or missing or ineffective filler cap | 3,462 | 0.22 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,608,690 (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 Vauxhall Zafira gets a body, chassis and structure advisory, how often does it fail next time?
12.6% of Vauxhall Zafira 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 5,741 miles later (84,664 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 84,664 (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
Vauxhall Zafira 1999 · Vauxhall Zafira 2000 · Vauxhall Zafira 2001 · Vauxhall Zafira 2002 · Vauxhall Zafira 2003 · Vauxhall Zafira 2004 · Vauxhall Zafira 2005 · Vauxhall Zafira 2006 · Vauxhall Zafira 2007 · Vauxhall Zafira 2008 · Vauxhall Zafira 2009 · Vauxhall Zafira 2010 · Vauxhall Zafira 2011 · Vauxhall Zafira 2012 · Vauxhall Zafira 2013 · Vauxhall Zafira 2014 · Vauxhall Zafira 2015 · Vauxhall Zafira 2016 · Vauxhall Zafira 2017 · Vauxhall Zafira 2018 · Vauxhall Zafira in Norway · Vauxhall Zafira in Finland · Vauxhall Zafira in the Netherlands · Vauxhall Zafira by postcode area · Vauxhall Zafira brakes failures · Vauxhall Zafira vehicle identification failures · Vauxhall Zafira lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Vauxhall Zafira noise, emissions and leaks failures · Vauxhall Zafira road wheels failures · Vauxhall Zafira seat belts and airbags failures · Vauxhall Zafira steering failures · Vauxhall Zafira suspension failures · Vauxhall Zafira tyres failures · Vauxhall Zafira visibility failures