At a Glance
The Ford Focus has 13 identified common problems across 4 generations, with the Mk2 (2004-2011) being the most affected generation and tyres & wheels the most common problem category. Based on 20.3M MOT tests from DVSA data.
Problems are patterns in the DVSA data that occur significantly more often on a specific model than the UK average — confirmed at 99% statistical confidence. Read our DVSA MOT data methodology →
Below: generation-by-generation comparison of Ford Focus common problems, MOT failure types, and pass-rate data drawn from DVSA records. Click any generation to see fuel- and engine-specific fault patterns, mileage-banded repair guidance, and the most common MOT failures testers record.
MOT Tests & Failures by Generation
Ford Focus generations by MOT tests, failures, and identified problems from DVSA data
Hover over each bar for a full breakdown. Tap any bar to view that generation's problems.
Showing total MOT tests, failures, and known problems per make. Hover over each bar for a full breakdown.
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Browse Ford Focus Generations
Select a generation to see its specific problems, MOT failures and advisories
Mk1
Top issue: Trailing arm worn or corroded
Mk2
Top issue: Suspension linkage fault
Mk3
Top issue: Compression ignition emissions above threshold
Mk4
Most common MOT failure: Tyre condition
Most Common Ford Focus MOT Failures
Every reason Ford Focus vehicles fail their MOT, ranked by frequency. Select an individual year to see only that year’s failures, or stay on ‘All time’ for the combined picture across our 20 years of DVSA data. Scroll inside the table for the full list.
| # | Failure | % of failures |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyre tread depth below limit | 9.86% |
| 2 | Suspension joint or bush worn | 8.92% |
| 3 | Stop lamp not working | 6.20% |
| 4 | Tyre condition | 6.07% |
| 5 | Number plate lamp not working | 5.40% |
| 6 | Wiper blades deteriorated | 5.25% |
| 7 | Coil spring broken or corroded | 4.39% |
| 8 | Brake performance below minimum | 3.92% |
| 9 | Headlamp aim defect | 3.63% |
| 10 | Windscreen washer not working | 3.52% |
| 11 | Brake hydraulic component worn | 3.52% |
| 12 | Front lamp not working | 2.86% |
| 13 | Exhaust system fault | 2.78% |
| 14 | Brake pads or linings worn | 2.72% |
| 15 | Track rod end worn | 2.28% |
| 16 | Position lamp not working | 2.04% |
| 17 | Fog lamp not working | 1.71% |
| 18 | Catalytic converter efficiency low | 1.71% |
| 19 | Driveshaft fault | 1.55% |
| 20 | Brake disc or drum worn | 1.50% |
| 21 | Headlamp fault | 1.37% |
| 22 | Spark ignition emissions above threshold | 1.24% |
| 23 | Indicator fault | 1.08% |
| 24 | Parking brake performance below minimum | 1.02% |
| 25 | Rear suspension fault | 0.94% |
| 26 | Suspension mounting corroded | 0.90% |
| 27 | Suspension linkage fault | 0.86% |
| 28 | Shock absorber worn or leaking | 0.81% |
| 29 | Ball joint dust cover split | 0.80% |
| 30 | Windscreen damage affecting view | 0.69% |
| 31 | Mirror damaged or missing | 0.54% |
| 32 | Rear fog lamp not working | 0.52% |
| 33 | Seat belt condition | 0.50% |
| 34 | Horn not working | 0.50% |
| 35 | Parking brake condition | 0.47% |
| 36 | Rear lamp not working | 0.47% |
| 37 | Front suspension joint worn | 0.47% |
| 38 | Steering rack fault | 0.40% |
| 39 | Rigid brake pipe corroded or damaged | 0.40% |
| 40 | Wheel bearing worn | 0.38% |
| 41 | ABS fault | 0.36% |
| 42 | Body corrosion or damage | 0.34% |
| 43 | Compression ignition emissions above threshold | 0.33% |
| 44 | Front suspension fault | 0.33% |
| 45 | Tyre size or type not matched | 0.30% |
| 46 | Airbag warning light on | 0.28% |
| 47 | Chassis condition | 0.21% |
| 48 | Suspension arm worn or corroded | 0.19% |
| 49 | Subframe corrosion or damage | 0.17% |
| 50 | Vehicle structure corrosion | 0.17% |
| 51 | Tyre pressure monitoring system fault | 0.16% |
| 52 | Brake pedal fault | 0.15% |
| 53 | Battery loose or leaking | 0.15% |
| 54 | Bonnet catch or hinge fault | 0.14% |
| 55 | Flexible brake hose damaged | 0.14% |
| 56 | Brake fluid leak | 0.10% |
| 57 | Electronic stability control fault | 0.09% |
| 58 | Handbrake cable fault | 0.09% |
| 59 | Anti-roll bar worn or corroded | 0.08% |
| 60 | Tyre valve stem damaged | 0.08% |
| 61 | Rear reflector damaged or missing | 0.08% |
| 62 | Headlamp levelling device fault | 0.07% |
| 63 | Power steering pump fault | 0.07% |
| 64 | Brake caliper fault | 0.07% |
| 65 | Subframe mounting corroded | 0.07% |
| 66 | Power steering pipe or hose leaking | 0.07% |
| 67 | Brake pedal movement restricted | 0.07% |
| 68 | Brake lever fault | 0.06% |
| 69 | Engine oil leak | 0.06% |
| 70 | Fuel cap damaged or missing | 0.06% |
| 71 | Reversing lamp not working | 0.06% |
| 72 | Dashboard warning lamp fault | 0.06% |
| 73 | Steering arm worn | 0.05% |
| 74 | Steering free play excessive | 0.05% |
| 75 | Brake cable, rod, lever or linkage fault | 0.04% |
| 76 | Bumper damaged or insecure | 0.04% |
| 77 | Fuel pipe corroded or damaged | 0.04% |
| 78 | Brake fluid level low or contaminated | 0.04% |
| 79 | MacPherson strut worn | 0.04% |
| 80 | Steering operation fault | 0.04% |
| 81 | King pin or swivel pin worn | 0.03% |
| 82 | Fuel tank corroded or leaking | 0.03% |
| 83 | Handbrake lever fault | 0.03% |
| 84 | Bonded suspension condition | 0.03% |
| 85 | Electrical wiring fault | 0.03% |
| 86 | Brake fluid warning light on | 0.03% |
| 87 | Undertray damaged or missing | 0.03% |
| 88 | Driver door fault | 0.03% |
| 89 | Tie bar or rod worn or corroded | 0.03% |
| 90 | Drag link end worn | 0.02% |
| 91 | Electrical switch fault | 0.02% |
| 92 | Driver seat fault | 0.02% |
| 93 | Front passenger door fault | 0.02% |
| 94 | Body security fault | 0.02% |
| 95 | Driver airbag fault | 0.02% |
| 96 | Engine mounting worn or broken | 0.02% |
| 97 | Brake fluid reservoir fault | 0.02% |
| 98 | Propshaft fault | 0.02% |
| 99 | Steering lock fault | 0.02% |
| 100 | Brake wheel cylinder fault | 0.02% |
| 101 | Headlamp washer not working | 0.02% |
| 102 | Fuel hose damaged or leaking | 0.01% |
| 103 | Steering column fault | 0.01% |
| 104 | Suspension linkage attachment bracket or mounting corroded | 0.01% |
| 105 | Power steering ram fault | 0.01% |
| 106 | Spring mounting corroded | 0.01% |
| 107 | Speedometer fault | 0.01% |
| 108 | Trailing arm worn or corroded | 0.01% |
| 109 | Exhaust leak | 0.01% |
| 110 | Hydraulic brake cylinder fault | 0.01% |
| 111 | Brake air or vacuum system fault | <0.01% |
| 112 | Boot lid damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 113 | Passenger seat fault | <0.01% |
| 114 | Transmission oil leak | <0.01% |
| 115 | Rear fog lamp warning light fault | <0.01% |
| 116 | Exhaust heat shield or sound insulation damaged | <0.01% |
| 117 | Brake servo fault | <0.01% |
| 118 | Front fog lamp not working | <0.01% |
| 119 | Steering wheel damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 120 | Load sensing valve fault | <0.01% |
| 121 | Suspension unit fault | <0.01% |
| 122 | Tailgate damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 123 | Mirror or camera fault | <0.01% |
| 124 | Hydraulic fluid leak | <0.01% |
| 125 | Electric power steering fault | <0.01% |
| 126 | Suspension retaining or locking device fault | <0.01% |
| 127 | Radius arm worn or corroded | <0.01% |
| 128 | Access panel damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 129 | Indicator warning light fault | <0.01% |
| 130 | Exhaust emissions above threshold (non-catalyst) | <0.01% |
| 131 | Towbar fault | <0.01% |
| 132 | Steering drive system fault | <0.01% |
| 133 | Brake back plate corroded or damaged | <0.01% |
| 134 | Dip switch fault | <0.01% |
| 135 | Window damaged or won't operate | <0.01% |
| 136 | Suspension rod worn or corroded | <0.01% |
| 137 | Additional braking device fault | <0.01% |
| 138 | CV joint worn | <0.01% |
| 139 | Hazard warning light fault | <0.01% |
| 140 | Main beam warning light fault | <0.01% |
| 141 | Steering coupling worn | <0.01% |
| 142 | Brake master cylinder fault | <0.01% |
| 143 | Passenger airbag fault | <0.01% |
| 144 | Steering box fault | <0.01% |
| 145 | Vehicle floor corroded | <0.01% |
| 146 | Reversing lamp switch fault | <0.01% |
| 147 | Steering shaft fault | <0.01% |
| 148 | Spare wheel fault | <0.01% |
| 149 | Electronic braking system fault | <0.01% |
| 150 | Brake valve fault | <0.01% |
| 151 | Brake pressure or vacuum buildup insufficient | <0.01% |
| 152 | Body strengthening plate corroded | <0.01% |
| 153 | Outline marker lamp not working | <0.01% |
| 154 | Transmission drive belt fault | <0.01% |
| 155 | Steering intermediate drop arm worn | <0.01% |
| 156 | Handbrake mechanism or mounting fault | <0.01% |
| 157 | Seat belt pre-tensioner fault | <0.01% |
| 158 | Seat belt anchorage fault | <0.01% |
| 159 | Seat belt or padding damaged | <0.01% |
| 160 | Daytime running lamp not working | <0.01% |
| 161 | Axle beam corroded or cracked | <0.01% |
| 162 | Electronic parking brake fault | <0.01% |
| 163 | Brake relay lever fault | <0.01% |
| 164 | Stub axle worn | <0.01% |
| 165 | Wheel hub fault | <0.01% |
| 166 | Universal joint worn | <0.01% |
| 167 | Semaphore indicator fault | <0.01% |
| 168 | Axle corroded or damaged | <0.01% |
| 169 | Torque or reaction arm worn | <0.01% |
| 170 | Passenger compartment corrosion | <0.01% |
| 171 | Torsion bar worn or corroded | <0.01% |
| 172 | Full power hydraulic brake fault | <0.01% |
| 173 | Halfshaft fault | <0.01% |
| 174 | Steering lock stop fault | <0.01% |
| 175 | Leaf spring broken or corroded | <0.01% |
| 176 | Hand-operated brake valve condition | <0.01% |
| 177 | Steering damper fault | <0.01% |
| 178 | Brake stationary pin worn | <0.01% |
| 179 | Brake pedal linkage fault | <0.01% |
| 180 | Loading door damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 181 | Speed limiter fault | <0.01% |
| 182 | Brake slack adjuster fault | <0.01% |
| 183 | Brake clevis joint worn | <0.01% |
| 184 | Brake linkage mounting fault | <0.01% |
| 185 | Dropside damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 186 | Panhard rod worn or corroded | <0.01% |
| 187 | Air brake cylinder or actuator fault | <0.01% |
| 188 | Seat belt load limiter fault | <0.01% |
| 189 | Cab corrosion or damage | <0.01% |
| 190 | Suspension coupling worn | <0.01% |
| 191 | Air suspension levelling valve fault | <0.01% |
| 192 | Brake master cylinder or servo mounting fault | <0.01% |
| 193 | Hinged tailboard damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 194 | Suspension air bellows damaged | <0.01% |
| 195 | Hydraulic suspension accumulator fault | <0.01% |
| 196 | Securing bolts missing or insecure | <0.01% |
| 197 | Steering head bearings worn | <0.01% |
| 198 | Step damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 199 | Anchor bracket corroded | <0.01% |
| 200 | Chain drive fault | <0.01% |
| 201 | Handbrake fails on gradient | <0.01% |
Showing all 201 reasons — scroll inside the table for the full list.
Ford Focus MOT Failures by Category
Total MOT failure occurrences for the Ford Focus, grouped by category. Same data as the failures table above — just sliced by category instead of fault title. Hover a slice for the top failures in each category.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most common Ford Focus problems?
Based on analysis of 20.3M Ford Focus MOT tests from DVSA data, we have 13 identified common problems across 4 generations. The most frequently flagged issue is "Suspension linkage fault". Tyres & Wheels is the most common problem category.
Which Ford Focus generation has the most problems?
The Ford Focus Mk2 (2004-2011) (2004–2011) has the highest number of identified common problems (10). Click the generation card above for the full breakdown.
How is this data calculated?
We analyse anonymised DVSA MOT test records under the Open Government Licence. An issue is classified as a "Common Problem" when it occurs significantly more often on a specific model than the UK average, confirmed at 99% statistical confidence. Read the full methodology page for details.
Can I report a problem with my Ford Focus?
Yes — use the "Tell Us About Your Problem" form on this page. Your report helps other Ford Focus owners spot problems early. All submissions are reviewed before being added to the public database.
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