43,211 tests in 2025
Ford Fusion reliability and MOT pass rate
67.7% passed first time. The 32.3% fail rate is 9.7 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 17 years old with 85,224 miles.
Pass rate
67.7%
22.6% of all cars failed; 32.3% of these did.
Fixed on the day
10.1%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
85,224 mi
17 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 6 | — |
| 6-9 years | 21 | — |
| 10-13 years | 725 | 21.8% |
| 14+ years | 42,459 | 32.4% |
What the Fusion fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment262 dangerous50.7%
- Suspension314 dangerous41.6%
- Brakes1,386 dangerous35.3%
- Body, chassis, structure139 dangerous19.6%
- Tyres2,621 dangerous18%
- Noise, emissions and leaks35 dangerous15.1%
- Visibility3 dangerous14.7%
- Steering21 dangerous9.5%
Is the Fusion getting worse?
The fail rate rose 2.8 points to 32.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1.7 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 63,375 | 15 | 29.5% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 58,495 | 16 | 30.4% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 46,288 | 17 | 31.8% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 43,209 | 17 | 32.3% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Fusion at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Fusion in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Stop lamp: not working2,160 tests
- 2Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded1,972 tests
- 3Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt1,829 tests
- 4Rear fog lamp: not working1,665 tests
- 5Position lamp: not working1,431 tests
- 6Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively1,227 tests
- 7Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect1,142 tests
- 8Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm985 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Fusion collects 3.29 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded10,164 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm6,817 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure6,499 tests
- 4Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened4,479 tests
- 5Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine4,168 tests
- 6Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened4,101 tests
- 7Registration plates: inscription illegible2,586 tests
- 8Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened1,896 tests
Questions
What is the Ford Fusion MOT pass rate?
67.7% of the 43,211 Ford Fusion first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 32.3% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 10.1% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Ford Fusion usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Stop lamp: not working", recorded on 2,160 failed tests, followed by "Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded" and "Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 50.7% of failures, suspension appears in 41.6% of failures, brakes appears in 35.3% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 16.7%; at 14+ years it was 32.4%. The median Ford Fusion tested in 2025 was 17 years old with 85,224 miles.
Is the Ford Fusion getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 2.8 points to 32.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1.7 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Fusion trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 5 safety recalls naming the Ford Fusion: Ford Fusion recalls.
Other Ford models
- Fiesta 27.3%
- Focus 25.4%
- Puma 6.9%
- S-Max 29.7%
- Galaxy 28.6%
- B-Max 24.4%
- Grand C-Max 27.6%
- Transit Courier 21.2%
- Tourneo Connect 18.4%
- Tourneo 23.4%
Checking a particular Fusion?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.