2025 MOT results
Ford Mustang common problems
The most common reason a Ford Mustang fails its MOT is a weak handbrake, on 19.8% of its 2,056 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a braking fault at 11.2% of failures against 1.0% expected; a weak handbrake at 19.8% of failures against 2.4% expected; a lever excessive movement indicating incorrect adjustment at 4.1% of failures against 0.6% expected.
- Tests in 2025 12,707 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 16.2% 2,056 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.1% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 30.2% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Ford Mustang MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Ford Mustang tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (11 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 19.8% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 11.4% |
| Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side Brakes | 11.2% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 9.9% |
| Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value Brakes | 9.7% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 6.9% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.3% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 5.1% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 5.0% |
| Lever: excessive movement indicating incorrect adjustment Brakes | 4.1% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.8% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 3.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Weak handbrake
19.8% of failures 2.4% expected 8.3 times as often
The handbrake cannot hold the car to the efficiency the test requires, usually from a stretched cable or seized rear callipers.
On a hill, the handbrake should hold the car with a couple of clicks left in the lever.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
11.4% of failures 5.4% expected 2.1 times as often
The tyre is worn or damaged far enough to expose the cords underneath, which is a dangerous defect.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Braking fault
11.2% of failures 1.0% expected 11.2 times as often
A braking fault, which the test checks both by inspection and by measuring performance on a rolling road.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
9.9% of failures 8.0% expected somewhat more often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Weak handbrake
9.7% of failures
The handbrake cannot hold the car to the efficiency the test requires, usually from a stretched cable or seized rear callipers.
On a hill, the handbrake should hold the car with a couple of clicks left in the lever.
-
Washers that do not work
6.9% of failures 4.8% expected somewhat more often
The washers cannot deliver enough liquid to clean the windscreen with the wipers.
Top the bottle up and check both jets reach the glass; the pump is often fine and the jet blocked.
Which parts of the car fail
Brakes is the area that most often fails a Ford Mustang, on 39.0% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 19.8%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Brakes | 39.0% |
| Tyres | 26.1% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 22.0% |
| Visibility | 19.1% |
| Suspension | 14.1% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.9% |
| Identification of the vehicle | 3.9% |
| Steering | 2.7% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
30.2% of Ford Mustang tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Ford Mustangs, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 12.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 5.2% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 5.2% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 3.5% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 1.5% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 1.5% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 1.3% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension | 1.2% |
| Wheel bearings: slight play Suspension | 1.2% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 0.8% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 0.8% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 0.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Ford Mustang problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Ford Mustang?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Parking brake efficiency below requirements” is the most common: it appears on 19.8% of failed Ford Mustang tests. Across categories, brakes is the area that most often fails one, on 39.0% of failed tests.
How often does a Ford Mustang fail its MOT?
16.2% of Ford Mustang tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 12,707 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 57 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Ford Mustang than on other cars?
Yes. “Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side” appears on 11.2% of its failures against 1.0% for cars of the same age, and “Parking brake efficiency below requirements” appears on 19.8% of its failures against 2.4% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Ford Mustang aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 12,707 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.