Know Your MOT
29.9%fail rate

Ford Fairlane Cardinal common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Ford Fairlane Cardinal fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 67 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 29.9% of MOT tests recorded on the Ford Fairlane Cardinal in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is lamps & electrical, which makes up 45.0% of the Ford Fairlane Cardinal's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, exhaust & emissions, brakes, tyres. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Lamps & electrical45.0% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

Exhaust & emissions35.0% of failures

Exhaust failures cover leaks, insecure mountings and emissions over the limit. A blowing exhaust, a failed lambda reading or a diesel that smokes beyond the limit will fail.

Brakes35.0% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

Tyres20.0% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

Other20.0% of failures

This covers a range of smaller items, from a non-working horn to a warning light left on.

Body & structure15.0% of failures

Structural failures are corrosion in load-bearing areas, sharp edges, or insecure panels. These are inspection-and-welding jobs rather than a simple bolt-on part, so weigh them against the value of the car.

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the lamps & electrical failure: Ford Fairlane Cardinal headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Ford Fairlane Cardinal headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Ford Fairlane Cardinal headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Ford Fairlane Cardinal exhaustSearch Amazon for Ford Fairlane Cardinal exhaustaffiliate searchFind Ford Fairlane Cardinal exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Ford Fairlane Cardinal brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Ford Fairlane Cardinal brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Ford Fairlane Cardinal brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Ford Fairlane Cardinal tyresSearch Amazon for Ford Fairlane Cardinal tyresaffiliate searchFind Ford Fairlane Cardinal tyres on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Ford Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rateFord Focus MOT failures26.1% failure rateFord Transit MOT failures31.1% failure rateVauxhall Corsa MOT failures30.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data ยท DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain