Know Your MOT
21.0%fail rate

Yamaha 850 common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Yamaha 850 fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 138 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 21.0% of MOT tests recorded on the Yamaha 850 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 24.1% of the Yamaha 850's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, brakes, other, suspension. 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 & electrical24.1% 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.

Brakes20.7% 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.

Other17.2% of failures

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

Suspension17.2% of failures

Suspension failures usually mean a worn or snapped coil spring, a leaking shock absorber, or play in a lower arm ball joint or bush. The tester checks for corrosion, fractures and excessive movement. A broken front spring is one of the most common failures on higher-mileage cars and is a straightforward replacement.

Registration plate10.3% of failures

A missing, damaged, dirty or incorrectly-spaced number plate, or one using the wrong font, will fail. A replacement plate is inexpensive.

Exhaust & emissions6.9% 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.

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: Yamaha 850 headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Yamaha 850 headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Yamaha 850 headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Yamaha 850 brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Yamaha 850 brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Yamaha 850 brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Yamaha 850 suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Yamaha 850 suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Yamaha 850 suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the registration plate failure: Yamaha 850 number plateSearch Amazon for Yamaha 850 number plateaffiliate searchFind Yamaha 850 number plate on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Yamaha 850 exhaustSearch Amazon for Yamaha 850 exhaustaffiliate searchFind Yamaha 850 exhaust on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Yamaha Yzf MOT failures16.6% failure rateYamaha Fzs600 MOT failures15.0% failure rateYamaha Mt MOT failures13.0% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

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