Ford Ka: lighting & signalling MOT failures

Lighting & signalling was recorded as a failure area in 9.2% of Ford Ka MOT tests — 107,356 tests out of 1,161,860. It shows up most on 2003 and 2008 cars.

Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair cost: £10–£150 (rough UK ballpark, not a quote).

Lighting & signalling failures by year

Lighting & signalling fail rate by model year — Ford Ka
Model year Tests Fail rate
1997 421 6.9%
1998 816 13.1%
1999 1,339 10.5%
2000 2,016 11.3%
2001 4,499 13.7%
2002 8,867 13.3%
2003 14,348 16.6%
2004 19,279 16.0%
2005 22,547 15.4%
2006 27,460 15.0%
2007 37,531 15.9%
2008 46,259 16.5%
2009 118,660 10.8%
2010 121,899 10.3%
2011 101,667 9.6%
2012 106,431 9.3%
2013 113,514 8.5%
2014 110,736 7.0%
2015 79,685 5.4%
2016 48,756 5.5%
2017 72,332 5.6%
2018 59,877 5.1%
2019 42,849 4.2%

Methodology & source. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.

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