2014 Ford Trail — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2014 Ford Trail passed 90.6% of its 597 recorded MOT tests. Against all cars of a similar age (18.3% fail rate), the 2014 Trail comes out 8.9pp better. Failures cluster in lighting & signalling, brakes and visibility.
What the MOT record shows
One area stands out: lighting & signalling, recorded in 8.7% of tests against 3.9% for the next-worst category.
At component level the recurring items are position lamp, wipers and outline marker lamp — position lamp alone was recorded 26 times.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 20.1% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 6.7% of tests failed in 2021 against 9.5% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 8.7% | 52 |
| 2 | Brakes | 3.9% | 23 |
| 3 | Visibility | 2.5% | 15 |
| 4 | Tyres | 1.0% | 6 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 0.8% | 5 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.5% | 3 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Position lamp | 26 |
| 2 | Wipers | 16 |
| 3 | Outline marker lamp | 16 |
| 4 | Stop lamp | 13 |
| 5 | Service brake performance | 11 |
| 6 | Brake discs | 7 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 20.1% | 120 |
| 2 | Tyres | 9.4% | 56 |
| 3 | Suspension | 8.7% | 52 |
| 4 | Steering | 6.9% | 41 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 4.5% | 27 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 3.0% | 18 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 438 | 7.8% |
| 30-60k | 143 | 13.3% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 119 | 6.7% |
| 2022 | 119 | 8.4% |
| 2023 | 129 | 11.6% |
| 2024 | 114 | 10.5% |
| 2025 | 116 | 9.5% |
What to check before buying a 2014 Trail
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: lighting & signalling accounted for 8.7% of tests. Start there.
- Lighting & signalling (8.7% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (3.9% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
- Visibility (2.5% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
How many 2014 Ford Trails pass their MOT?
90.6% of the 597 2014 Ford Trail MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 9.4% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2014 Ford Trail?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 8.7% of tests, followed by brakes (3.9%).
Does the 2014 Trail get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 7.8% in the 0-30k band to 13.3% in the 30-60k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 597 MOT tests. 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.