MOT fail · manual section 1.6

Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault

What this MOT fail means, how often testers record it and what the usual repair costs. From 130,233,413 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

As a fail, per 100 MOTs (n=130,233,413)0.40

Most often at23 years

Times recorded524,479

Times recorded adds every DVSA code with this wording, so a test can record it more than once, for example on two wheels under separate codes.

What it means

This is a major defect: the car fails its MOT. A major defect may affect the car’s safety, put other road users at risk or harm the environment. The car fails its MOT and the defect must be repaired.

The tester checks the pads, discs, drums, pipes, hoses and warning lamps, and measures the braking effort at each wheel. Wear and corrosion build up gradually, so brake items often appear as advisories before they become fails.

The MOT inspection manual describes the defect (section 1.6) as:

Warning device shows system malfunction

Read this section of the MOT inspection manual on GOV.UK

The DVSA codes counted on this page: the manual item and the defect text as DVSA records them. The heading above joins the two, as a certificate does; the tester also adds the position, such as nearside front.
Result	Manual item	DVSA defect text	Records
Fail Major	Anti-lock braking system	warning lamp indicates an ABS fault (1.6)	524,479

Got an MOT advisory or defect on a certificate? Paste it into the MOT advisory checker to see what it means.

How common it is by age

Testers record it most at 23 years: 1.18 per 100 MOTs (n=619,531 tests at that age).

Per 100 MOT tests of cars at each age, all makes. We show no figure below 20 tests.
Age	Fail per 100	Tests (n)
3 years	0.030	8,016,463
4 years	0.041	8,699,937
5 years	0.056	9,425,360
6 years	0.080	10,382,720
7 years	0.12	10,537,318
8 years	0.19	10,440,457
9 years	0.26	9,949,012
10 years	0.33	9,049,507
11 years	0.39	8,087,514
12 years	0.48	7,303,151
13 years	0.60	6,612,160
14 years	0.73	6,054,526
15 years	0.85	5,591,675
16 years	0.94	4,858,625
17 years	1.08	4,040,458
18 years	1.14	3,261,622
19 years	1.14	2,479,858
20 years	1.15	1,845,952
21 years	1.17	1,321,417
22 years	1.14	913,980
23 years	1.18	619,531
24 years	1.15	428,815
25 years	1.01	313,355

Models that get it most

Each model generation is compared with cars of the same ages and fuel, so older and diesel models are not penalised for their age or fuel. Generations are never pooled.

Model generations with the highest rate as a fail, against cars of the same ages and fuel. A model’s figure counts this defect only at ages where it is among that model’s 25 most recorded items, and as zero elsewhere, so it is a floor. Tests (n) are all the generation’s MOT tests at ages with at least 1,000 tests each; at least 5,000 in total.
Model	Per 100 MOTs, at least	Same ages and fuel	Times as often	Tests (n)	Ages
Chevrolet KalosChevrolet Kalos brake problems	4.94	0.79	6.2	9,354	15 to 18
Chrysler PT CruiserChrysler PT Cruiser brake problems	5.85	1.06	5.5	8,190	16 to 20
Jeep PatriotJeep Patriot brake problems	4.67	0.85	5.4	8,210	12 to 16
Chevrolet AveoChevrolet Aveo brake problems	2.50	0.46	5.4	36,812	9 to 16
Volkswagen CaliforniaVolkswagen California brake problems	1.32	0.25	5.2	37,172	3 to 13
Hyundai CoupeHyundai Coupe brake problems	3.85	0.77	5.0	24,661	13 to 20
Citroen C3 AircrossCitroen C3 Aircross ABS warning light repair Citroen C3 Aircross brake problems	0.20	0.041	4.9	110,010	3 to 7
Peugeot 407Peugeot 407 brake problems	5.43	1.19	4.5	41,389	12 to 20
Volvo V40first used 2012 or laterVolvo V40 ABS warning light repair Volvo V40 brake problems	0.98	0.24	4.0	384,615	3 to 13
Hyundai i10Hyundai i10 ABS warning light repair Hyundai i10 brake problems	0.90	0.23	3.9	980,254	3 to 17
Chrysler Grand VoyagerChrysler Grand Voyager brake problems	4.24	1.08	3.9	23,503	10 to 20
MG ZSfirst used 2017 or laterMG ZS ABS warning light repair MG ZS brake problems	0.14	0.036	3.8	143,170	3 to 7
Mercedes-Benz SLCMercedes-Benz SLC brake problems	0.39	0.10	3.7	35,306	3 to 9
Vauxhall CrosslandVauxhall Crossland ABS warning light repair Vauxhall Crossland brake problems	0.15	0.040	3.7	229,410	3 to 8
Isuzu D-MaxIsuzu D-Max ABS warning light repair Isuzu D-Max brake problems	0.89	0.24	3.6	134,777	3 to 13
Ford RangerFord Ranger ABS warning light repair Ford Ranger brake problems	1.38	0.39	3.5	426,542	3 to 24
Chevrolet CaptivaChevrolet Captiva brake problems	2.53	0.76	3.3	25,550	9 to 16
Chrysler 300CChrysler 300C brake problems	3.83	1.17	3.2	19,091	13 to 19
Chevrolet LacettiChevrolet Lacetti brake problems	2.16	0.66	3.2	8,136	13 to 17
Hyundai Tucsonfirst used 2015 or laterHyundai Tucson ABS warning light repair Hyundai Tucson brake problems	0.28	0.096	2.9	520,466	3 to 10

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Repair and cost

The usual repair is ABS warning light repair.

No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure. Garages charge by the hour, so ask for a quote that lists labour time and parts. The rates below are what UK garages charge per hour.

The warning light or emissions reading is only the symptom. What the repair costs depends on what the diagnosis finds, so treat any figure as the starting point, not the full fix.

Local garage labour, per hour (65 shops)£78

Local garage, middle half£70 to £96

Main dealer labour, per hour (62 shops)£156

Main dealer, middle half£144 to £174

Median hourly rate charged for car repairs, from 1,058 local garage and 953 main dealer price quotes collected by the ONS, September 2025 to August 2026. The same shops are priced each month, so the number of shops is the real sample.

ABS warning light repair: cost and the models that need it more often

Related MOT defects

Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened8.74 per 100
Brake pad(s) wearing thin7.61 per 100
Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material3.80 per 100
Brake disc worn, but not excessively2.30 per 100
Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick1.85 per 100
Service brake binding but not excessively1.59 per 100
Parking brake efficiency below requirements1.14 per 100
Service brake excessively binding0.82 per 100
Flexible brake hose has slight corrosion to ferrule0.78 per 100
Service brake fluctuating, but not excessively0.69 per 100

All brakes defects All MOT defects Car repair costs

Buying a used car?

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Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025, and the MOT inspection manual published on GOV.UK. Prices: ONS consumer price inflation price quotes, September 2025 to August 2026, UK.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026. Prices updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or the Office for National Statistics. How we calculate these figures · Data sources