Common problems

Citroen Xsara common problems

What MOT testers find on the Citroen Xsara: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 125,734 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 17 years, the most tested age

Lights and electrics fails per 100 MOTs (n=19,686)26.1

All cars at 17 years (n=4,040,458)21.0

Tyres advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=19,686)32.2

All cars, same age (n=4,040,458)28.1

What stands out

Body and structure fails show up on 14.9 of every 100 MOTs of a Citroen Xsara at 17 years old (n=19,686), against 8.3 for all cars of that age (n=4,040,458).
Brakes fails are less common: 10.9 per 100 MOTs against 12.3 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 17 years: side/position light not working, on 8.1 per 100 MOTs (all cars 5.8).
The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 21.0 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 17 years

How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.

Citroen Xsara at 17 years (n=19,686) against all cars at 17 years (n=4,040,458). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Lights and electrics	26.1	21.0	18.2	16.9
Suspension	18.9	17.2	25.3	34.7
Body and structure	14.9	8.3	17.9	13.9
Brakes	10.9	12.3	26.5	31.1
Seat belts and airbags	8.8	2.5	3.3	1.2
Tyres	8.3	7.3	32.2	28.1
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	6.6	7.1	5.4	6.0
Steering	6.5	3.6	8.7	5.1
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	6.0	6.5	13.3	13.2
Number plates and VIN	0.4	0.6	3.9	5.2
Road wheels	0.1	0.6	0.3	1.4

What testers fail most on the Xsara at 17 years

Fail items on the Citroen Xsara at 17 years (n=19,686), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=4,040,458).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	8.1	5.8	£10 to £47 per lamp
Brake light not working	Lights and electrics	7.5	4.0	£10 to £47 per lamp
Seat belt prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced	Seat belts and airbags	7.2	0.7
Driveshaft CV boot split	Body and structure	6.6	3.2	£88 to £196 per boot (rough guide)
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm	Tyres	3.9	3.0	£88 to £145 per tyre
Dipped headlight not working	Lights and electrics	3.8	2.2	£18 to £86 per lamp
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	Suspension	3.5	1.8	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength	Suspension	3.3	1.9
Anti-roll bar link worn	Suspension	3.2	1.5	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)
Suspension ball joint worn	Suspension	3.1	2.4	£75 to £237 per side (rough guide)

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 17 years

Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).

Advisories and minor defects on the Citroen Xsara at 17 years (n=19,686), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=4,040,458).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	21.0	17.9	£88 to £145 per tyre
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	12.1	9.6	£88 to £145 per tyre
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	11.6	11.7
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	11.3	10.5	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	Lights and electrics	8.9	5.9
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	8.7	11.3	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases	Body and structure	5.8	4.8	£182 to £263 per section
Linkage ball joints: ball joint has slight play	Suspension	5.1	2.7	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)
Drive shaft joints: constant velocity boot severely deteriorated	Body and structure	5.0	3.9
Brake pads: wearing thin	Brakes	4.9	6.6	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)

Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.

How problems change with age

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 17 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Lights and electrics	Suspension	Body and structure
12 years	1,527	20.8	15.4	10.9
13 years	4,416	22.4	16.6	12.3
14 years	8,080	23.5	17.9	13.4
15 years	14,555	25.1	18.5	14.8
16 years	19,481	25.8	18.2	14.9
17 years	19,686	26.1	18.9	14.9
18 years	18,487	26.7	18.7	14.8
19 years	14,475	25.9	18.9	13.5
20 years	10,247	26.1	19.4	14.1
21 years	7,254	24.4	19.8	14.5
22 years	4,256	21.6	17.9	14.9
23 years	2,236	21.6	17.5	17.2
24 years	1,034	21.7	14.6	16.6

Mileage

At 17 years, Citroen Xsara cars showing 30,000 to 60,000 miles failed 35.5% of MOTs (n=1,771); the band that failed most, over 150,000 miles, failed 57.0% (n=1,730). For pass and fail rates by age, see Citroen Xsara MOT fail rates.

What to check on a viewing

On the Citroen Xsara, testers most often record side/position light not working; brake light not working; seat belt prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Lights and electrics

With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.

Suspension

Listen for knocks or clonks over speed bumps and rough roads on the test drive.
Push down hard on each corner: the car should settle at once rather than keep bouncing.
Look behind the wheels for broken or heavily rusted coil springs and split rubber bushes.
Check that the car sits level and that no tyre is worn on one edge only.

Body and structure

Look underneath at the sills, floor, subframes and jacking points for corrosion, or for fresh underseal that may hide it.
Check that doors, bonnet and boot open, close and latch properly.
Look for loose trim, sharp edges or damage around the bumpers and wheel arches.

Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the most common problems on the Citroen Xsara?

At 17 years, the age with the most MOT tests (19,686), the fail items testers record most often on the Citroen Xsara are side/position light not working (8.1 per 100 MOTs), brake light not working (7.5 per 100 MOTs), seat belt prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced (7.2 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (21.0) and tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (12.1).

Which parts of the Citroen Xsara fail more often than on other cars?

At 17 years: body and structure (14.9 per 100 MOTs against 8.3 for all cars); seat belts and airbags (8.8 per 100 MOTs against 2.5 for all cars); lights and electrics (26.1 per 100 MOTs against 21.0 for all cars). Compared with 4,040,458 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Citroen Xsara problems by area

Other Citroen models

All Citroen models · Common problems by make

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.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Citroen Xsara?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record

Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.

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. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources