Buying Report · £14.99
Tools

Common problems by part

Ford Focus exhaust, emissions and leaks problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 297,664 MOT tests · Updated

At 10 years, 3.5 in 100 MOT tests of the Ford Focus failed on exhaust, emissions and leaks, against 2.8 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 297,664 MOT tests) [1].

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • Against all class 4 vehicles the same age: about average for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years), 10,432 MOT tests with a fail
  • By age: seen at 23 ages from 3 to 25 years, 3,840,973 MOT tests
  • Most common fail: Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction, 1.3 per 100 MOT tests

Figures are for the model as a whole, not for one car.

What the MOT tests show

What we know

3.5 fails per 100 MOT tests at 10 years, against 2.8 for all class 4 vehicles tested at 10 (all test years). That is about average.

Why it matters

An exhaust, emissions and leaks fail stops the car passing until it is fixed; the most common one is rated major by DVSA.

What to check

Start the car from cold and look for smoke at the exhaust, listen for blowing joints, and look under the engine and gearbox for fresh oil or fluid drips.

Ford Focus exhaust, emissions and leaks fails by age

Ford Focus exhaust, emissions and leaks fails per 100 MOT tests by ageSolid line: the Ford Focus. Dashed line: all cars the same age. The table below lists every value.02463 years: 1.2 per 100 (all cars 0.5), 134,403 MOT tests34 years: 1.6 per 100 (all cars 0.7), 164,641 MOT tests5 years: 1.9 per 100 (all cars 1.0), 207,403 MOT tests56 years: 2.0 per 100 (all cars 1.3), 233,113 MOT tests7 years: 2.1 per 100 (all cars 1.7), 253,151 MOT tests78 years: 2.7 per 100 (all cars 2.1), 281,338 MOT tests9 years: 3.2 per 100 (all cars 2.4), 292,862 MOT tests910 years: 3.5 per 100 (all cars 2.8), 297,664 MOT tests11 years: 3.7 per 100 (all cars 3.2), 286,522 MOT tests1112 years: 3.8 per 100 (all cars 3.7), 268,184 MOT tests13 years: 3.7 per 100 (all cars 4.3), 255,603 MOT tests1314 years: 4.0 per 100 (all cars 5.1), 239,313 MOT tests15 years: 4.3 per 100 (all cars 5.7), 218,895 MOT tests1516 years: 5.0 per 100 (all cars 6.2), 189,426 MOT tests17 years: 5.4 per 100 (all cars 6.5), 151,025 MOT tests1718 years: 5.8 per 100 (all cars 6.8), 114,624 MOT tests19 years: 6.2 per 100 (all cars 7.0), 84,214 MOT tests1920 years: 6.4 per 100 (all cars 7.0), 63,148 MOT tests21 years: 6.5 per 100 (all cars 7.1), 45,277 MOT tests2122 years: 6.1 per 100 (all cars 7.0), 30,221 MOT tests23 years: 6.0 per 100 (all cars 6.9), 18,361 MOT tests2324 years: 6.1 per 100 (all cars 7.0), 8,367 MOT tests25 years: 6.9 per 100 (all cars 7.1), 3,218 MOT tests25
Fails per 100 MOT tests by age, all first-use years pooled. Ford Focus All class 4 vehicles the same age Shaded: over 18 years, survivors only.
AgeMOT testsFails per 100All class 4 vehicles the same age
3134,4031.20.5
4164,6411.60.7
5207,4031.91.0
6233,1132.01.3
7253,1512.11.7
8281,3382.72.1
9292,8623.22.4
10297,6643.52.8
11286,5223.73.2
12268,1843.83.7
13255,6033.74.3
14239,3134.05.1
15218,8954.35.7
16189,4265.06.2
17151,0255.46.5
18114,6245.86.8
19*84,2146.27.0
20*63,1486.47.0
21*45,2776.57.1
22*30,2216.17.0
23*18,3616.06.9
24*8,3676.17.0
25*3,2186.97.1

All first-use years of the Ford Focus pooled at each age, against all class 4 vehicles at that age over all 2022–2025 test years. * Only survivors are still tested at this age.

What fails in the exhaust, emissions and leaks at 10 years

Fails

Advisories (not fails)

Diagnose engine warning light cost

Repair figures are estimates, not quotes: how we estimate repair costs.

Buying a Ford Focus? Check that exact car before the viewing.

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
  • Viewing checklist

See a sample report

By engine and fuel

  • 1.6 petrol: 1.6 per 100 at 10 years, fails less often than petrol class 4 vehicles the same age (0.5–0.6×) (all test years; 58,240 MOT tests)
  • 1.0 petrol: 5.0 per 100 at 10 years, fails 1.6–1.7× as often as petrol class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 92,728 MOT tests)
  • 1.6 diesel: 3.8 per 100 at 10 years, fails 1.3–1.4× as often as diesel class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 97,464 MOT tests)
  • 1.5 diesel: 2.2 per 100 at 10 years, about average for diesel class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 22,821 MOT tests)

How to check on a test drive

Start the car from cold and look for smoke at the exhaust, listen for blowing joints, and look under the engine and gearbox for fresh oil or fluid drips.

The most common advisory here in MOT records: Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive.

Check one Ford Focus, not the average

The figures here describe Ford Focus cars as a group. These free tools answer for one car. Each line says what the tool reads.

Other Ford Focus problems

Exhaust, emissions and leaks on rival models

Questions people ask

Does the Ford Focus have more exhaust, emissions and leaks problems than other cars?

3.5 in 100 MOT tests at 10 years, against 2.8 for all class 4 vehicles the same age: about average by our test (all test years; 297,664 MOT tests).

How common are Ford Focus exhaust, emissions and leaks problems?

3.5 in 100 MOT tests at 10 years failed on exhaust, emissions and leaks, against 2.8 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 297,664 MOT tests).

What is the most common Ford Focus exhaust, emissions and leaks fail?

1.3 in 100 MOT tests at 10 years: Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction (3,809 MOT tests with it).

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 3,840,973 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
  2. Office for National Statistics, Consumer price inflation, local price quotes (car repair items). ONS price quotes, series 610236. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.

Parts: against all class 4 vehicles at the same age, all 2022–2025 test years pooled, not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare