Common problems

Mazda Bongo common problems

What MOT testers find on the Mazda Bongo: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 35,066 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 17 years, the most tested age

Suspension fails per 100 MOTs (n=2,600)26.6

All cars at 17 years (n=4,040,458)17.2

Suspension advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=2,600)33.7

All cars, same age (n=4,040,458)34.7

What stands out

Body and structure fails show up on 18.1 of every 100 MOTs of a Mazda Bongo at 17 years old (n=2,600), against 8.3 for all cars of that age (n=4,040,458).
Tyres fails are less common: 4.0 per 100 MOTs against 7.3 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 17 years: component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, on 14.0 per 100 MOTs (all cars 1.9).
The most common advisory or minor defect: engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive, on 18.3 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.

Mazda Bongo at 17 years (n=2,600) against all cars at 17 years (n=4,040,458). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Suspension	26.6	17.2	33.7	34.7
Lights and electrics	25.7	21.0	15.3	16.9
Body and structure	18.1	8.3	20.8	13.9
Brakes	11.7	12.3	29.2	31.1
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	9.1	7.1	5.4	6.0
Steering	6.2	3.6	8.7	5.1
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	4.7	6.5	20.4	13.2
Seat belts and airbags	4.5	2.5	2.2	1.2
Tyres	4.0	7.3	18.4	28.1
Number plates and VIN	0.4	0.6	2.2	5.2
Road wheels	0.3	0.6	0.3	1.4

What testers fail most on the Bongo at 17 years

Fail items on the Mazda Bongo at 17 years (n=2,600), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=4,040,458).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength	Suspension	14.0	1.9
Rear fog lamp: not working	Lights and electrics	7.8	0.9	£10 to £47 per lamp
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	5.5	2.8	£15 to £30 per blade
Integral vehicle structure condition: corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced	Body and structure	5.2	0.5
Brake light not working	Lights and electrics	4.1	4.0	£10 to £47 per lamp
Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases	Body and structure	3.8	1.9	£182 to £263 per section
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	3.8	5.8	£10 to £47 per lamp
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	Suspension	3.2	1.8	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)
Seat belt prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced	Seat belts and airbags	3.1	0.7
Chassis condition: corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced	Body and structure	3.0	0.3

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 Mazda Bongo at 17 years (n=2,600), 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)
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	18.3	11.7
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	11.7	11.3	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	10.0	10.5	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	9.5	17.9	£88 to £145 per tyre
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	8.2	9.6	£88 to £145 per tyre
Coil spring: corroded	Suspension	7.7	7.5
Integral vehicle structure condition: is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced	Body and structure	7.5	1.4
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive	Suspension	7.2	2.4
Brake pads: wearing thin	Brakes	6.6	6.6	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	Lights and electrics	5.6	5.9

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)	Suspension	Lights and electrics	Body and structure
6 years	1,012	11.8	21.4	5.5
7 years	1,323	15.1	23.1	7.4
8 years	1,545	16.3	23.9	7.8
9 years	1,601	17.2	23.7	10.6
10 years	1,535	21.8	25.2	11.3
11 years	1,533	22.1	24.5	13.0
12 years	1,566	22.5	26.1	14.1
13 years	1,594	24.6	25.2	15.9
14 years	1,833	26.6	25.7	16.7
15 years	2,205	25.1	25.0	18.6
16 years	2,398	27.1	25.8	17.7
17 years	2,600	26.6	25.7	18.1
18 years	2,524	23.3	24.0	16.2
19 years	2,147	20.5	23.2	14.3
20 years	1,857	16.6	21.4	10.9
21 years	1,608	13.6	18.7	7.5
22 years	1,571	14.5	23.6	7.8
23 years	1,723	14.5	21.0	8.7
24 years	1,494	16.9	24.3	8.8
25 years	1,397	18.0	21.2	11.4

What to check on a viewing

On the Mazda Bongo, testers most often record component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength; rear fog lamp: not working; wipers not clearing screen. Look at these first, then the areas below.

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.

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.

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 Mazda Bongo?

At 17 years, the age with the most MOT tests (2,600), the fail items testers record most often on the Mazda Bongo are component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (14.0 per 100 MOTs), rear fog lamp: not working (7.8 per 100 MOTs), wipers not clearing screen (5.5 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive (18.3) and brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (11.7).

Which parts of the Mazda Bongo fail more often than on other cars?

At 17 years: body and structure (18.1 per 100 MOTs against 8.3 for all cars); suspension (26.6 per 100 MOTs against 17.2 for all cars); lights and electrics (25.7 per 100 MOTs against 21.0 for all cars). Compared with 4,040,458 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Mazda Bongo problems by area

Other Mazda models

All Mazda 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 Mazda Bongo?

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