The picture
Ford Ka Passes 73.7% — Subframe and Suspension Are Key
Across 235,056 tests, the Ford Ka passes first time 73.7% of the time. Load-bearing structure failures within 30cm of subframe mounting points top the failure list — an unusual category that points to corrosion in older examples rather than impact damage. Worn suspension bushes and shock absorber fittings follow closely, consistent with a city car averaging 53,509 miles that has spent much of its life on potholed urban roads.
Timing belt failure on an 11-month-old Ka bent two valves in one reported case. Gear linkage problems in cold weather are documented too, though often a simple fix. Check the subframe area carefully for rust and confirm timing belt service history before buying.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired
8,419 occurrences · 3.6% of tests
- 02
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
7,208 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
- 03
A shock absorber bush excessively worn
6,209 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
- 04
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
5,994 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
- 05
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
5,716 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
- 06
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
5,595 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
- 07
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
4,751 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
- 08
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
4,277 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
- 09
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
3,913 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
- 10
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
3,640 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures
£88–£275
If every one of this KA's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Owner reports · Honest John
What owners actually report.
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
Easy to drive and economical. Handles better than Fiat 500. More room in rear than the Fiat.
Recent owner-reported faults
- 10 Dec 2017
Report of gears of 2010 Ford Ka completely stuck in first. Suggested to check linkage first, then clutch, then box itself. RAC came out and found that due to minus 9 centigrade temperature the gear linkage had frozen. Applied some warm water. Defrested it. Then it worked perfectly.
- 28 Apr 2016
Complaint of Ford KA bought new in March 2016 being difficult to drive off smoothly from a standstill. Either the car would judder or the engine would race. Once the car was on the move everything was fine. Dealer could find no problem with it, but later admitted that the garage was waiting for Ford to come up with a software update. This is very peculiar because FIAT 500 1,242cc EU6 engines with this problem were fixed by summer 2015.
- 29 Jul 2015
Timing belt failure reported in engine of 11 month old Ford Ka resulting in two bent valves.
- 24 Jul 2015
August 2014 Ford KA 1.2 cut out and stopped while driving and would not re-start. AA daid electrical fault. KA taken to Ford dealer who spent two days "investigating". Suggested the dealer contact a FIAT dealer and maybe take the KA there to get the EU6 problem software patch.
- 1 Jun 2015
2015 Ka reported as having the same EU6 fault as FIAT 500s. Difficult to do hill starts, having to rev over 3000 rpm and then slip clutch otherwise car feels as if about to stall. FIAT dealers now have a software fix for this, so if Ford dealers haven't, take it to a FIAT dealer and dump the cost on the supplying dealer. Also be sure to run it on Shell V-Power Nitro Plus petrol to maximise torque at low revs.
- 31 Mar 2015
2012 Ford KA failed its first MoT due to damaged rear seatbelts, both damaged near to the point where they enter the inertia reels.
- 15 Jun 2014
2013/63 KA Titanium suffering from oscillating revs for 8 months. Probably a fault with the mass airflow sensor. Ford dealer offered to buy the car back less an allowance for the 8 months use.
- 1 Jan 0001
See **FIAT 500** Wipers of early production can tangle. TSB modification to solve this.
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 8 reports indexed
Buying or keeping a KA?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a KA and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.