Used car guide

2019 Ford Fiesta: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2019 Ford Fiestas, from 73,694 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

73,694MOT tests in 2025
85%pass first time (all 2019 cars: 84%)
6,300typical miles a year
2.8×the usual rate for wheels

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2019 Ford Fiestas than on all cars registered in 2019.

  • Wheels2.8× usual
    Ford Fiesta
    2.2% All 2019 cars
    0.8%
    Rough price £70–£150

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

By area

The share of 2019 Ford Fiesta MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Tyres
    31% of testsRough price £70–£150

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

  • Brakes
    19% of testsRough price £150–£350

    At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.

  • Lights and electrics
    9% of testsRough price £10–£80

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    4% of testsRough price £15–£250

    At the viewing: Check for chips in the driver's view, and test the wipers and washers.

  • Suspension
    3% of testsRough price £120–£400

    At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.

  • Seats and seatbelts
    2% of testsRough price £80–£250

    At the viewing: Pull each seatbelt sharply. It should lock, and retract cleanly.

Known faults

Reported by owners, mechanics and buying guides for this model and age. Check which engine the car has, as some apply to one engine only.

  • Timing belt that runs in oil (1.0 EcoBoost)
    1.0 EcoBoost petrol

    The 1.0 EcoBoost’s timing belt sits in the engine oil. If oil changes are missed or the wrong oil is used, the belt can break down and shed bits that block the oil pickup, which can wreck the engine.

    At the viewing: Ask for a full service history with regular oil changes, and whether the timing belt has been changed when Ford says it’s due.

    Source: Bumper: Ford Fiesta reliability guide

  • PowerShift automatic gearbox
    Automatic versions only

    Automatic Fiestas with the PowerShift gearbox can give jerky changes, hesitate, or in bad cases lose drive. Repairs can be expensive.

    At the viewing: If it’s an automatic, pull away gently from a standstill several times and drive in slow traffic. Any judder, clunk or hesitation is a warning sign.

    Source: Bumper: Ford Fiesta reliability guide

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Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
20227,649Tyres 21%
202020,223Tyres 30%
201892,914Tyres 31%
201789,566Tyres 31%
2016112,880Suspension 34%
2015123,631Suspension 37%
2014120,169Suspension 42%
2013109,733Suspension 47%
201295,802Suspension 49%
201181,013Suspension 48%
201081,330Suspension 49%
200984,681Suspension 51%
200848,771Suspension 47%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2019 Ford Fiestas registered in 2019. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score