Used car guide · 2005–2016

Mazda 5 common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used Mazda 5, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 8,790 MOTs done during 2025), and what to check before you buy one.

8,790MOTs done in 2025, all years of this model
9,475on the UK register
2011best year at its MOT

Pick the year

Most years have their own guide. The year is when the car was first registered (it’s on the logbook, or check the reg below).

201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005

What usually goes wrong with a Mazda 5?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the Mazda 5 in the UK buying guides we use yet. That doesn’t mean it has none, so check the car carefully and look at the MOT weak spots below.

Common Mazda 5 MOT failures to check

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age, in more than one year. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2025.

  • Anti-roll bar link joints

    up to 6.1× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

    Rough price £60–£150 (one joint) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for knocking over bumps and check the rubber boots behind the wheels aren't split.

  • Sub-frame

    up to 3.9× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

    Rough price £300–£1,000 our estimate

    At the viewing: Look underneath at the frame the suspension bolts to. Flaky rust or holes are expensive to fix.

  • Ball joint

    up to 3.1× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

    Rough price £60–£150 (one joint) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for knocking over bumps and check the rubber boots behind the wheels aren't split.

  • Exhaust system

    up to 2.5× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

    Rough price £100–£500 (pipe or section) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for blowing or rattling from underneath at idle, and look for black soot around joints.

  • Suspension arm

    up to 4.7× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2011, 2013 and 2014.

    Rough price £120–£180 (one arm) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for clunks over bumps and feel for the steering wandering. Worn arm bushes show as cracked rubber near the wheels.

  • Suspension arm bushes and joints

    up to 3.2× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

    Rough price £120–£180 (one arm) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for clunks over bumps and feel for the steering wandering. Worn arm bushes show as cracked rubber near the wheels.

Mazda 5 MOT pass rate by year

Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2011 Mazda 5 did best (59% passed first time, 2 points below all 2011 cars) and the 2009 did worst (46%, 12 points below all 2009 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

YearPass first timeAll cars that yearMOT tests
201566%72% -6678
201466%69% -3575
201360%66% -6723
201257%63% -6744
201159%61% -2744
201049%59% -101,248
200946%58% -121,024
200850%57% -71,384
200746%57% -111,108
200643%57% -14444 (small sample)
200546%58% -12118 (small sample)

Questions to ask the seller before buying a Mazda 5

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

  1. Any recent work on the anti-roll bar link joints? (Flagged at MOT 6.1× as often on the Mazda 5 as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Any recent work on the sub-frame? (Flagged at MOT 3.9× as often on the Mazda 5 as on other cars the same age.)
  3. Any recent work on the ball joint? (Flagged at MOT 3.1× as often on the Mazda 5 as on other cars the same age.)
  4. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a Mazda 5?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Where this comes from: MOT figures are the DVSA’s anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2025, grouped by the year each car was first registered. How many are on the road is from the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics. Known faults are from UK buying guides, in our own words, with links. How we score