2003 Ford Fusion: MOT pass rate and reliability
63% of 2003 Ford Fusions pass the MOT first time, measured across 3,735 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 99,669 miles.
How the 2003 compares
- Against all Ford Fusions (68.4%, 52,496 tests): -5.4 points
- Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): -1.7 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Ford Fusion model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2003 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Ford Fusion:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 63.4% | 519 | 97,831 |
| 2003 | 63% | 3,735 | 99,669 |
| 2004 | 63.8% | 4,125 | 99,009 |
| 2005 | 64.9% | 4,626 | 97,380 |
| 2006 | 64.2% | 6,697 | 93,913 |
| 2007 | 68.3% | 7,313 | 89,996 |
| 2008 | 69.4% | 7,979 | 86,644 |
| 2009 | 71.1% | 8,422 | 82,034 |
| 2010 | 72.9% | 5,691 | 76,366 |
| 2011 | 77.3% | 2,528 | 71,989 |
| 2012 | 79.9% | 812 | 61,912 |
What this means if you are buying a 2003 Fusion
The 2003 is a weaker year for this model, passing 5.4 points less often than the Ford Fusion average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2003 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.
What a 23-year-old car fails on
A 2003 car is 23 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:
- Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
- Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
- Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
- Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
- Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
- Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested
That is above average and into the range where cambelts and water pumps are due if they have not already been done, so ask for the service history rather than take the mileage on trust. On a 2003 Ford Fusion the average at test was 99,669 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.
The strongest year for this model is 2012 at 79.9%, and the weakest in our data is 2003 at 63%. That 16.9 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2002 Ford Fusion - 63.4%
- 2004 Ford Fusion - 63.8%
- 2005 Ford Fusion - 64.9%
- 2006 Ford Fusion - 64.2%