Ford Transit
Registered from 1990 to 2025.
About this model
The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van, minibus, cutaway van chassis, and a pickup truck. The vehicle is also known as the Ford T-Series, a nomenclature shared with Ford's other light commercial vehicles, the Ford F-Series trucks, and the Ford E-Series chassis. As of 2015, 8 million Transit vans have been sold, making it the third best-selling van of all time and has been produced across four basic platform generations, with various "facelift" versions of each.
From the Wikipedia article Ford Transit, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2017 2.0 diesel. 9,132 of 52,134 tests failed, 18%.
Better than 11% of 2017 cars. The typical one fails 12%, across 926 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 34% | 3,125 |
| Lights and electrics | 29% | 2,678 |
| Visibility | 25% | 2,265 |
| Tyres and wheels | 24% | 2,192 |
| Body and structure | 21% | 1,954 |
| Suspension | 19% | 1,768 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
Where it stands out against its peers
- Visibility: failed more often than 90% of 2017 cars — 25% of its 9,132 failed tests, where an ordinary 2017 car has 13%.
- Body and structure: failed more often than 96% of 2017 cars — 21% of its 9,132 failed tests, where an ordinary 2017 car has 4%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
NHTSA's investigations are American; no European regulator publishes an equivalent record, so this section has nothing to draw on for a European car. There is no European equivalent of the service-bulletin register either.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Brakes — 34% of its failures
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
- Tyres and wheels — 24% of its failures
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Suspension — 19% of its failures
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Lights and electrics — 29% of its failures
- A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
- Visibility — 25% of its failures
- Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
- Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
- Body and structure — 21% of its failures
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
When it starts failing
At 200k+ miles this one fails 20% of its inspections, against the 18% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–20k miles | 10% | 6% | 599 | |
| 20–40k miles | 13% | 10% | 4,417 | |
| 40–60k miles | 16% | 13% | 10,679 | |
| 60–80k miles | 17% | 15% | 12,241 | |
| 80–100k miles | 19% | 16% | 10,266 | |
| 100–120k miles | 20% | 17% | 6,804 | |
| 120–140k miles | 20% | 17% | 3,805 | |
| 140–160k miles | 20% | 17% | 1,820 | |
| 160–180k miles | 21% | 17% | 868 | |
| 180–200k miles | 20% | 17% | 306 | |
| 200k+ miles | 20% | 18% | 316 |
52,121 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 60k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.
Specification
| Year | Measured |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 2.0 diesel · 127 hp · 2274 kg · 3631 mm wheelbase · 8.5 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2021 | 2.0 diesel · 134 hp · 2183 kg · 3314 mm wheelbase · 7.7 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2020 | 2.0 diesel · 131 hp · 2277 kg · 3531 mm wheelbase · 8.5 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2019 | 2.0 diesel · 133 hp · 2251 kg · 3531 mm wheelbase · 9.0 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2018 | 2.0 diesel · 2219 kg · 2933 mm wheelbase · 8.6 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2017 | 2.0 diesel · 146 hp · 2230 kg · 3352 mm wheelbase · 6.3 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2016 | 2.2 diesel · 126 hp · 2265 kg · 3576 mm wheelbase · 7.2 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2015 | 2.2 diesel · 125 hp · 2174 kg · 3451 mm wheelbase · 7.0 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2014 | 2.2 diesel · 126 hp · 2095 kg · 3265 mm wheelbase · 6.8 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2013 | 2.2 diesel · 117 hp · 2153 kg · 3369 mm wheelbase · 7.4 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2012 | 2.2 diesel · 118 hp · 2142 kg · 3283 mm wheelbase · 7.4 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2011 | 2.2 diesel · 118 hp · 2196 kg · 3314 mm wheelbase · 7.9 L/100km (NEDC) |
Recalls
Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.
A12/01259/24
The cabling of the steering column may have an error, that can lead to a short circuit and thereby to a loss of power in the vehicle. This increases the risk of an accident. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/01557/23
The car is not equipped with a protective rail for the high-voltage battery which may lead to that the battery pack is damaged, creating a risk of fire. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/01728/24
Vehicles have been manufactured with a trailer coupling assembly that cannot withstand the declared towable mass. This can lead the trailer to separate from the towing vehicle, which creates serious risk of accidents and injuries to other road users. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/0224/13
The bolt that secures the brake pipe bracket to the rear axle could fail and lead to subsequent fatigue failure of the rear brake pipe. This would reduce the brake performance and could cause the vehicle to crash.
A12/0353/19
The shoulder height adjuster bolt on the driver-side's front seatbelt may be incorrectly torqued. As a result, in the event of an accident, the seatbelt anchorage bolt may separate from the seatbelt shoulder height adjuster, leading to injuries.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/1818/17
Corrosion of the multi-valve for the natural gas system can occur. In the event of a fire, this could lead to the pressure relief device malfunctioning with the risk that the natural gas tank explodes.
Recall of the product from end users
SR/00569/25
The rear axle may not be sufficiently lubricated, leading to a malfunction of the wheel bearings which can cause the rear wheels to lock. This can provoke a loss of vehicle's control, increasing the risk of accident and injuries. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
SR/00715/26
Insufficient distance between the wiring harness and the transmission housing may result in damage to cables. The power-assisted steering may fail. There is a risk of fire due to short circuits and a risk of accidents. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
1 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.