The MOT Files

Known faults, from the test record

Fiat Auto Trail common problems

What fails on the Fiat Auto Trail at MOT, which parts are behind it, and how each model year compares. From 9,806 DVSA test records.

Data updated

Quick answer

The Fiat Auto Trail's most common MOT problems are bulbs and lamps, wiper blades and washers, tyres, recorded in 24.3%, 19.5% and 16.5% of failed tests respectively. By model year, 2017 cars pass most often (90.8%) and 2015 cars least (89.0%), though most of that gap is age. Every figure here is what testers recorded, not what owners reported.

A “common problems” list is usually a forum thread: whoever had the worst day writes the longest post. This one is built the other way, from every Fiat Auto Trail that took an MOT last year and what the tester wrote down. It cannot see breakdowns, electrical gremlins or a gearbox that hunts, because the test does not check those. What it can see, it sees across 9,806 cars.

By component

What wears out on a Auto Trail

Failure items grouped by the part behind them, with the share of failed Fiat Auto Trail tests recording each. A part can carry several DVSA wordings; they are listed beneath. One failed test often lists several items, so shares do not sum to 100%.

  1. 1.Bulbs and lamps

    24.3% of failed tests

    Filament bulbs simply expire; the cheapest and most avoidable failure on the test, and one of the most recorded.

    • “A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained9.4%
    • “A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained4.6%
    • “A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained2.4%
    • “A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps” — explained2.0%

    Across all cars, bulbs and lamps failures climb 15-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long bulbs and lamps last

  2. 2.Wiper blades and washers

    19.5% of failed tests

    Rubber blades harden and split within a year or two; washer jets block and pumps fail.

    • “Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen” — explained13.4%
    • “Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen” — explained3.9%
    • “Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen” — explained2.2%

    Across all cars, wiper blades and washers failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long wiper blades and washers last

  3. 3.Tyres

    16.5% of failed tests

    Tread wears with every mile and sidewalls age and take kerb damage; the legal minimum is 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters.

    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained6.7%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained3.5%
    • “A tyre cords visible or damaged” — explained2.1%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained1.6%

    Across all cars, tyres failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long tyres last

  4. 4.Parking brake

    13.5% of failed tests

    Cables stretch and seize, rear shoes and adjusters wear; efficiency is measured on the roller tester against the vehicle's weight.

    • “Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement” — explained12.3%
    • “Parking brake inoperative on one side” — explained1.2%

  5. 5.Airbags

    12.2% of failed tests

    The warning lamp lit is a failure; usually a seat sensor, a connector under the seat or a clock spring.

    • “An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction” — explained12.2%

  6. 6.Headlamp aim

    8.2% of failed tests

    Aim drifts with sagging suspension, a knocked lamp or a botched bulb change; adjustment, not a part.

    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained4.5%
    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained2.0%
    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained1.8%

  7. 7.Brake servo and performance

    6.4% of failed tests

    A servo or master cylinder fault shows as a hard pedal or poor overall efficiency on the tester; rare, and a fault rather than wear.

    • “Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement” — explained6.4%

  8. 8.Suspension bushes

    5.2% of failed tests

    Rubber bushes in arms and links perish and split with age and load; the most recorded suspension item on the test.

    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained5.2%

    Across all cars, suspension bushes failures climb 20-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long suspension bushes last

By registration year

Auto Trail problems by year

MOT pass rate for Fiat Auto Trail cars by the year they were first registered, from years with at least 1,000 tests. Every car in a row is the same age, so the rate is raw. Neighbouring years differ by a year of wear — a step of a point or two is age. No single step here is large enough to point at a generation change.

201589%
201690%+1.4
201791%+0.3
201890%−0.5
201990%+0.2

Last column: change on the previous year, in points. Years registered within the last three years have not yet been tested and are not shown.

Before it fails

What testers warn Auto Trail owners about

Advisories are the same parts a year or two earlier. Share of all Fiat Auto Trail tests carrying an advisory for each.

Go deeper

The rest of the Auto Trail file

Common questions

What are the most common problems with a Fiat Auto Trail?
Going by what fails the MOT, bulbs and lamps (recorded in 24.3% of failed tests), wiper blades and washers (recorded in 19.5% of failed tests), and tyres (recorded in 16.5% of failed tests). These are the items testers actually record across 9,806 tests, not reports from owners, so they describe what goes wrong at the point where it has to be fixed.
Which Fiat Auto Trail year is the most reliable?
By MOT pass rate, Fiat Auto Trail cars registered in 2017 do best at 90.8% and 2015 cars do worst at 89.0%. Most of that ordering is simply age — newer cars pass more — so read the year table for steps larger than a couple of points between neighbouring years; those mark a change in the cars rather than the calendar.
Is the Fiat Auto Trail reliable?
The Fiat Auto Trail passes 88.9% of MOTs unadjusted; its fleet is too narrow in age or mileage for a fair national comparison. An MOT measures roadworthiness on the day rather than breakdowns or running costs, so this is a reliability measure in the narrow sense: how often the car meets the legal standard, and what stops it.
What should I check when buying a used Fiat Auto Trail?
Start with what fails most: bulbs and lamps, wiper blades and washers, tyres. Then read the car's own MOT history for advisories carried year to year without repair — the model tells you what to expect, the history tells you whether this owner dealt with it.

Analysis built from DVSA data of