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1997 Ford Explorer — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years
Current Age
85.3%
Latest Pass Rate
6,108
Total Tests (All Years)
97,951 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1997 Ford Explorer as it ages.

12 yrs54.3%
13 yrs49.7%
14 yrs54.0%
15 yrs52.5%
16 yrs54.8%
17 yrs58.4%
18 yrs57.3%
19 yrs58.8%
20 yrs63.7%
21 yrs60.5%
22 yrs67.0%
23 yrs65.3%
24 yrs71.6%
25 yrs71.7%
26 yrs63.3%
27 yrs85.3%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 12 to 27 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
12 yrs54.3%1,215
13 yrs49.7%1,077
14 yrs54.0%878
15 yrs52.5%663
16 yrs54.8%515
17 yrs58.4%425
18 yrs57.3%330
19 yrs58.8%257
20 yrs63.7%215
21 yrs60.5%114
22 yrs67.0%103
23 yrs65.3%72
24 yrs71.6%74
25 yrs71.7%53
26 yrs63.3%49
27 yrs85.3%68

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 Ford Explorer pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 16 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (27 yrs)85.3%68
2023 (26 yrs)63.3%49
2022 (25 yrs)71.7%53
2021 (24 yrs)71.6%74
2020 (23 yrs)65.3%72
2019 (22 yrs)67%103
2018 (21 yrs)60.5%114
2017 (20 yrs)63.7%215
2016 (19 yrs)58.8%257
2015 (18 yrs)57.3%330
2014 (17 yrs)58.4%425
2013 (16 yrs)54.8%515
2012 (15 yrs)52.5%663
2011 (14 yrs)54%878
2010 (13 yrs)49.7%1,077
2009 (12 yrs)54.3%1,215

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
54.3%
Age (yrs) 12Tests 1,215Avg Mileage 97,878Top Failure Brakes — 31.5%
2010High Fail Rate
49.7%
Age (yrs) 13Tests 1,077Avg Mileage 101,574Top Failure Brakes — 35.2%
2011High Fail Rate
54.0%
Age (yrs) 14Tests 878Avg Mileage 103,752Top Failure Brakes — 33.7%
2012High Fail Rate
52.5%
Age (yrs) 15Tests 663Avg Mileage 104,693Top Failure Brakes — 33.5%
2013High Fail Rate
54.8%
Age (yrs) 16Tests 515Avg Mileage 107,447Top Failure Brakes — 93.4%
2014High Fail Rate
58.4%
Age (yrs) 17Tests 425Avg Mileage 105,933Top Failure Brakes — 79.3%
2015High Fail Rate
57.3%
Age (yrs) 18Tests 330Avg Mileage 107,340Top Failure Brakes — 75.2%
2016High Fail Rate
58.8%
Age (yrs) 19Tests 257Avg Mileage 108,903Top Failure Brakes — 67.3%
2017High Fail Rate
63.7%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 215Avg Mileage 109,892Top Failure Brakes — 58.6%
2018High Fail Rate
60.5%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 114Avg Mileage 108,810Top Failure Suspension — 69.3%
2019
67.0%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 103Avg Mileage 112,924Top Failure Brakes — 46.6%
2020
65.3%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 72Avg Mileage 110,713Top Failure Brakes — 51.4%
2021
71.6%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 74Avg Mileage 112,113Top Failure Suspension — 74.3%
2022
71.7%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 53Avg Mileage 112,152Top Failure Suspension — 73.6%
2023High Fail Rate
63.3%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 49Avg Mileage 107,139Top Failure Suspension — 85.7%
2024
85.3%
Age (yrs) 27Tests 68Avg Mileage 97,951Top Failure Brakes — 32.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 Ford Explorer, with age trends.

Brakes
50.6%
— Consistent
Suspension
48.2%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
28.4%
↑ Increases with age
Body, chassis, structure
25.7%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
25.4%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension21.2% (12 yrs)11.8% (27 yrs)
-9.4%
🟢 ↓
Brakes31.5% (12 yrs)32.4% (27 yrs)
+0.9%
⚪ —
Tyres11.1% (12 yrs)11.8% (27 yrs)
+0.7%
⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Ford Explorer page →

About This Data

This page shows how Ford Explorer cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 6,108 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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