2009 Ford Mondeo 2.0L Diesel · DR59 MTH

A clean two-year run of passes with no advisories recorded, the most recent on 21 January 2026, gives the 2009 Mondeo a stable roadworthiness profile at the back end of its recorded history, though the earlier part of the file shows a recurring pattern of component wear advisories that a prospective buyer should weigh carefully. Across the eight tests on file, only one minor failure item was ever recorded, in September 2023, when the nearside front upper anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover was found to be severely deteriorated. That is a relatively minor rubber deterioration defect rather than a structural or safety-critical failure, but it sits alongside a steady drip of advisories on tyres, brake pads, exhaust mounting and seat mechanism play, suggesting that consumables and under-bonnet rubber components are now in the latter stages of their service life on a 17-year-old vehicle. Recorded mileage of 121,353 miles against 17 years on the road equates to roughly 7,100 miles per year, a broadly typical accumulation rate for a car of this age and likely original market. There are no unusually long gaps between tests or sudden mileage jumps in the data, with annual readings moving forward in plausible increments from the 2018 test through to January 2026. This kind of steady, moderate use tends to keep mechanical components working rather than seized, but it also means consumables such as brakes, tyres, bushes and dampers have all been exercised over a high absolute mileage, which is worth factoring in alongside the advisory history when assessing what may soon need replacing. The advisories point specifically to the front suspension, the braking system, the tyres and the exhaust mounting, all areas a buyer should scrutinise on a physical inspection. The September 2023 anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover failure and the gradual recording of thinning front and rear brake pads across earlier tests suggest attention is warranted to the front suspension linkages and the full brake system, including discs, calipers and flexible hoses, with particular care to listen for knocking or clonking over uneven road surfaces, to feel for vibration through the steering wheel under braking, and to check for any pulling to one side under steady braking. The 2021 advisory for a nearside front tyre worn close to the legal limit on its edge, combined with the 2020 advisory for offside rear tyre damage and perishing, indicates that the wheels and tyres should be checked for uneven wear patterns, sidewall cracking and kerbing damage, as uneven front wear can also be a symptom of worn suspension bushes or weak dampers. The exhaust bracket advisory from 2021 and the front seat vertical adjustment play noted in 2023 are smaller items but worth raising on an inspection, as a broken central rear exhaust bracket can allow the exhaust to shift on its mountings over time and produce clonking or rattles from beneath the car on start-up or over bumps, while seat mechanism play points to general interior wear rather than any safety concern. On a test drive, listen for any new knocking from the front end over speed humps and uneven surfaces, check for brake pedal sponginess or excessive travel, and look underneath the vehicle for any signs of fresh fluid leaks, corrosion to underbody components or weeping from the exhaust joints, all of which would be consistent with continued use of a high-mileage 17-year-old vehicle. Given the age and mileage, a pre-purchase inspection by an independent technician remains advisable before committing to purchase.