2011 Ford Fiesta 1.2L Petrol · VN11 KCY

A fifteen-year-old Ford Fiesta with a fractured rear coil spring, a dangerous rear axle swivel bush, and two major suspension defects flagged across the last three MOT tests presents a clear pattern of front and rear suspension deterioration that any prospective buyer must take seriously. The most recent test on 22 May 2026 resulted in a failure on a broken offside rear coil spring, a component-level defect rather than a service item, and the same test was re-recorded as a pass once rectified, accompanied by a recurring advisory for pitted front brake discs. The trend is not improving; 2025 produced a failure for an excessively worn offside front ball joint, 2024 failed on a deep nearside front tyre cut, and 2023 recorded a dangerous failure on the nearside rear axle swivel pin and bush, a directional stability defect that is the most serious outcome possible under the MOT categorisation. Five tests have generated four failures in three years, and the recurring advisories on front brake discs, exhaust heat shields, and suspension components indicate ongoing wear rather than isolated incidents. Recorded mileage of 51,676 miles across fifteen years equates to roughly 3,400 miles annually, which is below the typical accumulation rate for a Fiesta of this era and suggests either limited daily use or extended periods of standing. Annual mileage gaps between tests cannot be precisely calculated from the MOT history alone, but the consistent year-on-year presentation of suspension, brake, and tyre defects at relatively low mileages is notable, as it indicates that age and exposure rather than high wear rates are driving the component failures. Standing periods followed by MOT testing can also flush standing brake fluid concerns, surface corrosion on underbody components, and harden rubber bushes, all of which align with the swivel pin, ball joint, and coil spring failures observed. Mechanically, the priorities should therefore centre on age-related degradation of suspension geometry and under-sealed components rather than powertrain wear from high mileage. A thorough pre-purchase inspection must focus on the suspension system flagged repeatedly in the MOT records. The test drive should be conducted over uneven road surfaces, paying particular attention to clonks or rattles from the front suspension over speed bumps, which could indicate worn ball joints, deteriorated bushes, or failing top mounts, and any vague or wandering steering behaviour that may point to further wear in the front lower arms. At the rear, a fractured coil spring is a common Fiesta failure that usually announces itself with a audible knock or a visibly lowered corner when unladen, and the dangerous swivel pin and bush failure from 2023 warrants a borescope or physical check of the rear axle mounting for any play or cracking in the rubber. The buyer should also check whether the original repair included renewal of both rear springs, as coil springs commonly fail in pairs, and inspect the rear axle assembly for any signs of oil contamination from the bushes degrading a second time. Brake condition must also be addressed given the repeated advisories on the front brake discs across the 2024, 2025, and 2026 tests, which suggest corrosion pitting rather than pad wear is the issue. On the test drive, the buyer should feel for pedal judder under firm braking from around 30 mph, a symptom of disc run-out or uneven surface wear, and listen for any grinding or squeal that would indicate the discs have now worn beyond the advisory threshold. A physical inspection should measure disc thickness against the Ford specification stamped on the disc face, as corroded discs cannot be skimmed indefinitely. The exhaust heat shield advisories from 2023 and 2025 are minor but worth confirming have been secured, and a thorough underside examination should look for surface corrosion on the rear axle casing and subframe, areas where age and standing periods commonly promote rust. Finally, given the dangerous categorisation on the rear axle in 2023, a written record of the rectification should be requested, along with any corresponding invoice, before purchase is considered.