2011 Ford KA 1.2L Petrol · YS60 OZF

A 15-year-old Ford Ka with this MOT profile tells a story of progressive mechanical ageing, particularly around the front suspension, exhaust, and rear axle structure, with two failures and a dense accumulation of advisories over the four-year testing window. The most recent outcome on 25 March 2026 illustrates this pattern neatly: the vehicle passed after an initial failure the same day for an ineffective front wiper and insecure track rod end dust covers on both sides, while advisories also flagged corrosion on both front coil springs. Earlier tests mirror the same themes, with the 2025 entry showing another failure for an excessively worn offside front suspension arm ball joint alongside advisories for worn front brake discs, 70% worn front pads, a corroded exhaust back-box, and rear subframe corrosion. The 2024 and 2023 tests continued to record rear subframe and exhaust advisories along with suspension arm bush wear, and the 2022 test failed on a leaking offside rear shock absorber. Taken together, the record shows a broadly consistent pattern rather than a one-off event: the rear axle structure, exhaust rear section, and front suspension linkages have been recurring advisory points, while the two failures relate to suspension joints and steering protection in 2025/2026 and a damper integrity issue in 2022. Recorded mileage stands at 29,200 miles against a 15-year vehicle age, equating to roughly 1,950 miles annually, which is markedly below the typical usage rate for a city-oriented Ka of this generation. The mileage history on MOT records shows 21,123 miles in 2023, 24,784 in 2024, 27,217 in 2025, and 29,200 in 2026, indicating steady but modest accumulation of between 2,400 and 3,600 miles per year over recent tests. This pattern suggests the car has been used lightly and consistently rather than having suffered a long storage gap, which reduces concerns about dried seals and perished rubber from extended standing but does not eliminate them. Mechanically, low annual mileage tends to preserve the engine and transmission internals while leaving consumables such as brake discs, tyres, and rubber bushes more vulnerable to age-related deterioration than to wear from use, which aligns with the corrosion and rubber-component advisories observed here. For a prospective buyer, the suspension, steering, and underbody corrosion items should form the core of any physical inspection. The offside front suspension arm ball joint has now been recorded as excessively worn, and both front track rod end dust covers were found insecure on the most recent test, so any clonking over uneven surfaces, vagueness in the steering on turn-in, or uneven tyre wear across the front axle would warrant immediate attention. The nearside front suspension arm rear bush has been advised in three consecutive tests, meaning any knocking from the front end over speed bumps or worsening looseness in the front should be treated as a likely imminent repair. Underneath the car, the rear subframe corrosion has been recorded in three consecutive years and described as not seriously weakened, but this is the type of defect that can progress rapidly on a Ka of this age, so a thorough inspection from beneath on a ramp for any flaking or perforation around the rear axle mounting points is advisable. The braking system also warrants close scrutiny, as the front discs were advised as worn in 2025 with pads noted at roughly 70% worn, and inner-edge tyre wear on both fronts was advised in 2024, which can indicate geometry misalignment possibly linked to the worn suspension joints. A test drive should include firm pedal applications from speed to check for judder, pulling, or spongey feel, while a close look at the exhaust back-box is sensible given the repeated advisories about outer skin deterioration, as this can mask more serious perforations. Finally, although the most recent test was a pass, the simultaneous failure on the same day for steering and wiper items underlines how marginal some components have become, so a pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic willing to lift the vehicle and check the rear subframe, suspension arms, track rod ends, and brake components in detail would be a prudent investment before committing to purchase.