Millions of vehicles could soon fail their MOT due to unresolved safety recalls, leaving fleets and drivers scrambling for repairs.

Cars may soon fail their MOT if a recall has been missed

The warning comes from the data experts at ADS, who say that cars may soon be failed if a recall has been missed.

The previous administration was working on bringing outstanding recalls into MOT testing criteria, and Labour is expected to implement the change, but timing remains unclear.

A sudden rule change, says ADS, introducing an advisory – or even automatic MOT failure – for unresolved recalls could trigger a ‘nightmare scenario’, with millions of customers rushing for repairs at once.

Recent figures from CarVertical indicate that more than seven in 10 (72%) of recalled cars in the UK remain on the roads with unresolved problems or unknown statuses.

The vehicle history checking service reviewed vehicle history reports from January 2023 to September 2024 and found that only 28% of recalled vehicles in the UK have had their defects addressed.

With fleets running older vehicles in the wake of Covid, any abrupt implementation of a new MOT failure or advisory rule relating to outstanding recalls could leave many drivers off the road.

ADS is encouraging dealers to get ahead of this issue now, reconnect with lapsed customers and ensure their workshops remain in control when the change comes.

One manufacturer has already launched a project partnering with ADS to get ahead of the curve. It has begun tracing the backlog of outstanding safety recalls so that its dealers can manage the pipeline of work more smoothly.

“Successive governments have had a poor track record on decision-making and responsible communications that avoid causing chaos for the automotive industry, so it is wise to get ahead of this problem immediately,” said Jon Sheard, operations director of ADS.

“If they don’t, depending on how the Government chooses to implement the change, dealers could be overwhelmed by unforeseen demands for new parts and workshop time – leaving large numbers of customers potentially inconvenienced or even off the road.”