These are the reasons for failing the ITV, defects that prevent a car from passing the inspection

We analyse the faults or defects that give grounds for an unfavourable or negative inspection result and a failed ITV

In 2018, more than 20 million vehicles went through the approved stations for the mandatory Technical Vehicle Inspection (ITV). Of these, more than 8 million presented, in total, more than 27 million serious defects, giving grounds for failing the ITV.

According to data from the Spanish Association of Collaborating Entities of the Administration in the Technical Vehicle Inspection, AECA-ITV, each of these vehicles presented an average of 2.5 serious or very serious defects, which leads to a negative result in their inspection.

In summary, the AECA-ITV study indicates that the serious defects presented by vehicles with an unfavourable or negative ITV, problems that must be resolved before taking a second ITV.

1. Lighting or signalling: anything from a blown position bulb to a broken light or the installation of non-approved lighting can be one of the reasons for failing the ITV.
2. Steering defects: wear or play, poor fastening of any of the elements installed on the axles, steering deviation or an unfavourable inspection poses a danger to road safety and, for this reason, is a serious issue.
3. Tyres: one of the most common faults is defects in the set of tyres, from fitting two units of different models on the same axle to excessive or uneven wear, which may require a workshop visit to resolve this problem before a second inspection can be carried out.
4. Suspension: the shock absorber and spring assembly is not just a comfort element; like the tyres, it is responsible for keeping the vehicle in contact with the road. It is one of the priority safety elements, and deficient or defective operation can be one of the reasons for failing the ITV.
5. Braking system: the absence of brake fluid, insufficient braking efficiency, damage that may affect performance or even insufficient pressure in the vacuum pump or compressor are classified as serious or very serious defects, depending on their assessment.
6. Restraint systems: the poor condition of standard seat belts with cuts or deformations is considered a minor or serious fault, but very serious if a very deteriorated anchorage point affects the holding capacity.
7. Bodywork: although it is common to see vehicles running with bodywork defects, presenting a car with sharp edges, perforations affecting the external structure or that allow engine gases to enter, or damage to the chassis itself such as that caused by rust, is also recognised as a serious or very serious defect.
8. Polluting emissions: efforts to promote the quality and improvement of the air we breathe have led to stricter smoke tests at the ITV. Therefore, readings outside the permitted parameters are sufficient cause to take the vehicle to the workshop, fix the defect and return for inspection if you want to obtain the mandatory ITV sticker.
9. Noise suppression: if any of the components making up the exhaust system that reduce noise is loose, damaged, incorrectly installed, presents a very serious risk of detaching, shows a modification of shape that negatively affects noise levels or is simply missing, the fault is considered serious or very serious.
10. Presence of a fault warning light on the instrument cluster: this is also a serious defect; with the new ITV and the reading via the OBD port, faults that have been electronically cleared but remain active in the car are one of the very serious defects that requires a workshop visit.

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