MOT fail · manual section 5.3.2

Shock absorber has a serious fluid leak

What this MOT fail means, how often testers record it and what the usual repair costs. From 130,233,413 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

As a fail, per 100 MOTs (n=130,233,413)0.86

Most often at15 years

Times recorded1,114,707

Times recorded adds every DVSA code with this wording, so a test can record it more than once, for example on two wheels under separate codes.

What it means

This is a major defect: the car fails its MOT. A major defect may affect the car’s safety, put other road users at risk or harm the environment. The car fails its MOT and the defect must be repaired.

Before it reaches this point, testers often record it as an advisory: Shock absorber has light misting of oil.

Springs, shock absorbers, arms, bushes and ball joints hold each wheel in place and control how it moves. Wear lets a wheel move in ways it should not, and corrosion can weaken springs and mounting points.

The MOT inspection manual describes the defect (section 5.3.2) as:

A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage

Read this section of the MOT inspection manual on GOV.UK

The DVSA codes counted on this page: the manual item and the defect text as DVSA records them. The heading above joins the two, as a certificate does; the tester also adds the position, such as nearside front.
Result	Manual item	DVSA defect text	Records
Fail Major	Shock absorbers	has a serious fluid leak (5.3.2)	1,114,707

Got an MOT advisory or defect on a certificate? Paste it into the MOT advisory checker to see what it means.

How common it is by age

Testers record it most at 15 years: 1.67 per 100 MOTs (n=5,591,675 tests at that age).

Per 100 MOT tests of cars at each age, all makes. We show no figure below 20 tests.
Age	Fail per 100	Tests (n)
3 years	0.22	8,016,463
4 years	0.22	8,699,937
5 years	0.25	9,425,360
6 years	0.34	10,382,720
7 years	0.48	10,537,318
8 years	0.63	10,440,457
9 years	0.75	9,949,012
10 years	0.90	9,049,507
11 years	1.07	8,087,514
12 years	1.25	7,303,151
13 years	1.47	6,612,160
14 years	1.60	6,054,526
15 years	1.67	5,591,675
16 years	1.64	4,858,625
17 years	1.58	4,040,458
18 years	1.47	3,261,622
19 years	1.32	2,479,858
20 years	1.17	1,845,952
21 years	1.11	1,321,417
22 years	1.03	913,980
23 years	0.93	619,531
24 years	0.84	428,815
25 years	0.83	313,355

Models that get it most

Each model generation is compared with cars of the same ages and fuel, so older and diesel models are not penalised for their age or fuel. Generations are never pooled.

Model generations with the highest rate as a fail, against cars of the same ages and fuel. A model’s figure counts this defect only at ages where it is among that model’s 25 most recorded items, and as zero elsewhere, so it is a floor. Tests (n) are all the generation’s MOT tests at ages with at least 1,000 tests each; at least 5,000 in total.
Model	Per 100 MOTs, at least	Same ages and fuel	Times as often	Tests (n)	Ages
MG 5	1.50	0.14	10.8	20,587	3 to 4
Nissan NV300Nissan NV300 suspension problems	3.18	0.33	9.5	6,221	3 to 6
Volkswagen e-Golf	1.47	0.15	9.4	23,394	3 to 6
Cupra Formentor	1.80	0.19	9.3	21,857	3 to 4
Fiat TipoFiat Tipo suspension problems	2.99	0.37	8.1	49,704	3 to 9
Vauxhall AdamVauxhall Adam shock absorber replacement Vauxhall Adam suspension problems	4.83	0.63	7.6	237,726	3 to 12
Toyota Yaris Cross	0.74	0.14	5.1	19,610	3 to 4
Volkswagen ArteonVolkswagen Arteon suspension problems	1.38	0.28	4.8	28,742	3 to 7
Toyota Starlet	3.72	0.84	4.4	5,075	24 to 25
Volkswagen ID.4	0.58	0.14	4.2	15,977	3 to 4
Skoda KaroqSkoda Karoq shock absorber replacement Skoda Karoq suspension problems	1.04	0.27	3.9	184,189	3 to 7
Skoda SuperbSkoda Superb shock absorber replacement Skoda Superb suspension problems	2.34	0.64	3.6	248,705	3 to 16
Polestar 2	0.44	0.14	3.1	17,156	3 to 4
Fiat 500Fiat 500 shock absorber replacement Fiat 500 suspension problems	2.63	0.84	3.1	1,394,433	3 to 17
Renault TraficRenault Trafic shock absorber replacement Renault Trafic suspension problems	2.62	0.90	2.9	428,817	3 to 22
SEAT LeonSEAT Leon shock absorber replacement SEAT Leon suspension problems	2.03	0.73	2.7	739,732	3 to 22
Fiat PandaFiat Panda shock absorber replacement Fiat Panda suspension problems	3.02	1.11	2.7	362,907	3 to 21
Mazda 5Mazda 5 suspension problems	3.83	1.41	2.7	44,929	8 to 18
Volkswagen AmarokVolkswagen Amarok shock absorber replacement Volkswagen Amarok suspension problems	1.67	0.61	2.7	82,102	3 to 13
Ford KaFord Ka shock absorber replacement Ford Ka suspension problems	2.75	1.03	2.6	743,190	3 to 23

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Repair and cost

The usual repair is shock absorber replacement.

No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure. Garages charge by the hour, so ask for a quote that lists labour time and parts. The rates below are what UK garages charge per hour.

Local garage labour, per hour (65 shops)£78

Local garage, middle half£70 to £96

Main dealer labour, per hour (62 shops)£156

Main dealer, middle half£144 to £174

Median hourly rate charged for car repairs, from 1,058 local garage and 953 main dealer price quotes collected by the ONS, September 2025 to August 2026. The same shops are priced each month, so the number of shops is the real sample.

Shock absorber replacement: cost and the models that need it more often

Related MOT defects

Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement4.92 per 100
Coil spring corroded3.09 per 100
Coil spring fractured or broken2.37 per 100
Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened1.89 per 100
Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn1.41 per 100
Suspension arm ball joint has slight play1.31 per 100
Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn1.19 per 100
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play1.18 per 100
Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened1.08 per 100
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated0.80 per 100

All axles, wheels, tyres and suspension defects All MOT defects Car repair costs

Buying a used car?

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See an example report MOT fail rates by model All free tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025, and the MOT inspection manual published on GOV.UK. Prices: ONS consumer price inflation price quotes, September 2025 to August 2026, UK.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026. Prices updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or the Office for National Statistics. How we calculate these figures · Data sources