Common problems
Daihatsu Sirion suspension problems
How often MOT testers find suspension faults on the Daihatsu Sirion at each age, against all cars of the same age, and which items come up most. From 24,404 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
At 16 years, the most tested age
What stands out
- At 16 years, 17.1 of every 100 MOTs of the Daihatsu Sirion found a suspension fail (n=5,134), against 17.1 for all cars of that age (n=4,858,625).
- It is above the all-car rate at 4 of the 8 ages with at least 1,000 tests.
- The gap is widest at 20 years: 19.4 per 100 MOTs against 16.5 for all cars.
- The suspension fail item recorded most often at 16 years: suspension ball joint worn, on 8.5 per 100 MOTs.
- The most common suspension advisory or minor defect: suspension arm ball joint: ball joint has slight play, on 7.6 per 100 MOTs.
Suspension fails by age
Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.
| Age | Tests (n) | Fails | All cars | Advisories | All cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 years | 1,098 | 12.1 | 14.9 | 30.6 | 27.9 |
| 14 years | 3,201 | 13.3 | 16.0 | 32.3 | 30.4 |
| 15 years | 4,658 | 15.2 | 16.7 | 35.4 | 32.3 |
| 16 years | 5,134 | 17.1 | 17.1 | 37.4 | 33.7 |
| 17 years | 4,739 | 18.2 | 17.2 | 40.0 | 34.7 |
| 18 years | 2,889 | 18.5 | 17.2 | 39.6 | 35.3 |
| 19 years | 1,650 | 18.8 | 16.9 | 43.2 | 35.4 |
| 20 years | 1,035 | 19.4 | 16.5 | 37.9 | 35.2 |
Suspension fail items at 16 years
| Item | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | Typical repair (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension ball joint worn | 8.5 | 2.5 | £75 to £237 per side (rough guide) |
| Anti-roll bar link worn | 3.2 | 1.6 | £33 to £102 per link (rough guide) |
| Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength | 2.4 | 1.5 | |
| Suspension arm bush worn | 0.9 | 2.2 | £92 to £237 per arm (rough guide) |
| Anti-roll bar ball joint: ball joint excessively worn | 0.9 | 0.5 | £33 to £102 per link (rough guide) |
Suspension advisories and minor defects at 16 years
Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).
| Item | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | If it needs replacing (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension arm ball joint: ball joint has slight play | 7.6 | 2.3 | £75 to £237 per side (rough guide) |
| Linkage ball joints: ball joint has slight play | 7.1 | 2.7 | £33 to £102 per link (rough guide) |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened | 6.5 | 2.6 | £92 to £237 per arm (rough guide) |
| Suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement | 5.3 | 8.7 | £92 to £237 per arm (rough guide) |
| Swivel pins and bushes: swivel pin and/or bush slightly worn | 4.5 | 0.9 | £157 to £384 per side (rough guide) |
| Coil spring: corroded | 3.1 | 7.4 | |
| Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive | 2.9 | 1.9 | |
| Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil | 2.8 | 4.1 | £122 to £484 per axle (pair) (rough guide) |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened | 2.7 | 5.3 |
Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.
What to check on a viewing
On the Daihatsu Sirion, the suspension items testers fail most are suspension ball joint worn; anti-roll bar link worn; component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength.
- Listen for knocks or clonks over speed bumps and rough roads on the test drive.
- Push down hard on each corner: the car should settle at once rather than keep bouncing.
- Look behind the wheels for broken or heavily rusted coil springs and split rubber bushes.
- Check that the car sits level and that no tyre is worn on one edge only.
Ask for the car's MOT history: a suspension advisory that repeats from year to year has not been fixed. GOV.UK MOT history.
Questions
What are the common suspension problems on the Daihatsu Sirion?
At 16 years (5,134 MOTs), the suspension fail items testers record most often are suspension ball joint worn (8.5 per 100 MOTs), anti-roll bar link worn (3.2 per 100 MOTs), component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (2.4 per 100 MOTs). The most common suspension advisories or minor defects are suspension arm ball joint: ball joint has slight play (7.6) and linkage ball joints: ball joint has slight play (7.1).
Does the Daihatsu Sirion have more suspension problems than other cars?
At 16 years it has 17.1 suspension fails per 100 MOTs against 17.1 for all cars of the same age (about the same). It is above the all-car rate at 4 of the 8 ages with enough tests.
What does a suspension repair cost on the Daihatsu Sirion?
For suspension ball joint worn, an independent garage estimate is £75 to £237 per side (rough guide). This is a guide built from the national median garage labour rate and estimated labour hours, not a quote.
More on the Daihatsu Sirion
Suspension problems on other Daihatsu models
The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.
Looking at a Daihatsu Sirion?
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Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.
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. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources