Common problems
Kia Carens suspension problems
How often MOT testers find suspension faults on the Kia Carens at each age, against all cars of the same age, and which items come up most. From 59,911 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
At 8 years, the most tested age
What stands out
- At 8 years, 5.9 of every 100 MOTs of the Kia Carens found a suspension fail (n=8,120), against 6.1 for all cars of that age (n=10,440,457).
- It is above the all-car rate at 7 of the 14 ages with at least 1,000 tests.
- The gap is widest at 15 years: 22.6 per 100 MOTs against 16.7 for all cars.
- The suspension fail item recorded most often at 8 years: shock absorber leaking, on 3.0 per 100 MOTs.
- The most common suspension advisory or minor defect: shock absorbers: has light misting of oil, on 2.9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 years | 1,781 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 2.8 |
| 5 years | 3,597 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 4.2 |
| 6 years | 5,387 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 6.1 |
| 7 years | 7,537 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 5.6 | 8.7 |
| 8 years | 8,120 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 9.2 | 11.8 |
| 9 years | 7,635 | 8.6 | 7.9 | 13.0 | 14.9 |
| 10 years | 5,830 | 9.1 | 9.7 | 16.8 | 18.2 |
| 11 years | 4,053 | 11.1 | 11.6 | 21.5 | 21.6 |
| 12 years | 2,229 | 14.1 | 13.4 | 25.8 | 24.9 |
| 13 years | 2,309 | 18.5 | 14.9 | 34.9 | 27.9 |
| 14 years | 3,395 | 20.3 | 16.0 | 38.4 | 30.4 |
| 15 years | 3,393 | 22.6 | 16.7 | 41.6 | 32.3 |
| 16 years | 2,864 | 21.6 | 17.1 | 42.6 | 33.7 |
| 17 years | 1,781 | 21.6 | 17.2 | 40.8 | 34.7 |
Suspension fail items at 8 years
| Item | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | Typical repair (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shock absorber leaking | 3.0 | 0.6 | £122 to £484 per axle (pair) (rough guide) |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | 0.9 | 0.3 | £33 to £102 per link (rough guide) |
| Suspension ball joint worn | 0.6 | 1.0 | £75 to £237 per side (rough guide) |
Suspension advisories and minor defects at 8 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil | 2.9 | 2.8 | £122 to £484 per axle (pair) (rough guide) |
| Suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement | 2.4 | 4.0 | £92 to £237 per arm (rough guide) |
| Coil spring: corroded | 1.0 | 1.2 | |
| Suspension arm ball joint: ball joint has slight play | 0.8 | 0.9 | £75 to £237 per side (rough guide) |
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 Kia Carens, the suspension items testers fail most are shock absorber leaking; linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt; suspension ball joint worn.
- 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 Kia Carens?
At 8 years (8,120 MOTs), the suspension fail items testers record most often are shock absorber leaking (3.0 per 100 MOTs), linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (0.9 per 100 MOTs), suspension ball joint worn (0.6 per 100 MOTs). The most common suspension advisories or minor defects are shock absorbers: has light misting of oil (2.9) and suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4).
Does the Kia Carens have more suspension problems than other cars?
At 8 years it has 5.9 suspension fails per 100 MOTs against 6.1 for all cars of the same age (about the same). It is above the all-car rate at 7 of the 14 ages with enough tests.
What does a suspension repair cost on the Kia Carens?
For shock absorber leaking, an independent garage estimate is £122 to £484 per axle (pair) (rough guide). This is a guide built from the national median garage labour rate and estimated labour hours, not a quote.
More on the Kia Carens
Suspension problems on other Kia models
The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.
Looking at a Kia Carens?
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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