Common problems

SsangYong Rodius common problems

What MOT testers find on the SsangYong Rodius: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 8,586 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 7 years, the most tested age

Lights and electrics fails per 100 MOTs (n=2,215)18.3

All cars at 7 years (n=10,537,318)5.8

Brakes advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=2,215)24.5

All cars, same age (n=10,537,318)17.9

What stands out

Lights and electrics fails show up on 18.3 of every 100 MOTs of a SsangYong Rodius at 7 years old (n=2,215), against 5.8 for all cars of that age (n=10,537,318).
The fail item testers record most often at 7 years: steering track rod end: ball joint play, on 7.9 per 100 MOTs (all cars 0.4).
The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 18.4 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 7 years

How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.

SsangYong Rodius at 7 years (n=2,215) against all cars at 7 years (n=10,537,318). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Lights and electrics	18.3	5.8	8.8	2.5
Brakes	11.1	4.1	24.5	17.9
Steering	8.7	0.8	6.2	1.1
Tyres	8.1	6.0	22.7	24.8
Suspension	8.0	4.4	8.8	8.7
Seat belts and airbags	4.8	0.4	0.4	0.3
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	4.2	3.4	3.8	3.3
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	3.0	1.7	5.7	1.7
Body and structure	2.0	1.3	1.5	1.6
Road wheels	0.9	0.3	0.1	0.6
Number plates and VIN	0.3	0.2	1.9	1.2

What testers fail most on the Rodius at 7 years

Fail items on the SsangYong Rodius at 7 years (n=2,215), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=10,537,318).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Steering track rod end: ball joint play	Steering	7.9	0.4	£54 to £128 per side (rough guide)
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	5.4	0.8	£10 to £47 per lamp
Coil spring broken	Suspension	4.2	1.6	£64 to £236 per spring (rough guide)
Airbag (SRS) warning light on	Seat belts and airbags	4.1	0.2	diagnosis from £39 (rough guide)
Rear fog lamp: not working	Lights and electrics	3.9	0.2	£10 to £47 per lamp
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm	Tyres	3.6	2.2	£88 to £145 per tyre
Brake pads under 1.5 mm	Brakes	3.3	2.0	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Brake light not working	Lights and electrics	3.1	0.9	£10 to £47 per lamp
Dipped headlight not working	Lights and electrics	2.8	0.9	£18 to £86 per lamp
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded	Brakes	2.6	0.1	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 7 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).

Advisories and minor defects on the SsangYong Rodius at 7 years (n=2,215), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=10,537,318).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	18.4	15.0	£88 to £145 per tyre
Brake pads: wearing thin	Brakes	11.0	9.0	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	8.2	0.9	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	Lights and electrics	6.2	1.4
Track rod end: ball joint has slight play	Steering	5.7	0.4	£54 to £128 per side (rough guide)
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	5.2	8.0	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	4.1	1.4
Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt	Other	3.9	2.4
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	2.9	8.9	£88 to £145 per tyre
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively	Brakes	2.8	2.6	£148 to £376 per axle (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.

How problems change with age

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 7 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Lights and electrics	Brakes	Steering
5 years	1,221	14.8	9.3	7.3
6 years	1,848	15.9	9.1	7.1
7 years	2,215	18.3	11.1	8.7
8 years	1,920	20.0	10.8	9.1
9 years	1,382	21.8	13.4	7.2

What to check on a viewing

On the SsangYong Rodius, testers most often record steering track rod end: ball joint play; side/position light not working; coil spring broken. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Lights and electrics

With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.

Brakes

On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.

Steering

The steering should feel tight with no clunks when you turn from lock to lock.
On a straight road the car should hold its line without constant correction.
Look for split rubber gaiters on the steering rack and track rod ends.

Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the most common problems on the SsangYong Rodius?

At 7 years, the age with the most MOT tests (2,215), the fail items testers record most often on the SsangYong Rodius are steering track rod end: ball joint play (7.9 per 100 MOTs), side/position light not working (5.4 per 100 MOTs), coil spring broken (4.2 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (18.4) and brake pads: wearing thin (11.0).

Which parts of the SsangYong Rodius fail more often than on other cars?

At 7 years: lights and electrics (18.3 per 100 MOTs against 5.8 for all cars); steering (8.7 per 100 MOTs against 0.8 for all cars); brakes (11.1 per 100 MOTs against 4.1 for all cars). Compared with 10,537,318 MOTs of all cars the same age.

SsangYong Rodius problems by area

Other SsangYong models

All SsangYong models · Common problems by make

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.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a SsangYong Rodius?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record

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