Common problems

Subaru Impreza suspension problems

How often MOT testers find suspension faults on the Subaru Impreza at each age, against all cars of the same age, and which items come up most. From 66,952 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 18 years, the most tested age

Suspension fails per 100 MOTs (n=7,887)9.5

All cars at 18 years (n=3,261,622)17.2

Suspension advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=7,887)23.9

All cars, same age (n=3,261,622)35.3

What stands out

At 18 years, 9.5 of every 100 MOTs of the Subaru Impreza found a suspension fail (n=7,887), against 17.2 for all cars of that age (n=3,261,622).
It is level with or below the all-car rate at every age with at least 1,000 tests.
The gap is widest at 18 years: 9.5 per 100 MOTs against 17.2 for all cars.
The suspension fail item recorded most often at 18 years: component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, on 3.3 per 100 MOTs.
The most common suspension advisory or minor defect: sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened, on 3.9 per 100 MOTs.

Suspension fails by age

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

Subaru Impreza: suspension fails and advisories per 100 MOTs, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
12 years	1,183	9.3	13.4	26.5	24.9
13 years	2,067	7.9	14.9	26.5	27.9
14 years	3,056	9.1	16.0	29.8	30.4
15 years	4,887	10.1	16.7	27.6	32.3
16 years	5,870	9.7	17.1	25.0	33.7
17 years	7,241	10.8	17.2	23.6	34.7
18 years	7,887	9.5	17.2	23.9	35.3
19 years	7,860	10.5	16.9	22.0	35.4
20 years	7,201	10.1	16.5	23.2	35.2
21 years	5,729	11.0	15.9	23.5	35.0
22 years	4,750	11.1	15.2	24.3	34.4
23 years	3,777	10.3	14.5	23.1	33.8
24 years	3,056	8.8	13.5	21.0	32.5
25 years	2,388	7.6	12.8	20.9	31.5

Suspension fail items at 18 years

Suspension fail items on the Subaru Impreza at 18 years (n=7,887), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=3,261,622).
Item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength	3.3	2.3
Coil spring broken	1.1	3.1	£64 to £236 per spring (rough guide)

Suspension advisories and minor defects at 18 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).

Suspension advisories and minor defects on the Subaru Impreza at 18 years (n=7,887), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=3,261,622).
Item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened	3.9	5.3
Anti-roll bar pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	3.8	1.1	£92 to £237 per arm (rough guide)
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive	3.1	2.8
Linkage pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	2.7	1.1
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil	2.5	3.9	£122 to £484 per axle (pair) (rough guide)
Suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	2.2	8.5	£92 to £237 per arm (rough guide)
Linkage ball joints: ball joint has slight play	2.0	2.7	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)
Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened	1.7	2.9	£92 to £237 per arm (rough guide)
Suspension arm ball joint: ball joint has slight play	1.4	2.6	£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 Subaru Impreza, the suspension items testers fail most are component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength; coil spring broken.

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 Subaru Impreza?

At 18 years (7,887 MOTs), the suspension fail items testers record most often are component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (3.3 per 100 MOTs), coil spring broken (1.1 per 100 MOTs). The most common suspension advisories or minor defects are sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened (3.9) and anti-roll bar pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (3.8).

Does the Subaru Impreza have more suspension problems than other cars?

At 18 years it has 9.5 suspension fails per 100 MOTs against 17.2 for all cars of the same age (7.7 fewer). It is level with or below the all-car rate at every age with enough tests.

What does a suspension repair cost on the Subaru Impreza?

For coil spring broken, an independent garage estimate is £64 to £236 per spring (rough guide). This is a guide built from the national median garage labour rate and estimated labour hours, not a quote.

Suspension problems on other Subaru models

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 Subaru Impreza?

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