Common problems

Suzuki Jimny common problems

What MOT testers find on the Suzuki Jimny: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 98,308 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 19 years, the most tested age

Brakes fails per 100 MOTs (n=7,550)14.0

All cars at 19 years (n=2,479,858)13.3

Brakes advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=7,550)32.6

All cars, same age (n=2,479,858)33.3

What stands out

Body and structure fails show up on 13.9 of every 100 MOTs of a Suzuki Jimny at 19 years old (n=7,550), against 9.0 for all cars of that age (n=2,479,858).
Lights and electrics fails are less common: 13.5 per 100 MOTs against 21.5 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 19 years: side/position light not working, on 4.9 per 100 MOTs (all cars 5.4).
The most common advisory or minor defect: rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material, on 21.2 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 19 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.

Suzuki Jimny at 19 years (n=7,550) against all cars at 19 years (n=2,479,858). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Brakes	14.0	13.3	32.6	33.3
Body and structure	13.9	9.0	21.7	15.2
Lights and electrics	13.5	21.5	11.9	17.9
Suspension	12.1	16.9	28.9	35.4
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	10.2	7.0	8.8	14.7
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	6.4	7.5	5.3	6.3
Seat belts and airbags	5.7	2.9	3.4	1.4
Tyres	2.4	6.8	15.1	26.9
Steering	2.1	4.1	3.6	6.0
Number plates and VIN	0.5	0.7	1.9	5.9
Road wheels	0.3	0.5	0.1	1.2

What testers fail most on the Jimny at 19 years

Fail items on the Suzuki Jimny at 19 years (n=7,550), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=2,479,858).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	4.9	5.4	£10 to £47 per lamp
Seat belt prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced	Seat belts and airbags	4.7	0.9
Chassis condition: or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting	Body and structure	4.1	0.4
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded	Brakes	3.6	2.5	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	3.5	2.6	diagnosis from £39 (rough guide)
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	3.4	3.3	£15 to £30 per blade
Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases	Body and structure	3.3	2.1	£182 to £263 per section
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength	Suspension	3.2	2.6
Service brake imbalance: across an axle	Brakes	3.2	0.9
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	3.2	1.4

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 19 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 Suzuki Jimny at 19 years (n=7,550), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=2,479,858).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	21.2	14.1	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	9.7	9.9	£88 to £145 per tyre
Coil spring: corroded	Suspension	9.2	7.9
Fuel Pipe/s corroded	Other	8.0	0.7
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	5.9	10.8	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	5.7	16.6	£88 to £145 per tyre
Chassis condition: is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced	Body and structure	5.7	1.8
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	5.3	13.2
Wheel bearings: has slight play	Suspension	5.1	1.4	£103 to £276 per wheel (rough guide)
Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases	Body and structure	4.8	5.3	£182 to £263 per section

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 19 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Brakes	Body and structure	Lights and electrics
3 years	2,912	0.6	under 0.1	3.7
4 years	2,985	0.7	under 0.1	2.5
5 years	3,585	1.1	0.1	2.5
6 years	3,708	2.0	0.2	2.8
7 years	3,521	2.9	0.3	2.7
8 years	3,878	4.6	0.7	4.0
9 years	3,801	6.1	1.1	4.3
10 years	3,685	7.8	1.4	5.1
11 years	3,484	11.1	2.5	5.1
12 years	3,326	10.9	3.9	6.4
13 years	3,282	12.0	6.1	7.5
14 years	3,634	12.3	8.2	7.8
15 years	4,677	12.9	11.1	9.6
16 years	5,712	12.9	12.9	10.5
17 years	6,665	13.0	13.6	11.4
18 years	7,442	13.1	13.4	12.3
19 years	7,550	14.0	13.9	13.5
20 years	7,226	13.9	13.6	13.5
21 years	6,260	13.1	14.0	15.2
22 years	4,814	12.4	14.6	15.7
23 years	3,272	12.7	13.5	15.9
24 years	1,886	11.5	15.4	16.4
25 years	1,003	11.4	14.8	17.7

Mileage

At 19 years, Suzuki Jimny cars showing 30,000 to 60,000 miles failed 31.9% of MOTs (n=1,359); the band that failed most, 90,000 to 120,000 miles, failed 44.1% (n=2,149). For pass and fail rates by age, see Suzuki Jimny MOT fail rates.

What to check on a viewing

On the Suzuki Jimny, testers most often record side/position light not working; seat belt prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced; chassis condition: or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting. Look at these first, then the areas below.

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.

Body and structure

Look underneath at the sills, floor, subframes and jacking points for corrosion, or for fresh underseal that may hide it.
Check that doors, bonnet and boot open, close and latch properly.
Look for loose trim, sharp edges or damage around the bumpers and wheel arches.

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.

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 Suzuki Jimny?

At 19 years, the age with the most MOT tests (7,550), the fail items testers record most often on the Suzuki Jimny are side/position light not working (4.9 per 100 MOTs), seat belt prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced (4.7 per 100 MOTs), chassis condition: or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting (4.1 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material (21.2) and tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (9.7).

Which parts of the Suzuki Jimny fail more often than on other cars?

At 19 years: body and structure (13.9 per 100 MOTs against 9.0 for all cars); exhaust, emissions and leaks (10.2 per 100 MOTs against 7.0 for all cars); seat belts and airbags (5.7 per 100 MOTs against 2.9 for all cars). Compared with 2,479,858 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Suzuki Jimny problems by area

Other Suzuki models

All Suzuki 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 Suzuki Jimny?

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.

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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