Common problems

Suzuki Wagon R+ common problems

What MOT testers find on the Suzuki Wagon R+: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 32,729 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 20 years, the most tested age

Lights and electrics fails per 100 MOTs (n=6,090)16.2

All cars at 20 years (n=1,845,952)21.2

Brakes advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=6,090)39.3

All cars, same age (n=1,845,952)33.7

What stands out

Tyres fails show up on 9.6 of every 100 MOTs of a Suzuki Wagon R+ at 20 years old (n=6,090), against 6.4 for all cars of that age (n=1,845,952).
Lights and electrics fails are less common: 16.2 per 100 MOTs against 21.2 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 20 years: side/position light not working, on 5.5 per 100 MOTs (all cars 5.2).
The most common advisory or minor defect: rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material, on 25.7 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 20 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 Wagon R+ at 20 years (n=6,090) against all cars at 20 years (n=1,845,952). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Lights and electrics	16.2	21.2	9.6	17.4
Suspension	15.6	16.5	33.9	35.2
Brakes	13.8	13.5	39.3	33.7
Body and structure	10.3	9.2	19.1	15.6
Tyres	9.6	6.4	29.5	26.1
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	8.4	7.6	6.3	6.4
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	6.1	7.0	11.0	15.6
Steering	5.4	4.2	6.6	6.5
Seat belts and airbags	2.2	3.1	1.4	1.5
Number plates and VIN	0.8	0.7	5.3	6.3
Road wheels	0.6	0.4	3.9	1.1

What testers fail most on the Wagon R+ at 20 years

Fail items on the Suzuki Wagon R+ at 20 years (n=6,090), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=1,845,952).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	5.5	5.2	£10 to £47 per lamp
Driveshaft CV boot split	Body and structure	5.1	3.1	£88 to £196 per boot (rough guide)
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded	Brakes	4.9	2.5	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Suspension ball joint worn	Suspension	4.7	2.3	£75 to £237 per side (rough guide)
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	4.6	3.4	£15 to £30 per blade
Brake light not working	Lights and electrics	3.9	3.9	£10 to £47 per lamp
Steering track rod end: ball joint play	Steering	3.7	2.0	£54 to £128 per side (rough guide)
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	3.5	2.5	diagnosis from £39 (rough guide)
Tyre with cords exposed	Tyres	2.8	1.5	£88 to £145 per tyre
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm	Tyres	2.7	2.6	£88 to £145 per tyre

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 20 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 Wagon R+ at 20 years (n=6,090), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=1,845,952).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	25.7	15.2	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	16.5	10.2	£88 to £145 per tyre
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	14.2	15.7	£88 to £145 per tyre
Coil spring: corroded	Suspension	12.7	8.0
Play in steering rack inner joint(s)	Other	10.5	3.6
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	9.8	14.1
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	9.1	10.7	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Exhaust system: mounting defective	Body and structure	6.8	1.8	£28 to £108 per car (rough guide)
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	Lights and electrics	6.1	5.4
Drive shaft joints: constant velocity boot severely deteriorated	Body and structure	6.0	3.8

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 20 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Lights and electrics	Suspension	Brakes
16 years	1,334	10.7	10.9	10.6
17 years	2,808	12.4	12.0	11.0
18 years	4,495	13.7	13.5	10.7
19 years	5,659	13.6	15.9	12.1
20 years	6,090	16.2	15.6	13.8
21 years	5,259	18.8	16.4	15.3
22 years	3,845	19.7	18.3	17.9
23 years	2,184	19.8	15.6	20.3
24 years	1,055	22.0	17.6	22.2

Mileage

At 20 years, Suzuki Wagon R+ cars showing 30,000 to 60,000 miles failed 37.0% of MOTs (n=1,699); the band that failed most, 90,000 to 120,000 miles, failed 54.6% (n=1,288). For pass and fail rates by age, see Suzuki Wagon R+ MOT fail rates.

What to check on a viewing

On the Suzuki Wagon R+, testers most often record side/position light not working; driveshaft CV boot split; rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded. 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.

Suspension

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.

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.

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 Wagon R+?

At 20 years, the age with the most MOT tests (6,090), the fail items testers record most often on the Suzuki Wagon R+ are side/position light not working (5.5 per 100 MOTs), driveshaft CV boot split (5.1 per 100 MOTs), rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded (4.9 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material (25.7) and tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (16.5).

Which parts of the Suzuki Wagon R+ fail more often than on other cars?

At 20 years: tyres (9.6 per 100 MOTs against 6.4 for all cars); steering (5.4 per 100 MOTs against 4.2 for all cars); body and structure (10.3 per 100 MOTs against 9.2 for all cars). Compared with 1,845,952 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Suzuki Wagon R+ 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 Wagon R+?

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