MOT advisory explained
“Suspension component pin or bush slightly worn”
The wording a tester uses when the worn part is not on the drop-down list. It tells you something in the suspension has wear. It does not tell you what, and that is the first thing to find out.
Somewhere in the suspension a rubber bush or a pivot pin has slight wear. The tester chose the general term “suspension component”, which usually means the part did not match any of the named options on the testing system.
Do not judge this one by the headline figure. Only 2.7% fail on a “suspension component” next time, because by then the part has been given its proper name. 13.9% fail on a suspension pin, bush or joint of some kind, and that is the number to go by.
Per corner, fitted, where the worn bush is in a suspension arm. Rear axle bushes, the most common cause of this wording, are priced by model.
If the certificate names the part, you are on the wrong page. “Suspension arm pin or bush worn” and the anti-roll bar link have their own figures and their own prices.
A “suspension component pin or bush slightly worn” advisory means a bush or pivot somewhere in the suspension has slight wear, recorded under a general name because the part was not on the tester’s list. The car passes. If the part is a suspension arm, replacement costs £140–£280 per corner. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 13.9% of 529,133 such advisories were followed by a suspension pin, bush or joint failure at the next test.
Why the wording is so vague
A list with gaps. MOT testers pick defects from a fixed list of component names: suspension arm, anti-roll bar, shock absorber and so on. When the worn part is none of those, “suspension component” is what is left. It is a filing category, not a description.
What it usually is. The notes testers type after this wording give it away. The most common is “axle bush”, written 51,809 times, then “trailing arm bush” at 42,188. These are the large rubber bushes that mount the rear axle or the rear trailing arms to the body. They are not called arms on the list, so they land here.
Check for a note. The free-text note appears on the online MOT history after the standard wording. If yours has one, it names the part and you can stop guessing. If it does not, the testing station can tell you.
Will it fail next year?
This advisory has been recorded 1,390,304 times, and 529,133 of those could be traced to the same car’s next MOT. The result needs reading with care.
| What happened at the next test | Share |
|---|---|
| Failed on the same component | 2.7% |
| Failed on anything under defect 5.3.4 | 13.9% |
| Same advisory recorded again | 10.4% |
According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair: 529,133 advisories followed to the same vehicle’s next test. Rows can overlap.
The first row is low for a technical reason. A failure is only counted against the same part if the next tester also calls it a “suspension component”, and they rarely do. By the time a bush is bad enough to fail, it gets written up under a specific name. The same thing explains the last row: only 10.4% are advised again in these words, the lowest repeat rate of any suspension advisory here.
So use the middle row. 13.9% is close to the 13.5% seen after a named suspension arm bush advisory, and that is the fair comparison. A vague wording is not a milder one.
| Advisory wording | Fails on same part | Fails under same code | Advised again | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension arm ball joint has slight play | 16.0% | 20.6% | 17.3% | 2,285,155 |
| Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play | 10.0% | 17.8% | 17.1% | 2,098,185 |
| Suspension arm pin or bush worn | 7.4% | 13.5% | 29.3% | 8,344,577 |
| Anti-roll bar pin or bush worn | 4.5% | 16.0% | 13.8% | 1,324,400 |
| Sub-frame pin or bush worn | 3.2% | 15.3% | 20.0% | 303,970 |
| Suspension component pin or bush slightly worn | 2.7% | 13.9% | 10.4% | 529,133 |
| Macpherson strut pin or bush worn | 2.0% | 11.8% | 19.5% | 562,037 |
By age the pattern is ordinary wear. The advisory is rare on young cars, 0.7 per 1,000 tests at 3–4 years, and ten times as common at 20 years and over, at 7.2. The same-name failure rate in the third column stays low throughout for the reason given above.
| Age of car | Per 1,000 tests | Fails on same part | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 years | 0.7 | 1.7% | 19,081 |
| 5–6 years | 1.2 | 2.4% | 37,716 |
| 7–9 years | 2.2 | 2.9% | 92,418 |
| 10–12 years | 3.6 | 3.0% | 120,130 |
| 13–15 years | 4.9 | 2.9% | 115,436 |
| 16–19 years | 5.9 | 2.8% | 86,385 |
| 20 years and over | 7.2 | 2.5% | 40,600 |
The figures on this page describe a category, because that is all the wording gives us. Once you know the actual part, the figures for that part are the ones that apply to your car.
A rear axle bush and a front arm bush wear at different rates, cost different amounts and affect the car differently. The certificate treats them as one thing. Your garage will not.
Until the part is named, treat it like any worn suspension bush: not urgent, not to be ignored, and worth a proper look at the next service.
Exact wording on your certificate
A family of general wordings shares this code. “Component” and “rod” are both used when no specific name fits, and each comes in a bush version and a ball joint version.
| Line on the certificate | Result | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension component pin or bush slightly worn | Advisory — pass | 5.3.4 (a) (i) |
| Suspension component ball joint has slight play | Advisory — pass | 5.3.4 (a) (i) |
| Suspension rod pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement | Advisory — pass | 5.3.4 (a) (i) |
| Suspension rod ball joint has slight play | Advisory — pass | 5.3.4 (a) (i) |
| Suspension pin, bush or joint worn but not resulting in excessive movement | Advisory — pass | 5.3.4 (a) (i) |
| Suspension rod corroded but not seriously weakened | Advisory — pass | 5.3.3 (b) (i) |
| Suspension rod damaged but not seriously weakened | Advisory — pass | 5.3.3 (b) (i) |
| Suspension rod pin, bush or joint worn but not resulting in excessive movement | Advisory — pass | 5.3.4 (a) (i) |
| Suspension rod attachment bracket/mounting corroded but its strength is not seriously reduced | Advisory — pass | 5.3.3 (b) (i) |
| Suspension rod attachment bracket/mounting damaged but its strength is not seriously reduced | Advisory — pass | 5.3.3 (b) (i) |
| Suspension component pin or bush excessively worn | Major — fail | 5.3.4 (a) (i) |
The positions point the same way as the tester notes. This is mostly a rear-of-the-car advisory, which is unusual. Named arm and ball joint advisories are mostly at the front.
| Position written by the tester | Share of all instances |
|---|---|
| Offside rear | 22% |
| Nearside rear | 22% |
| Rear | 11% |
| No position recorded | 8% |
| Offside front | 6% |
| Nearside front | 6% |
From 1,390,304 recorded instances. Testers can add their own note after the standard wording. The most common on this advisory: “axle bush” (51,809), “trailing arm bush” (42,188), “trailing arm” (40,592), “axle” (15,052), “top mount” (9,604), “axle bushes” (6,171), “both sides” (5,815), “rear wishbone bush” (5,560).
What it can cost
| Job | Price fitted | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension arm bush, pressed in | £90–£160 | If the part is an arm and the bush is sold separately |
| Complete suspension arm, one side | £140–£280 | If the bush is not available on its own |
| Alignment afterwards | £40–£80 | After any arm or axle bush work |
Independent garage, parts and labour. These rows apply when the component turns out to be a suspension arm. Rear axle and trailing arm bushes are a bigger job because the axle has to be lowered, and the price depends heavily on the model. See the suspension repair cost page for yours.
Can I still drive with this advisory?
Worn rear axle bushes can make the back of the car feel loose over bumps or under braking, and can wear the rear tyres unevenly. If you notice either, get the part identified and priced sooner. Otherwise the next service is soon enough.
Your full MOT history shows the tester’s note after each advisory. Enter your reg and we will show it, along with a price for the likely job on your model.
Which cars get this advisory most?
This wording is uncommon overall, at 1.4 per 1,000 tests. A few models attract it much more often, mostly because of how their rear suspension is built.
| Model | Per 1,000 tests | Vs all cars | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla (all models) | 8 | 5.8× | 477,606 |
| Ford S-Max | 6 | 4.2× | 833,176 |
| Ford Fiesta | 5 | 3.5× | 15,017,429 |
| Ford Mondeo | 4 | 3.3× | 2,546,739 |
| Land Rover Defender | 4 | 3.3× | 1,232,451 |
| Ford Galaxy | 4 | 3.2× | 789,739 |
| Land Rover Discovery | 4 | 3.1× | 1,610,504 |
| Vauxhall Zafira | 4 | 3.0× | 2,851,349 |
| Ford Grand C-Max | 3 | 2.4× | 361,602 |
| Volvo V70 | 3 | 2.1× | 542,743 |
Model families are grouped by the first word of the DVSA model name, so “Transit” covers every Transit variant. Only models with at least 60,000 tests are ranked.
Half the list is Ford. The Ford S-Max, Ford Fiesta, Ford Mondeo, Ford Galaxy and Ford Grand C-Max all appear, and the Ford Fiesta is there on the back of more than fifteen million tests, so it is not a statistical accident. On these cars the wording nearly always means a rear axle or rear arm bush.
Tesla (all models) at the top is a different case. They are heavy cars whose suspension links probably do not match the standard component names, so testers fall back on the general one.
What to do next
- Read the note. Look up the car on the government MOT history service. Anything the tester typed appears after the standard wording.
- Ring the test station if there is no note. They keep the record and the tester will usually remember. Ask for the component and the corner.
- Get a price for that part on your model. A rear axle bush job and a front arm are very different bills. Do not accept a quote for “suspension work”.
- Ask about the pair. Axle and trailing arm bushes are nearly always done on both sides together, since the axle comes down once.
Suspension component advisory FAQ
What does suspension component pin or bush slightly worn mean?
A bush or pivot pin somewhere in the suspension has slight wear. The tester used a general name because the part was not one of the named components on the testing system. It is most often a rear axle or trailing arm bush.
Which suspension component is it?
The certificate does not say, but the tester’s note often does. In DVSA records the most common notes on this advisory are “axle bush” and “trailing arm bush”. Check the online MOT history or ask the test station.
Will it fail the next MOT?
According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 13.9% of 529,133 such advisories were followed by a failure on a suspension pin, bush or joint at the next test. Only 2.7% failed under the same general name, because by then the part is usually named.
How much does it cost to fix?
It depends on the part. A suspension arm bush costs £90–£160 fitted where it can be pressed in, and a complete arm £140–£280 per side. Rear axle bushes cost more and vary by model. These are estimates and final quotes come from garages.
Is it safe to drive with this advisory?
Yes. Slight wear is within limits and the car passed. Have the part identified at the next service, or sooner if the rear of the car feels loose or the tyres wear unevenly.
Which cars get this advisory most?
Fords make up half the top ten, including the Ford Fiesta, Ford S-Max and Ford Mondeo. Tesla (all models) has the highest rate, at 5.8 times the average.
How these figures were calculated. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, from the DVSA anonymised MOT test results (Open Government Licence v3.0): 350,943,111 tests. This advisory was recorded 1,390,304 times; 529,133 of those were followed to the same vehicle’s next test between 180 and 730 days later. “Fails on the same part” means a failure at that next test under the same defect code and naming the same component, on either side of the vehicle. Testers do not always name a component the same way twice, so the figure is a floor. Method and how to cite.