MOT advisory explained
“Sub-frame pin or bush worn”
The largest rubber bushes on the car, the ones that hang the whole subframe or rear axle from the body, have started to move. Most are at the rear, the fix means dropping the subframe, and the low headline figure hides a much higher one underneath.
A subframe is the steel cradle that carries the suspension and, at the front, the engine. It bolts to the body through four large rubber bushes that isolate the cabin from road noise. The tester levered the subframe and found one of those bushes allowing movement, within limits.
3.2% fail on the subframe bush itself at the next test. 15.3% fail on some suspension pin, bush or joint. The subframe bush is the biggest and slowest-wearing rubber under the car, and when it has gone, everything bolted to the subframe has had the same years.
Testers use this wording for a rear axle beam’s bushes as well: “axle bush”, “axle” and “trailing arm bush” all appear in the notes. That is a different, smaller job with its own page: axle swivel pin and/or bush slightly worn. Ask which you have before anyone quotes.
A “sub-frame pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement” advisory means one of the large rubber bushes mounting the subframe, or a rear axle, to the body has play within limits, so the car passes. The repair usually means lowering the subframe. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 3.2% of 303,970 such advisories failed on the subframe bush at the next test, and 15.3% on any suspension pin, bush or joint.
What the bushes do
Four big mounts. A subframe hangs from the body on bushes an inch or two across, one at each corner. They carry the weight of everything on the subframe, take the thrust of every acceleration and braking load, and stop road noise reaching the cabin. “rear bush” and “front bush” lead the notes because the rear pair and front pair wear differently.
How they wear. The rubber cracks and separates from its metal sleeves, or the void in a hydraulic bush loses its fluid. The subframe can then shift a few millimetres under load. On the road that is a clunk when you pull away or brake, a shudder on rough surfaces, and on some cars a steering wheel that is not quite centred after a corner.
What testers can see. With a lever bar between the subframe and the body, the tester watches the bush. Slight movement is this advisory. Excessive movement, or a bush whose rubber has separated so the subframe can be shifted by hand, is a failure. There is also a second wording for a ball joint on a subframe, rare and grouped here.
Will it fail next year?
Two wordings under one code, recorded 905,308 times between them, with 303,970 followed to the same vehicle’s next MOT.
| What happened at the next test | Share |
|---|---|
| Failed on the same component | 3.2% |
| Failed on anything under defect 5.3.4 | 15.3% |
| Same advisory recorded again | 20.0% |
According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair: 303,970 advisories followed to the same vehicle’s next test. Rows can overlap.
Three in a hundred for the bush itself is low, and it is low because subframe bushes are big and tolerant: they can move slightly for years without reaching excessive. The number that matters is the second row. 15.3% of these cars fail on some suspension pin, bush or joint, about the same as after a worn anti-roll bar bush at 16.0%.
One in five is carried over. It is a big job to book on the strength of a clunk, and the subframe bush does not get noticeably worse from one year to the next.
| 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 |
| Suspension arm pin or bush worn | 7.4% | 13.5% | 29.3% | 8,344,577 |
| Axle swivel pins and bushes swivel pin and/or bush slightly worn | 4.7% | 4.8% | 25.0% | 585,293 |
| 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 |
| Sub-frame corroded | 2.0% | 3.7% | 39.8% | 2,445,675 |
| Macpherson strut pin or bush worn | 2.0% | 11.8% | 19.5% | 562,037 |
The advisory rises from 0.4 per 1,000 tests at 5–6 years to 3.7 at 20 years and over. The failure rate on the bush itself peaks at 3.9% at 10–12 years and falls on older cars, which do less of the hard driving that moves a subframe.
| Age of car | Per 1,000 tests | Fails on same part | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5–6 years | 0.4 | 2.8% | 14,699 |
| 7–9 years | 1.2 | 3.6% | 49,140 |
| 10–12 years | 2.3 | 3.9% | 75,453 |
| 13–15 years | 3.5 | 3.2% | 79,445 |
| 16–19 years | 4.5 | 2.5% | 60,143 |
| 20 years and over | 3.7 | 1.7% | 17,978 |
Subframe bushes are pressed into the subframe, and on most cars the subframe has to be lowered or removed to get a press on them. That means supporting the engine or disconnecting the rear suspension, and on some cars it is a full day. The bushes themselves are not expensive.
Some cars have bushes that can be changed in place with a special tool, and some have a subframe cheap enough that a complete unit with new bushes is the sensible route. Ask which applies.
If the subframe is off, this is the moment to do every bush on it. Arm bushes, D bushes and the other subframe mounts are all accessible, and the labour to reach them has already been paid.
Exact wording on your certificate
Two advisories under one code. The failure is excessive movement or a bush that has separated.
| Line on the certificate | Result | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-frame pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement | Advisory — pass | 5.3.4 (a) (i) |
| Sub-frame ball joint has slight play | Advisory — pass | 5.3.4 (a) (i) |
| Sub-frame pin or bush excessively worn | Major — fail | 5.3.4 (a) (i) |
The rear dominates, with the offside rear, nearside rear and plain “rear” making up seven in ten. Rear subframes and rear axle beams both carry their bushes in the wet zone behind the rear wheels.
| Position written by the tester | Share of all instances |
|---|---|
| Offside rear | 25% |
| Nearside rear | 25% |
| Rear | 19% |
| Front | 8% |
| Nearside front | 6% |
| Offside front | 6% |
From 905,308 recorded instances. Testers can add their own note after the standard wording. The most common on this advisory: “rear bush” (26,803), “both sides” (22,320), “both” (18,930), “axle bush” (14,920), “front bush” (12,255), “both rear” (7,474), “rear” (6,060), “all” (5,409).
What it costs
The bushes are modest parts. The labour depends on whether the subframe has to come out, and that ranges from a couple of hours to a full day. Some cars are cheaper done as a complete subframe. The spread is too wide for an honest range, so ask with your registration and for a price that includes an alignment afterwards. Related prices are on the suspension repair cost page.
Can I still drive with this advisory?
A clunk on pull-away or braking, and a vague feel over rough roads, are what a worn subframe bush feels like. Plan it for the next few months. If the clunk becomes a bang, or the steering wheel moves off-centre, have it looked at sooner.
Enter your reg to see your car’s full MOT record. A subframe bush advisory usually has arm bush or D bush advisories beside it in the same or the following year.
Which cars get this advisory most?
The all-vehicle rate is 1.8 per 1,000 tests. On the models below it is three to ten times that.
| Model | Per 1,000 tests | Vs all cars | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan Note | 18 | 9.8× | 1,712,969 |
| Volkswagen Touareg | 16 | 9.1× | 356,943 |
| Ford Mondeo | 12 | 6.8× | 2,546,739 |
| Ford Fiesta | 9 | 5.2× | 15,017,429 |
| Renault Trafic | 9 | 4.8× | 1,353,402 |
| Vauxhall Vivaro | 9 | 4.8× | 2,438,602 |
| Vauxhall Zafira | 8 | 4.5× | 2,851,349 |
| Audi Q7 | 7 | 3.9× | 410,679 |
| Nissan Qashqai | 6 | 3.2× | 5,273,100 |
| Toyota Corolla | 6 | 3.1× | 1,166,652 |
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.
The Nissan Note leads at 9.8 times the average, and the Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7, which share a platform, are next. The Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Zafira are large family cars with separate rear subframes and known bush wear.
The Ford Fiesta and Nissan Qashqai are on the list because they are everywhere: nearly five and fifteen million tests respectively, so even a modest rate puts them here.
What to do next
- Confirm subframe or axle beam. The note usually says. They are different jobs at different prices.
- Ask whether the subframe has to come out. It is the whole cost question.
- Do every bush on the subframe while it is down. You will not want to pay to get there twice.
- Get an alignment afterwards. A subframe that has been lowered and refitted rarely goes back in exactly the same place.
Sub-frame bush advisory FAQ
What does sub-frame pin or bush worn mean on an MOT?
One of the large rubber bushes mounting the subframe, or on some cars the rear axle, to the body has play within limits. It is an advisory and the car passes.
What are the symptoms of worn subframe bushes?
A clunk when pulling away or braking, a shudder or vague feel over rough roads, and sometimes a steering wheel that sits slightly off-centre after cornering.
Will worn subframe bushes fail the next MOT?
According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 3.2% of 303,970 such advisories failed on the subframe bush at the next test, but 15.3% failed on some suspension pin, bush or joint. A worn subframe bush usually means the other rubber on the subframe is due too.
How much does it cost to replace subframe bushes?
The bushes are modest parts. The labour varies from a couple of hours to a full day depending on whether the subframe has to come out. We do not publish a range. Any prices on this site are estimates and final quotes come from garages.
Can subframe bushes be replaced without removing the subframe?
On some cars, with a special tool that presses the bush in place. On most, the subframe has to be lowered or removed. It depends on the car, not the garage.
Which cars get this advisory most?
The Nissan Note, at 9.8 times the average rate, then the Volkswagen Touareg, Ford Mondeo and Ford Fiesta.
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 905,308 times; 303,970 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.