Does the Ford S-MAX fail the MOT on suspension more than it should?
The Ford S-MAX records 15.68 suspension failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 16.30 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.62, 95% interval −0.74 to −0.51). It ranks 295 of 701 models on suspension (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on suspension · check a Ford S-MAX by registration
What exactly fails on suspension?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford S-MAX is “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn”, recorded 30,235 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 30,235 | 6.34 |
| A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 10,433 | 2.19 |
| A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated | 9,547 | 2.00 |
| A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded | 5,535 | 1.16 |
| A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | 4,973 | 1.04 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 476,737 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Ford S-MAX gets a suspension advisory, how often does it fail next time?
19.5% of Ford S-MAX MOTs with a suspension advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 7,447 miles later (76,202 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 76,202 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Ford S-MAX 2006 · Ford S-MAX 2007 · Ford S-MAX 2008 · Ford S-MAX 2009 · Ford S-MAX 2010 · Ford S-MAX 2011 · Ford S-MAX 2012 · Ford S-MAX 2013 · Ford S-MAX 2014 · Ford S-MAX 2015 · Ford S-MAX 2016 · Ford S-MAX 2017 · Ford S-MAX 2018 · Ford S-MAX 2019 · Ford S-MAX 2020 · Ford S-MAX in Norway · Ford S-MAX in Finland · Ford S-MAX in the Netherlands · Ford S-MAX by postcode area · Ford S-MAX body, chassis and structure failures · Ford S-MAX brakes failures · Ford S-MAX vehicle identification failures · Ford S-MAX lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford S-MAX noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford S-MAX road wheels failures · Ford S-MAX seat belts and airbags failures · Ford S-MAX steering failures · Ford S-MAX tyres failures · Ford S-MAX visibility failures