Does the Seat Altea fail the MOT on suspension more than it should?
The Seat Altea records 30.88 suspension failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 23.14 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+7.74, 95% interval +7.42 to +8.05). It ranks 86 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 Seat Altea by registration
What exactly fails on suspension?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Seat Altea is “A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened”, recorded 9,636 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | 9,636 | 8.04 |
| A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 9,596 | 8.01 |
| A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated | 6,808 | 5.68 |
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 5,206 | 4.34 |
| A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage | 3,588 | 2.99 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 119,853 (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 Seat Altea gets a suspension advisory, how often does it fail next time?
26.3% of Seat Altea MOTs with a suspension advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,308 miles later (17,838 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 17,838 (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
Seat Altea 2004 · Seat Altea 2005 · Seat Altea 2006 · Seat Altea 2007 · Seat Altea 2008 · Seat Altea 2009 · Seat Altea 2010 · Seat Altea 2011 · Seat Altea 2012 · Seat Altea 2013 · Seat Altea 2014 · Seat Altea 2015 · Seat Altea in Finland · Seat Altea in the Netherlands · Seat Altea by postcode area · Seat Altea body, chassis and structure failures · Seat Altea brakes failures · Seat Altea vehicle identification failures · Seat Altea lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Seat Altea noise, emissions and leaks failures · Seat Altea road wheels failures · Seat Altea seat belts and airbags failures · Seat Altea steering failures · Seat Altea tyres failures · Seat Altea visibility failures