Does the Suzuki Vitara fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The Suzuki Vitara records 2.12 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.58 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+0.54, 95% interval +0.48 to +0.59). It ranks 245 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a Suzuki Vitara by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Suzuki Vitara is “Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point”, recorded 1,300 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point | 1,300 | 0.46 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 1,031 | 0.36 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 891 | 0.32 |
| Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced | 714 | 0.25 |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 654 | 0.23 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 282,770 (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 Suzuki Vitara gets a body, chassis and structure advisory, how often does it fail next time?
22.8% of Suzuki Vitara MOTs with a body, chassis and structure advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 1,912 miles later (1,937 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,937 (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
Suzuki Vitara 1999 · Suzuki Vitara 2000 · Suzuki Vitara 2002 · Suzuki Vitara 2015 · Suzuki Vitara 2016 · Suzuki Vitara 2017 · Suzuki Vitara 2018 · Suzuki Vitara 2019 · Suzuki Vitara 2020 · Suzuki Vitara in Norway · Suzuki Vitara in Finland · Suzuki Vitara in the Netherlands · Suzuki Vitara by postcode area · Suzuki Vitara brakes failures · Suzuki Vitara vehicle identification failures · Suzuki Vitara lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Suzuki Vitara noise, emissions and leaks failures · Suzuki Vitara road wheels failures · Suzuki Vitara seat belts and airbags failures · Suzuki Vitara steering failures · Suzuki Vitara suspension failures · Suzuki Vitara tyres failures · Suzuki Vitara visibility failures