Does the Suzuki Vitara fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Suzuki Vitara records 4.46 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 5.08 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−0.62, 95% interval −0.70 to −0.53). It ranks 362 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Suzuki Vitara by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Suzuki Vitara is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 3,767 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 3,767 | 1.33 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 1,598 | 0.57 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 1,503 | 0.53 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 787 | 0.28 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 657 | 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 brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
8.2% of Suzuki Vitara MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,734 miles later (28,504 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 28,504 (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 body, chassis and structure 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