Why does a shock absorber not functioning or… fail an MOT?

A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely. Most commonly flagged on the Peugeot Speedfight. The DVSA's MOT standards require this item to meet minimum safety thresholds — when it falls short, the tester logs it as a Major or Dangerous defect and the car fails outright.

How much does it cost to fix a shock absorber not functioning or…?

Costs vary depending on the vehicle, region, and severity. Use our MOT cost estimator for typical UK garage rates across the most common failure items.

A shock absorber not functioning or… — MOT failure (909 cars, 2023)

Models most at risk.

Ranked by rate, not raw volume. A Fiesta shows every failure a lot because there are a lot of Fiestas. Rate = share of that model's own MOTs.

Top 30 by rate. 26 more models also logged this defect.

Cost orientation

Hard to predict in isolation — depends what's actually worn.

This defect doesn't map to a clean retail-part swap; ranges vary too widely without seeing the car. Use the estimator to bracket the all-in cost across the items most likely to surface alongside it.

Open estimator

Frequently asked.

Why does a shock absorber not functioning or… fail an MOT?: A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely. Most commonly flagged on the Peugeot Speedfight. The DVSA's MOT standards require this item to meet minimum safety thresholds — when it falls short, the tester logs it as a Major or Dangerous defect and the car fails outright.
How much does it cost to fix a shock absorber not functioning or…?: Costs vary depending on the vehicle, region, and severity. Use our MOT cost estimator for typical UK garage rates across the most common failure items.