Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Mitsubishi Shogun 2003: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 58 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2003 Mitsubishi Shogun were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension mounting area (rear).

Summary

The 2003 Mitsubishi Shogun follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,259 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
58 in every 100
Did not pass first time
42 in every 100528 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
22 yearsabout 123,448 miles
First tests counted
1,259

What failed most often

  1. Suspension mounting area (rear)17 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension arm ball joint (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)10 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2003 Mitsubishi Shogun vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: seat belt mounting area (rear), 5.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 526 of 528 failed first attempts (99.6%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Seat belt mounting area (rear)

Failed on 29 first tests5.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A seat belt anchorage likely to become detached in the event of a collision is graded Dangerous. The load bearing structure near an anchorage, called a prescribed area, is Major when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Anchorage points are inspected for all seat belts fitted, except a belt with no corresponding seat.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Steering

One fault: steering rack (front), 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Steering rack (front)

Failed on 21 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the suspension mounting area (front): 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension mounting area (front)

Failed on 28 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 88 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Brakes

One fault: brake performance (roller test, front), 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, front)

Failed on 35 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A wheel with no recorded braking effort on the roller test is graded Dangerous. Inadequate effort, a brake grabbing severely, abnormal lag and excessive fluctuation in effort are each Major. So is significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied, which indicates a binding brake.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Body and structure

Two faults. The strongest is the vehicle structure condition (rear): 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Vehicle structure condition (rear)

Failed on 23 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Structure that is fractured, deformed, corroded, modified or inadequately repaired is failed on rigidity only if the overall structural rigidity of the vehicle is significantly reduced. Structure that is likely to affect steering or braking adversely is graded Dangerous. Prescribed areas are not covered here, as they are checked under other sections, including brakes and steering.

Chassis condition (rear)

Failed on 28 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A main load-bearing structural member that is fractured, deformed, modified or inadequately repaired is Major when structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and Dangerous where steering or braking is likely to be adversely affected. Corrosion of the body, cab or chassis at a mounting point is Dangerous where overall security or stability is impaired.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Chassis condition

Noted on 31 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel bearings (front)

Noted on 35 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 27 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Noted on 39 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pads (rear)

Noted on 32 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
58in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
7in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
35in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 58.1% of 1,259 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 65.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 35 not fixed make the 42 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsPassed first time, as tested
Diesel94558
Petrol31058

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

4060801002003201020152020Newer cars
406080100200320102020Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200155 in every 100401
200260 in every 100712
2003 This car58 in every 1001,259
200459 in every 1002,376
200558 in every 1002,651
200657 in every 1002,119
200757 in every 1001,730
200860 in every 100773
200961 in every 100531
201063 in every 100934
201165 in every 1001,008
201267 in every 100622
201370 in every 100859
201473 in every 1001,478
201577 in every 1001,777
201677 in every 1001,487
201780 in every 1001,123
201881 in every 1001,089
201981 in every 100695
202083 in every 100652
202186 in every 1001,129

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2003 Mitsubishi Shogun follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Suspension mounting area (rear), about 17 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 58.1% of 1,259 first MOTs on the 2003 Mitsubishi Shogun passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 65.3%. Among 528 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Seat belt mounting area (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (5.5% of those tests; 29 observed failures; about 5.3× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2003 Mitsubishi Shogun at the first attempt were Suspension mounting area (rear) (16.7%), Suspension arm ball joint (front) (10.8%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (10.1%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Seat belt mounting area (rear) (5.5% of those tests; 29 observed failures; about 5.3× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Seat belt mounting area (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (5.5% of those tests; 29 observed failures; about 5.3× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2003 Mitsubishi Shogun include Seat belt mounting area (rear), Steering rack (front), Suspension mounting area (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2003 Mitsubishi Shogun (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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