Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Suzuki Grand Vitara 2008: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 58 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

The 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,650 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
58 in every 100
Did not pass first time
42 in every 100698 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
17 yearsabout 94,360 miles
First tests counted
1,650

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)18 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension mounting area (rear)17 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Headlight aim9 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 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara 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.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the suspension arm (rear): 5.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 698 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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.

Suspension arm (rear)

Failed on 20 first tests5.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a suspension arm. A component that is fractured, missing or likely to fail is graded Dangerous, and one excessively damaged or corroded is Major. On some vehicles, some highly stressed parts are thin pressed steel, and many of those have hollow box sections or up-facing areas that can collect road dirt and salt, so they get special attention.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 47 first tests, 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 120 first tests4.9 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 41 first tests, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Body and structure

One fault: chassis condition (rear), 4.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Chassis condition (rear)

Failed on 27 first tests4.4 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.

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the rigid brake pipes (front): 3.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Failed on 29 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 71 first tests, 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 52 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 111 first tests, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, front)

Failed on 38 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible 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. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol emissions not tested, 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions not tested

Failed on 27 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On a petrol car, an emissions test recorded as not tested or unable to be completed is failed as Major. DVSA's wording gives no reason why.

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. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 24 first tests7.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Noted on 117 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (front)

Noted on 67 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Transmission oil leaks

Noted on 21 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

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 57.7% of 1,650 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 65.4%: 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
Petrol1,23658
Diesel41358

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020052008Older carsNewer cars
4060801002008Older carsNewer cars

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

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200158 in every 100377
200258 in every 100691
200359 in every 1001,035
200459 in every 1001,565
200558 in every 1001,714
200654 in every 1001,389
200759 in every 1001,732
2008 This car58 in every 1001,650
200963 in every 1001,475
201064 in every 1001,527
201165 in every 1001,298
201268 in every 1001,010
201376 in every 1001,075
201481 in every 100486

FAQs

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

The 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 18 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 57.7% of 1,650 first MOTs on the 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 65.4%. Among 698 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension arm (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (2.9% of those tests; 20 observed failures; about 5.1× 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 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (17.9%), Suspension mounting area (rear) (17.2%) and Headlight aim (9.2%), 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: Suspension arm (rear) (2.9% of those tests; 20 observed failures; about 5.1× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Suspension arm (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.9% of those tests; 20 observed failures; about 5.1× 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 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara include Suspension arm (rear), Suspension mounting area (rear), Chassis condition (rear). 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 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara (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.

Check any vehicle’s MOT history

Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.

Run a free check