Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Suzuki Ignis 2003: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 56 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2003 Suzuki Ignis were passes.

Summary

With 674 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2003 Suzuki Ignis differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist.

At a glance

How 674 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
56 in every 100
Did not pass first time
44 in every 100295 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
22 yearsabout 84,706 miles
First tests counted
674

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 Suzuki Ignis 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.

Brakes

Two faults. The strongest is the brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear): 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 295 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.

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)

Failed on 30 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 30 first tests2.6 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.

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

Suspension

One fault: suspension arm ball joint (front), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Failed on 42 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A suspension arm ball joint is failed under the general suspension pin, bush or joint wording. Excessively worn is Major, and likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

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.

Number plates (front)

Noted on 31 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring (front)

Noted on 24 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Non-component advisories (front)

Noted on 31 first tests2.0 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
56in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
8in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
36in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 56.2% of 674 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 64.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 36 not fixed make the 44 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

4060801002001200220032004200520062007Older carsNewer cars
4060801002003Older carsNewer cars

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

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200154 in every 100329
200260 in every 100464
2003 This car56 in every 100674
200457 in every 100953
200554 in every 100919
200656 in every 100718
200755 in every 100864

FAQs

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

With 674 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2003 Suzuki Ignis differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 56.2% of 674 first MOTs on the 2003 Suzuki Ignis passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 64.1%. Among 295 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear) appears more often than on similar cars (10.2% of those tests; 30 observed failures; about 4.0× 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.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear) (10.2% of those tests; 30 observed failures; about 4.0× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (10.2% of those tests; 30 observed failures; about 4.0× 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 Suzuki Ignis include Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear), Suspension arm ball joint (front), Rigid brake pipes (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 2003 Suzuki Ignis (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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