Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Suzuki Jimny 2011: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 71 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2011 Suzuki Jimny were passes.

Summary

With 699 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2011 Suzuki Jimny differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist.

At a glance

How 699 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
71 in every 100
Did not pass first time
29 in every 100202 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
14 yearsabout 59,093 miles
First tests counted
699

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 2011 Suzuki Jimny 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 efficiency below minimum (roller test): 21 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 202 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 efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 39 first tests21 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Service brake efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and efficiency less than half of the required value is graded Dangerous. On a roller brake tester, if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock, the efficiency requirement for that system counts as met.

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

Failed on 30 first tests17 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.

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

Suspension

One fault: coil spring (front), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 31 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

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.

Non-component advisories

Noted on 24 first tests3.3 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
71in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
4in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
25in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 71.1% of 699 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 74.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 25 not fixed make the 29 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020002005201120152020Older carsNewer cars
406080100200020112020Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 68 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200060 in every 100558
200160 in every 100709
200260 in every 1001,092
200360 in every 1001,448
200459 in every 1001,707
200559 in every 1001,424
200658 in every 1001,308
200757 in every 1001,370
200867 in every 1001,036
200965 in every 100769
201065 in every 100617
2011 This car71 in every 100699
201270 in every 100854
201375 in every 100891
201476 in every 100844
201576 in every 100949
201678 in every 1001,008
201778 in every 100912
201881 in every 100489
201989 in every 1001,175
202091 in every 100879
202195 in every 100399
202296 in every 100428

FAQs

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

With 699 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2011 Suzuki Jimny differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 71.1% of 699 first MOTs on the 2011 Suzuki Jimny passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 74.7%. Among 202 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test) appears more often than on similar cars (19.3% of those tests; 39 observed failures; about 21× 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 efficiency below minimum (roller test) (19.3% of those tests; 39 observed failures; about 21× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test) shows up more often than on similar cars (19.3% of those tests; 39 observed failures; about 21× 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 2011 Suzuki Jimny include Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test), Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear), Coil spring (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 2011 Suzuki Jimny (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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