Your suspension control arm or ball joint has excessive wear or play. This affects steering response, wheel alignment, and vehicle handling. Suspension arms should be replaced before wear becomes dangerous.
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Check Your MOT HistoryQuick answer
Suspension arm wear is major—directly affects steering safety and handling. Worn ball joints will fail your next MOT. Fix within 4–8 weeks. Typical cost £250–£600.
Suspension arm wear is a major advisory with high MOT failure likelihood. Worn ball joints degrade rapidly. Severe wear can cause sudden steering loss—a dangerous defect. Replace before it becomes critical.
Ownership signal: Recurrent suspension arm wear indicates hard driving history (potholes, speed) or lack of regular suspension maintenance. Address the root cause or it repeats.
If you experience steering loss or severe clunking, do not drive at speed—risk of loss of control.
DVSA testers measure play (movement) in the joint. Excessive movement = imminent failure. Time to repair is short.
Lower ball joint (single): £120–£250
Upper ball joint (single): £100–£200
Full control arm (complete): £150–£350
Pair (both sides) + labour: £350–£650
Including wheel alignment: £400–£750
Independent garages 30–40% cheaper than dealerships. Wheel alignment (£60–£100) is mandatory after suspension work.
Fix within 4–8 weeks
Major advisory escalates fast. Nearly certain MOT failure on next test if not repaired. Book appointment immediately.
Suspension arm work always requires wheel alignment check afterward (£60–£100). Worn arms throw off alignment—it will be flagged on your next MOT if not corrected. Factor this into total repair cost.
Use our MOT checker to see your vehicle's current advisory status and any recent test failures.
Check MOT HistoryLast reviewed: July 2026 · MOT data sourced from DVSA · Editorial Policy