There's serious corrosion in the structure close to where a suspension component bolts to the car. The MOT treats the area around load-bearing mountings differently from the rest of the bodywork, because rust there affects whether the suspension stays attached.
Wording as it commonly appears on an MOT certificate: “Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded”.
What does it mean?
There's serious corrosion in the structure close to where a suspension component bolts to the car. The MOT treats the area around load-bearing mountings differently from the rest of the bodywork, because rust there affects whether the suspension stays attached.
How serious is it?
Usually recorded as: Major, Dangerous. The tester assesses the actual vehicle on the day, so your certificate is what counts.
What normally causes it?
- Age and road salt, particularly on cars that have spent winters on gritted roads
- Mud packing into a chassis leg or subframe mount and holding moisture year-round
- Earlier repairs where a panel was covered up rather than cut out
What a mechanic would check
Get it on the ramp, clean the area back and tap it with a light hammer — sound metal rings, rotten metal doesn't. That tells you whether it's surface scale or whether the section is actually holed. I'd photograph it so you can see exactly what we're dealing with before you decide anything.
What might need replacing
- Cutting out and welding in new metal, then sealing and underbody protection
- In severe cases, an honest conversation about whether the car is economical to repair
Can you still drive it?
This can be recorded as Dangerous depending on severity. Corrosion around a suspension mount is not something to run on — get it assessed properly and don't take a guess from photographs alone.
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This is general guidance from a UK mechanic, not a substitute for a physical inspection. Only the tester who inspected your vehicle can confirm what was recorded and why.