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MOT advisory explained

“Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened”

Recorded on 947 of the 25,257 cars checked on this site. Every time it was an advisory.

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Cars with it
947
of 25,257 checked
Share of cars
3.7%
at least once
Recorded as
Advisory
100% of 1,431 visits
Back next time
39%
of 931 follow-up visits

What it means

The sub-frame is a steel frame that carries the suspension and, on many cars, the engine. This note means the tester saw corrosion on it that had not weakened the structure.

It is an advisory. A sub-frame that is seriously weakened by corrosion is a failure.

How it shows up in the records

Advisory 100%
39% came back
The same entry, on the same part of the car, was recorded again at the next test in 39% of cases.
72,241 miles
Median recorded mileage when it first appeared, on cars a median of 9 years old. From the 74 cars whose whole MOT history is recent enough to compare.

Share of cars with this entry, by year of manufacture

0.0%1971–732.4%1980–820.0%1983–850.4%1986–881.5%1989–913.7%1992–942.7%1995–972.0%1998–004.0%2001–036.7%2004–0611%2007–0912%2010–125.0%2013–151.1%2016–180.1%2019–210.0%2022–24

Models where it is recorded most

ModelCars with itShareSame-age cars
Land Rover Freelander15 of 4236%9.1%
Fiat Punto7 of 2232%9.1%
Mazda 326 of 11123%4.6%
Citroen C111 of 4723%5.8%
Mazda MX-519 of 8423%6.2%
Toyota Avensis6 of 2524%8.4%
Ford KA14 of 6522%6.6%
Ford C-MAX9 of 4719%6.2%

Models with 20 or more cars checked here. “Same-age cars” is the share among all checked cars built in the same years, so an older model is compared with older cars.

What to check before you buy

  • Read the later MOT tests to see whether the note came back or became a failure.
  • Look at the sub-frame with a torch, front and rear, for flaking or layered rust.
  • Ask whether it has been treated, repaired or replaced, and for the invoice.

Cars checked here with this entry

Checking a car with this on its MOT?

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Check a car’s MOT history

Counts are of cars checked on this site, from official public records. Updated 19 Sept 2026 · figures as of 4 Oct 2026. All MOT entries explained.