Anti-roll bar or drop link worn, insecure or detached

What causes it

• The small ball joints at each end of the drop link wearing out, which they do faster than almost any other joint on the car
• A split link gaiter letting grit into the joint, after which it wears in a few thousand miles
• Perished or crushed anti-roll bar mounting bushes on the subframe, letting the bar move in its clamps
• Corrosion seizing a link so the joint can no longer articulate, which then tears the rubber or snaps the stud

Advisory or failure?

Play in an anti-roll bar linkage is graded on how much there is: slight play is a minor defect, and excessive play is a major defect and a failure. A bar or link that is insecure, fractured, missing where one should be fitted, or has a mounting bush so deteriorated that it no longer locates the bar is also a major defect. It becomes dangerous where a component is likely to become detached, or where the condition affects the vehicle's stability — a bar hanging by one end can foul a tyre or a driveshaft. Bear in mind the tester applies a load with a lever that you cannot reproduce by driving, so a link that seems merely noisy from the driver's seat can still be well past the limit.

Can you fix it yourself?

Possible with care

This is the most approachable job in the whole suspension section: on most cars a drop link is two nuts, and access from above or through the wheel arch is reasonable. The catch is the nuts themselves. They corrode onto the stud, and the stud spins as soon as you apply torque, which is why the links are usually made with a hex or Torx socket in the end of the stud to hold it — have the right key ready, along with penetrating oil applied well in advance and, ideally, a spare set of links in case you end up cutting the old ones off. Replace both sides together since they wear at the same rate, and torque them with the car at normal ride height rather than on the stands.

What it costs

Drop links are £12 to £30 each in parts, and both sides take under an hour, so a pair fitted at a garage is typically £60 to £110 — one of the few suspension jobs where parts and labour are roughly comparable. Anti-roll bar mounting bushes are similarly cheap but sit under the subframe, so labour dominates and a pair fitted runs £90 to £160. The top of the band is a complete anti-roll bar, needed where corrosion has pitted the bar at its bushes or the bar itself is bent, and cars where a subframe has to be lowered to reach the clamps. No alignment is needed for links alone, which keeps this job cheap.

What happens if you ignore it

A worn link is rarely dangerous in itself, but it changes how the car behaves in exactly the situation you would rather it did not: the roll control on that axle is partly absent, so the body leans further and the outside tyre works harder in an avoidance manoeuvre. A link that finally separates can also swing into a tyre, a brake hose or a driveshaft gaiter, turning a £60 job into several hundred pounds. And because a rattle from the front tends to get blamed on more expensive components, people frequently pay for dampers or arms when a pair of drop links was the whole answer.

Common questions

Are worn anti-roll bar drop links an MOT failure?

It depends how much play there is. Slight play is a minor defect, while excessive play is a major defect and a failure. A bar or link that is insecure, fractured, missing, or has a mounting bush so deteriorated that it no longer locates the bar is also major, and dangerous where a component is likely to become detached.

What causes a rattle from the front suspension over small bumps?

Worn drop links are the usual answer, and the noise is a light knock rather than the dull thud a failing bush makes. It typically appears when only one wheel rises — going over a kerb at an angle, or straddling a pothole — and vanishes on smooth road. It frequently gets blamed on dampers, which is a far more expensive guess.

Can worn drop links make the car lean more in corners?

Yes. The anti-roll bar ties the two sides of an axle together, so a worn link partly disconnects the roll control on that axle. You notice it as extra body roll on a roundabout taken at speed, and the outside tyre ends up working harder than it should in an avoidance manoeuvre.

Can I replace drop links myself?

This is the most approachable job in the suspension section: two nuts a side on most cars, with reasonable access from above or through the wheel arch. The difficulty is corrosion, because the stud spins as soon as you apply torque. Have the right hex or Torx key ready, penetrating oil applied well in advance, and a spare set of links in case you cut the old ones off.

How much does it cost to replace anti-roll bar drop links?

Links are £12 to £30 each and both sides take under an hour, so a pair fitted at a garage is typically £60 to £110. Anti-roll bar mounting bushes are similarly cheap but sit under the subframe, so labour dominates and a pair fitted runs £90 to £160. No alignment is needed for links alone.

Warning lights behind this

This defect is what a tester writes down. What you see from the driver’s seat is a symbol, and it is worth checking which one, because manufacturers reuse the same shape for more than one system.

• Suspension warning lightWhat it means and whether you can keep driving
• Air suspension warning lightWhat it means and whether you can keep driving

Other common defects

• Direction indicator not working
• Stop lamp not working
• Lamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity
• Brake pipe corroded
• See all defects →