MajorVery commonSuspension

Peugeot 307: Front anti-roll bar links, steering pins and control arm bushes wearing out fast

Front anti-roll bar links, steering pins and control arm bushes wearing out fast is a very common suspension fault on the Peugeot 307 on the 2001–2009 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $350 to $1,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 8 documented faults on the Peugeot 307.

Vehicle: Peugeot 307
Years: 2001–2009
System: Suspension

This page covers the Peugeot 307 as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Peugeot 307 faults8 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

What goes wrong

The front suspension on these wears quickly, and it is the fault owners mention most after the diesel's filter. The anti-roll bar links, the steering pins and the rubber bushes in the control arms all deteriorate rapidly on rough roads, which describes most of New Zealand. The car starts knocking over bumps, then begins to feel loose and to wander, and it is a routine warrant failure. None of the parts are expensive individually, but they tend to go together, so the sensible way to treat a noisy one is as a full front-end refresh rather than a single item — and a car that lurches or clonks on the test drive is telling you what it needs.

What you would notice

Knocking or clonking from the front over bumps and speed humps
The car feeling loose, floaty or wandering on a rough road
Vague steering that needs constant small corrections
Uneven wear across the front tyres
Rattling from the front at low speed on a poor surface

How to check it

Where to look. Front anti-roll bar links, steering pins and lower control arm bushes

Drive it slowly over the worst surface you can find with the windows down and the stereo off — a speed hump at walking pace, a patched side road, a driveway lip — and listen for knocking as the suspension works. Then drive a rough road at normal speed and pay attention to whether the car tracks straight or lurches and wanders, because that looseness is this fault in its later stage. Keep a light grip on the wheel and notice whether you are making constant small corrections. Look across both front tyres for uneven wear. With the car parked, push down hard on each front corner and listen for rattles as it rebounds. Ask when the front suspension was last done and whether it has failed a warrant on it.

Parts involved: Ball joint.

What it costs to put right

$350 to $1,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Is there any knocking from the front over bumps?”
“Has any front suspension work been done, and what exactly?”
“Has it ever failed a warrant on suspension or steering?”

Now check the Peugeot 307 you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

PeugeotClub.eu — 'Most common problems of the Peugeot 307'
What Car? — Used Peugeot 307 2001-2009 reliability and common problems
BreakerYard — Peugeot 307 common problems and solutions

Peugeot 307 buyer questions

Is front anti-roll bar links, steering pins and control arm bushes wearing out fast serious on a Peugeot 307?

We rate it major and very common on the Peugeot 307. The front suspension on these wears quickly, and it is the fault owners mention most after the diesel's filter. The anti-roll bar links, the steering pins and the rubber bushes in the control arms all deteriorate rapidly on rough roads, which describes most of New Zealand. The car starts knocking over bumps, then begins to feel loose and to wander, and it is a routine warrant failure. None of the parts are expensive individually, but they tend to go together, so the sensible way to treat a noisy one is as a full front-end refresh rather than a single item — and a car that lurches or clonks on the test drive is telling you what it needs.

How much does it cost to fix on a Peugeot 307?

$350 to $1,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Peugeot 307 years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2001–2009 Peugeot 307. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.