The 2022 Dacia Spring is a budget-focused Chinese-built EV (rebadged Renault City K-ZE) with a 27kWh battery and minimal power. While the electric drivetrain itself is fairly reliable, the suspension components and drivetrain mounts fail prematurely due to cost-cutting and undersized bushings that can't handle even mild rough roads.
Premature Front Lower Control Arm Bushing Failure
Common · medium severityTypical onset: 20,000-40,000 mi
Symptoms: Clunking over bumps from front suspension, Steering wander or vague on-center feel, Uneven inner tire wear, Visible bushing tearing or separation on inspection
Fix: Replace both front lower control arms with bushings (OE bushings alone often unavailable). Takes about 2.5 hours for both sides including alignment. Aftermarket arms are hit-or-miss quality.
Estimated cost: $400-700
Transmission/Motor Mount Degradation
Common · medium severityTypical onset: 25,000-50,000 mi
Symptoms: Clunk or thud on acceleration or regen braking, Vibration transmitted into cabin during starts/stops, Visible sagging or cracked rubber on mount inspection
Fix: Replace the main motor mount (sometimes called transmission mount in parts systems). Single mount replacement is 1.5 hours. The mount is hydraulic-filled and degrades quickly under torque cycling.
Estimated cost: $250-450
Rear Trailing Arm Bushing Failure
Occasional · medium severityTypical onset: 30,000-60,000 mi
Symptoms: Rear-end clunking over expansion joints or potholes, Wandering rear end feel on highway, Visible cracking in rear trailing arm bushings, Alignment won't hold on rear toe settings
Fix: Replace rear trailing arm bushings or entire trailing arms depending on parts availability. Budget 3 hours for both sides including alignment. OE bushings are often NLA, forcing full arm replacement.
Estimated cost: $500-850
Front CV Axle Clicking and Boot Tears
Occasional · medium severityTypical onset: 40,000-70,000 mi
Symptoms: Clicking or popping on tight turns, Grease splatter on inner wheel well, Visible torn CV boot, Vibration during acceleration if joint is badly worn
Fix: Replace CV axle assembly. Boots alone are not typically available or worth labor. Takes 1.5 hours per side. Use OE or known-good aftermarket—cheap axles fail within months on this platform.
Estimated cost: $300-500 per side
ABS Pump Module Failure
Rare · high severitySymptoms: ABS warning light steady on dash, Loss of ABS function during panic stops, Occasional brake pedal pulsation at low speeds, Fault codes for ABS pump motor or pressure sensor
Fix: Replace ABS pump/module assembly. Requires brake bleeding and sometimes coding/programming. Takes about 2 hours. Part availability can be poor—expect delays on backorder.
Estimated cost: $800-1,400
Front Axle Seal Leaks
Occasional · low severityTypical onset: 30,000-60,000 mi
Symptoms: Grease or oil residue around front transaxle area, Slight clicking that worsens over time if grease loss continues, Visible wetness on inner CV boot area
Fix: Replace front axle seal at transaxle. Often done during CV axle replacement. If caught early, seal replacement alone is 1 hour per side, but axle removal is usually required anyway.
Estimated cost: $150-300 per side
Only buy used if you're handy with suspension work and can tolerate frequent bush replacements; otherwise, the low purchase price will be eaten by constant repairs before 60k miles.
AI-assisted summary drawn from NHTSA recall data, our labor-times database, and platform knowledge. Not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on a specific vehicle.