Vauxhall Meriva Front Suspension Strut: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

On the Meriva, front-end knocking is overwhelmingly, consistently traced back to worn anti-roll bar drop links — cheap to fix, but only if you buy genuine parts.

Illustration of a suspension strut and coil spring

Illustration for editorial purposes

Find Vauxhall Meriva Front Suspension Strut Here!

Opens live listings in a new tab.

OEM Part Number: confirm via VIN — front struts (aftermarket) KYB 339827 / Sachs 315 838

Accuracy note: Covers the Vauxhall Meriva (B 2010-2017) as listed in the UK aftermarket catalogues. Front struts, lower arms and top mounts are sold by side and by suspension spec — standard, sport / lowered (S line, M Sport, R-Line, ST-Line etc.), heavy-duty and adaptive / electronic damping all use different part numbers, and some makers split by engine or front axle load. The references below are UK aftermarket catalogue listings for this generation, labelled by brand; genuine numbers are shown only where a listing quotes one. Confirm the fit against your VIN, and replace struts and top mounts in pairs.

Front strut / shock absorber (aftermarket)	Sachs 315 838 (left) and 315 839 (right) (twin-tube gas, SFE32/22X64A); Sachs 315 836 (left) and 315 837 (right) (SFE32/22X184A); KYB 339827 (left) and 339826 (right) (Excel-G); TRW JGM1217T (51 mm, 22 mm standpipe, 537/344 mm); Maxgear 11-1471 (left) and 11-1472 (right); Kavo SSA-10360 (left) and SSA-10359 (right)
Front lower arm / wishbone (aftermarket)	LH Lemförder 33911 01, Meyle 616 050 0019 (ball joint), Delphi TC1376 (ball joint), TRW JTC1271; RH Lemförder 33912 01, Meyle 616 050 0020 (ball joint), febi 27074 (ball joint), Delphi TC1377 (ball joint)
Top mount / strut bearing (aftermarket)	Sachs 802 052 (no ball bearing, two per axle); Sachs 802 473 (repair kit, two per axle); febi 170497 (elastomer, no ball bearing); febi 03373 (hard version); Metzger 6490441 (with ball bearing); Meyle 614 034 0007 (hard version, pairs)
Genuine (OE) numbers quoted	Sachs 802 052 (top mount) 3 44 523, 90468554; febi 170497 (top mount) 03 44 570; febi 03373 (top mount) 03 44 525
Fitment notes	Two Sachs strut codes are listed (SFE32/22X64A and X184A), which points to a split by spring or suspension type, so match against the old part.

Confirmed: Drop Links Are Overwhelmingly the Most Common Cause — Vauxhall Meriva Front Suspension

Across Vauxhall Meriva owner forums, one specific cause of front-end knocking comes up so consistently it's worth checking first, before anything else: the anti-roll bar drop links (also called stabiliser links) connecting the anti-roll bar to the suspension strut. These are relatively cheap, simple parts, but wear here is extremely common and produces exactly the kind of knock or clonk heard over bumps and rough surfaces that gets owners chasing far more expensive suspects first.

A genuinely important buying tip: multiple owners report cheap aftermarket or budget eBay drop links failing again within a very short time — sometimes days — after fitting, at which point the knock returns and gets mistakenly blamed on something else entirely, when in fact the same worn part just needs replacing again with a better-quality unit. Genuine Vauxhall (GM) drop links, or well-regarded aftermarket brands like Delphi or Lemförder, cost only a little more but consistently last far longer.

A genuinely useful self-check on the Vauxhall Meriva before paying for a diagnosis: with the car safely on ramps or axle stands, push upward on the anti-roll bar near where the drop link connects — a clear knock or rattle at that point strongly confirms a worn drop link. It's also worth checking that the top strut mount nuts are torqued correctly, since a simply under-tightened nut can produce an almost identical knocking noise and is sometimes overlooked in favour of assuming a worn part needs replacing.

Vauxhall Meriva Front Suspension Strut: The System That Quietly Does All the Work

Everything the road throws at the Vauxhall Meriva — bumps, potholes, cornering loads — passes through these components before it reaches the cabin, so wear here tends to show up as vague symptoms rather than one clear failure point. A systematic check beats guesswork every time.

Vauxhall Meriva Front Suspension Strut: Watch: Replacing It

🎬 Watch: COPART CAR - VAUXHALL MERIVA B SUSPENSION SPRINGS SHOCK AND FRONT BRAKE PADS

Watch on YouTube ↗

Meriva B springs/shocks; less polished (alt: KYB y9xtRMxTtTk)

Vauxhall Meriva Front Suspension reference plate

Before you buy: suspension components vary by trim, engine weight and whether your car has the standard or sport-tuned setup. Always confirm against your VIN before ordering.

Vauxhall Meriva Front Suspension Strut: What It Does

On the Vauxhall Meriva, the front suspension strut combines a shock absorber and the coil spring's mounting point into a single assembly, controlling how the suspension compresses and rebounds. Once it wears, the car keeps bouncing after a bump instead of settling quickly, and tyre wear often becomes uneven if it's left unresolved.

Find Vauxhall Meriva Front Suspension Strut Here!

Opens live listings in a new tab.

Vauxhall Meriva Front Suspension Strut: Warning Signs, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice

These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Front Suspension Strut Guide for symptoms of worn bushings and ball joints, confirming fitment against your VIN, and rubber vs polyurethane guidance.

More Vauxhall Front Suspension Strut

The same part, covered across other Vauxhall models.