The short answer
Steering faults are uncommon and strongly tied to age. Across models with 500 or more tests, about 1 in 1,000 first tests on cars first used in 2021 (0.1% of 2,021,332 tests) failed with a steering item, in tests carried out 2021 to 2025. For cars first used in 2006 it was about 1 in 55, or 1.8%, and the highest first-used year, 2010, reached 1.9%. The climb runs through 0.4% for 2018 cars, 1.0% for 2015 and 1.5% for 2012. As a share of the fails that happen, steering goes from 0.9% on 2021 cars to 6.1% on 2014 cars.
One part does most of it. The track rod end is the ball joint that connects the steering rack to each front wheel, and excessive play in it was recorded on 1.7% of first tests on cars aged 10 to 14 and 1.9% at 15 and over. Nothing else in the steering list comes close. It is a wear item with a rubber cover, and the cover is where the story starts.
Steering fails by item and car age
Each cell is the share of all first tests in that age band that failed with the item, pooled across 2021 to 2025.
| Item recorded | 3-5 years | 6-9 years | 10-14 years | 15 and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track rod end: excessive play | 0.1% | 0.6% | 1.7% | 1.9% |
| Track rod end: dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| Steering rack gaiter missing or letting dirt in | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.7% |
| Track rod end: dust cover insecure | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Track rod end: worn with a serious risk of detachment | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Other steering ball joint: excessive play | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Excessive free play at the steering wheel | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
Read the first three rows together and the sequence is clear. The rubber cover on the joint, or the gaiter on the rack, splits or perishes. Dirt and water get in. The joint wears, develops play, and in a small number of cases reaches the point where the manual records a serious risk of detachment. The cover items sit a year or two ahead of the play items in the age bands.
What the tester is looking for
The DVSA inspection manual treats a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play as a major defect. A rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover that is damaged or deteriorated is a minor one, which the car passes with but which goes on the record. Excessive free play at the rim of the steering wheel is major, and dangerous where it is enough to affect safe steering. A leaking or malfunctioning power steering system is major. The tester checks for play by loading the joint and watching for movement; you will often feel the same thing as a knock over small bumps or a vague patch around the straight-ahead.
Potholes, kerbs and the wet week
A hard pothole hit or a kerb strike loads the track rod end and the rack in a way ordinary driving does not. After one, the signs to notice are a steering wheel that no longer sits straight on a straight road, a pull to one side, a new knock over bumps, or a front tyre that starts wearing on one edge. Potholes can be reported through GOV.UK: the local council for most roads, and National Highways for motorways and the A roads it manages in England.
On a wet road the Highway Code gives a different reason for light steering: if it becomes unresponsive, it probably means water is preventing the tyres from gripping. Ease off, do not brake hard, and let the tyres find the road. Steering that feels loose in the dry, before the rain, is the one to have looked at.
What to check
- Rock the wheel. With the car parked and the engine off, turn the steering wheel gently from side to side and feel for free movement before the wheels respond.
- Look at the covers. Behind each front wheel, the rubber boot on the track rod end and the concertina gaiter on the rack should be intact and dry. A split or greasy boot is the minor item that precedes the fail.
- Listen over bumps. A light knock from one corner on a rough road at low speed is the usual first sign of a worn joint.
- Check the tyre edges. Uneven wear on the inside or outside edge of a front tyre points to alignment that has moved, often after a hit.
- Power steering. A low reservoir, a whine on full lock or a damp patch under the front points to a leak, which is a fail in its own right.
The steering wheel is on GOV.UK's list of items retested free the next working day at the same centre, but steering joints and gaiters are not: a failed joint means a partial retest within 10 working days, for which a fee may be charged. Last year's steering advisories are on the free MOT history service.
What this does not mean
These are fleet figures across every model with 500 or more tests. They say steering fails are rare at every age and that most of them are one wearing joint; they do not say anything about the car you drive or any make. The store records what was found on the day and not why: a track rod end can wear from miles, from rough roads, from a single impact or from a cover that split years earlier and was never replaced. The data cannot tell those apart, and a low fail rate for an age does not mean a car of that age is safe to leave unchecked.
Frequently asked questions
It is the ball joint between the steering rack and each front wheel. Once it has excessive play the tester records a major defect, which fails the car. It was recorded on 1.7% of first tests on cars aged 10 to 14 and 1.9% on cars aged 15 and over.
A gaiter or dust cover that is damaged or deteriorated is a minor defect, so the car passes with it on the record. One that is missing, or no longer keeps dirt out, is recorded as a fail item, on 0.7% of first tests on cars aged 15 and over.
A hard hit can damage a track rod end, move the alignment or split a cover, and the fail then comes at the next test. The record does not say what caused each fault, only what was found. Potholes can be reported to the council or to National Highways through GOV.UK.
Yes, from 0.1% of first tests on cars first used in 2021 to 1.8% on cars first used in 2006, with 2010 cars the highest at 1.9%, in tests carried out 2021 to 2025.
Sources and method
Cohort shares are class 4 first tests, 2021-2025, across models with 500 or more tests, by first-used year (4,746,066 tests first used 2006 to 2,021,332 first used 2021), shown as the share of all first tests that failed with at least one steering item and, separately, as the share of failed tests involving steering. Item shares are each steering item as a share of all first tests in the age band (33,793,352 tests aged 3-5, 50,103,915 aged 6-9, 44,980,002 aged 10-14, 31,405,150 aged 15 and over); track rod end play was recorded on 29,749, 295,920, 768,522 and 591,885 tests in those bands. A test can record several items, so rows do not add up. National context: 72.3% of 33,210,951 first tests passed in 2025.
- DVSA anonymised MOT results, class 4 first tests, 2021-2025 (data.gov.uk)
- GOV.UK: MOT inspection manual, section 2, steering
- GOV.UK: The Highway Code, driving in adverse weather conditions, rules 226 to 237
- GOV.UK: Report a pothole
- GOV.UK: MOT retests after a repair
- GOV.UK: Check the MOT history of a vehicle
About these figures. Figures are computed by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (class 4, first tests only, test years 2021-2025), published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Pass rate = passes divided by first tests, with pass-after-rectification counted as a fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Test class 4 only, first tests only; retests are excluded. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. Alias spellings of a make are counted under one make name and all trims of a model under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables.
This article is general information drawn from published test records. It is not professional, mechanical or legal advice, and an MOT pass or a clean MOT history does not guarantee that a car is roadworthy today. If you are unsure about a car, have it inspected by a qualified mechanic. You can check any vehicle's MOT history free on the official GOV.UK MOT history service.
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