Does the BMW 4 Series fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The BMW 4 Series records 0.14 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.98 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−0.84, 95% interval −0.87 to −0.81). It ranks 347 of 640 models on steering (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on steering · check a BMW 4 Series by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the BMW 4 Series is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 299 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 299 | 0.06 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 161 | 0.03 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 98 | 0.02 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 65 | 0.01 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 525,142 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a BMW 4 Series gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
0.9% of BMW 4 Series MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 8,763 miles later (1,976 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,976 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
BMW 4 Series 2013 · BMW 4 Series 2014 · BMW 4 Series 2015 · BMW 4 Series 2016 · BMW 4 Series 2017 · BMW 4 Series 2018 · BMW 4 Series 2019 · BMW 4 Series 2020 · BMW 4 Series by postcode area · BMW 4 Series body, chassis and structure failures · BMW 4 Series brakes failures · BMW 4 Series vehicle identification failures · BMW 4 Series lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · BMW 4 Series noise, emissions and leaks failures · BMW 4 Series road wheels failures · BMW 4 Series seat belts and airbags failures · BMW 4 Series suspension failures · BMW 4 Series tyres failures · BMW 4 Series visibility failures