MOT Risk Index.co.uk

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.

BMW 4 Series: most frequent steering defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wordingItemsPer 100 tests
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play2990.06
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated1610.03
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc980.02
Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive650.01

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