Does the BMW 6 Series fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The BMW 6 Series records 1.55 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.04 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.49, 95% interval −1.58 to −1.40). It ranks 423 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 6 Series by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the BMW 6 Series is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 1,236 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 1,236 | 0.90 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 253 | 0.18 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 242 | 0.18 |
| A steering ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment | 126 | 0.09 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 74 | 0.05 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 137,669 (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 6 Series gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
11.2% of BMW 6 Series MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,257 miles later (1,063 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,063 (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
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