Does the Citroen C5 fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Citroen C5 records 4.73 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.27 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+1.46, 95% interval +1.33 to +1.58). It ranks 139 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 Citroen C5 by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Citroen C5 is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 1,459 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 1,459 | 1.29 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 1,381 | 1.23 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 1,016 | 0.90 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 641 | 0.57 |
| Power steering fluid reservoir empty | 331 | 0.29 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 112,677 (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 Citroen C5 gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
13.4% of Citroen C5 MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,674 miles later (2,704 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,704 (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
Citroen C5 2001 · Citroen C5 2002 · Citroen C5 2003 · Citroen C5 2004 · Citroen C5 2005 · Citroen C5 2006 · Citroen C5 2007 · Citroen C5 2008 · Citroen C5 2009 · Citroen C5 2010 · Citroen C5 2011 · Citroen C5 2012 · Citroen C5 2013 · Citroen C5 2014 · Citroen C5 2015 · Citroen C5 2016 · Citroen C5 2019 · Citroen C5 2020 · Citroen C5 in Norway · Citroen C5 in Finland · Citroen C5 in the Netherlands · Citroen C5 by postcode area · Citroen C5 body, chassis and structure failures · Citroen C5 brakes failures · Citroen C5 vehicle identification failures · Citroen C5 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Citroen C5 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Citroen C5 road wheels failures · Citroen C5 seat belts and airbags failures · Citroen C5 suspension failures · Citroen C5 tyres failures · Citroen C5 visibility failures