Does the Citroen Xsara fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Citroen Xsara records 8.54 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 5.51 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+3.03, 95% interval +2.93 to +3.13). It ranks 96 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 Xsara by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Citroen Xsara is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc”, recorded 10,546 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 10,546 | 3.22 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 7,897 | 2.41 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 4,329 | 1.32 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 3,055 | 0.93 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 294 | 0.09 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 327,241 (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 Xsara gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
16.5% of Citroen Xsara MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,876 miles later (12,484 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 12,484 (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 Xsara 1998 · Citroen Xsara 1999 · Citroen Xsara 2000 · Citroen Xsara 2001 · Citroen Xsara 2002 · Citroen Xsara 2003 · Citroen Xsara 2004 · Citroen Xsara 2005 · Citroen Xsara 2006 · Citroen Xsara 2007 · Citroen Xsara 2008 · Citroen Xsara 2009 · Citroen Xsara 2010 · Citroen Xsara in Finland · Citroen Xsara in the Netherlands · Citroen Xsara by postcode area · Citroen Xsara body, chassis and structure failures · Citroen Xsara brakes failures · Citroen Xsara vehicle identification failures · Citroen Xsara lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Citroen Xsara noise, emissions and leaks failures · Citroen Xsara road wheels failures · Citroen Xsara seat belts and airbags failures · Citroen Xsara suspension failures · Citroen Xsara tyres failures · Citroen Xsara visibility failures