Does the Fiat Panda fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Fiat Panda records 1.91 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.26 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.35, 95% interval −1.40 to −1.31). It ranks 405 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 Fiat Panda by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Fiat Panda is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 6,331 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 6,331 | 1.11 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 1,477 | 0.26 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 1,341 | 0.24 |
| EPS MIL indicating a system malfunction | 389 | 0.07 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 330 | 0.06 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 568,508 (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 Fiat Panda gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
18.2% of Fiat Panda MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,623 miles later (3,807 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,807 (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
Fiat Panda 2003 · Fiat Panda 2004 · Fiat Panda 2005 · Fiat Panda 2006 · Fiat Panda 2007 · Fiat Panda 2008 · Fiat Panda 2009 · Fiat Panda 2010 · Fiat Panda 2011 · Fiat Panda 2012 · Fiat Panda 2013 · Fiat Panda 2014 · Fiat Panda 2015 · Fiat Panda 2016 · Fiat Panda 2017 · Fiat Panda 2018 · Fiat Panda 2019 · Fiat Panda 2020 · Fiat Panda in Finland · Fiat Panda in the Netherlands · Fiat Panda by postcode area · Fiat Panda body, chassis and structure failures · Fiat Panda brakes failures · Fiat Panda vehicle identification failures · Fiat Panda lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Fiat Panda noise, emissions and leaks failures · Fiat Panda road wheels failures · Fiat Panda seat belts and airbags failures · Fiat Panda suspension failures · Fiat Panda tyres failures · Fiat Panda visibility failures