Does the Ford C-MAX fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Ford C-MAX records 2.25 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.58 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.33, 95% interval −0.36 to −0.29). It ranks 264 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 Ford C-MAX by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford C-MAX is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc”, recorded 9,336 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 | 9,336 | 1.31 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 2,686 | 0.38 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 1,897 | 0.27 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 690 | 0.10 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 282 | 0.04 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 712,923 (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 Ford C-MAX gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
11.4% of Ford C-MAX MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,979 miles later (4,735 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,735 (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
Ford C-MAX 2005 · Ford C-MAX 2006 · Ford C-MAX 2007 · Ford C-MAX 2008 · Ford C-MAX 2009 · Ford C-MAX 2010 · Ford C-MAX 2011 · Ford C-MAX 2012 · Ford C-MAX 2013 · Ford C-MAX 2014 · Ford C-MAX 2015 · Ford C-MAX 2016 · Ford C-MAX 2017 · Ford C-MAX 2018 · Ford C-MAX 2019 · Ford C-MAX in Norway · Ford C-MAX in Finland · Ford C-MAX in the Netherlands · Ford C-MAX by postcode area · Ford C-MAX body, chassis and structure failures · Ford C-MAX brakes failures · Ford C-MAX vehicle identification failures · Ford C-MAX lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford C-MAX noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford C-MAX road wheels failures · Ford C-MAX seat belts and airbags failures · Ford C-MAX suspension failures · Ford C-MAX tyres failures · Ford C-MAX visibility failures