Does the Ford Cortina fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Ford Cortina records 5.12 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 7.60 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−2.48, 95% interval −3.19 to −1.77). It ranks 513 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 Cortina by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Cortina is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 104 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 104 | 1.79 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 85 | 1.46 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 43 | 0.74 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 5,818 (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
Other pages for this model
Ford Cortina by postcode area · Ford Cortina body, chassis and structure failures · Ford Cortina brakes failures · Ford Cortina lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Cortina noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Cortina seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Cortina suspension failures · Ford Cortina tyres failures · Ford Cortina visibility failures