Does the Ford Escort fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Ford Escort records 3.11 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 7.49 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−4.38, 95% interval −4.58 to −4.19). It ranks 608 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 Escort by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Escort is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 657 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 657 | 0.85 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 630 | 0.82 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 377 | 0.49 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 143 | 0.19 |
| Steering linkage retaining or locking device missing or ineffective | 127 | 0.16 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 77,294 (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 Escort gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
7.6% of Ford Escort MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.2 months and 1,464 miles later (1,090 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,090 (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 Escort 1998 · Ford Escort 1999 · Ford Escort 2000 · Ford Escort 2001 · Ford Escort 2002 · Ford Escort in the Netherlands · Ford Escort by postcode area · Ford Escort body, chassis and structure failures · Ford Escort brakes failures · Ford Escort vehicle identification failures · Ford Escort lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Escort noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Escort road wheels failures · Ford Escort seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Escort suspension failures · Ford Escort tyres failures · Ford Escort visibility failures