Does the Ford Focus fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Ford Focus records 1.89 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.21 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.32, 95% interval −1.33 to −1.30). It ranks 399 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 Focus by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Focus is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 56,441 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 56,441 | 0.93 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 21,502 | 0.35 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 12,169 | 0.20 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 7,321 | 0.12 |
| Power steering fluid level below minimum mark | 4,226 | 0.07 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 6,074,731 (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 Focus gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
13.7% of Ford Focus MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,108 miles later (52,139 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 52,139 (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 Focus 1998 · Ford Focus 1999 · Ford Focus 2000 · Ford Focus 2001 · Ford Focus 2002 · Ford Focus 2003 · Ford Focus 2004 · Ford Focus 2005 · Ford Focus 2006 · Ford Focus 2007 · Ford Focus 2008 · Ford Focus 2009 · Ford Focus 2010 · Ford Focus 2011 · Ford Focus 2012 · Ford Focus 2013 · Ford Focus 2014 · Ford Focus 2015 · Ford Focus 2016 · Ford Focus 2017 · Ford Focus 2018 · Ford Focus 2019 · Ford Focus 2020 · Ford Focus in Finland · Ford Focus in the Netherlands · Ford Focus in Norway · Ford Focus by postcode area · Ford Focus body, chassis and structure failures · Ford Focus brakes failures · Ford Focus vehicle identification failures · Ford Focus lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Focus noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Focus road wheels failures · Ford Focus seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Focus suspension failures · Ford Focus tyres failures · Ford Focus visibility failures