Does the Ford Ka fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Ford Ka records 1.57 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.05 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.48, 95% interval −1.51 to −1.45). It ranks 420 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 Ka by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Ka is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 5,100 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 5,100 | 0.42 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 4,859 | 0.40 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 3,385 | 0.28 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 1,603 | 0.13 |
| Steering linkage retaining or locking device missing or ineffective | 781 | 0.06 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,216,040 (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 Ka gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
9.4% of Ford Ka MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,079 miles later (10,554 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 10,554 (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 Ka 1998 · Ford Ka 1999 · Ford Ka 2000 · Ford Ka 2001 · Ford Ka 2002 · Ford Ka 2003 · Ford Ka 2004 · Ford Ka 2005 · Ford Ka 2006 · Ford Ka 2007 · Ford Ka 2008 · Ford Ka 2009 · Ford Ka 2010 · Ford Ka 2011 · Ford Ka 2012 · Ford Ka 2013 · Ford Ka 2014 · Ford Ka 2015 · Ford Ka 2016 · Ford Ka 2017 · Ford Ka 2018 · Ford Ka 2019 · Ford Ka in Norway · Ford Ka in Finland · Ford Ka in the Netherlands · Ford Ka by postcode area · Ford Ka body, chassis and structure failures · Ford Ka brakes failures · Ford Ka vehicle identification failures · Ford Ka lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Ka noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Ka road wheels failures · Ford Ka seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Ka suspension failures · Ford Ka tyres failures · Ford Ka visibility failures