Does the Ford S-MAX fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Ford S-MAX records 3.94 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.88 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+1.06, 95% interval +1.00 to +1.11). It ranks 157 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 S-MAX by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford S-MAX is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 6,697 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 6,697 | 1.40 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 6,290 | 1.32 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 3,955 | 0.83 |
| A steering ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment | 417 | 0.09 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 416 | 0.09 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 476,737 (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 S-MAX gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
15.7% of Ford S-MAX MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 7,405 miles later (5,542 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 5,542 (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 S-MAX 2006 · Ford S-MAX 2007 · Ford S-MAX 2008 · Ford S-MAX 2009 · Ford S-MAX 2010 · Ford S-MAX 2011 · Ford S-MAX 2012 · Ford S-MAX 2013 · Ford S-MAX 2014 · Ford S-MAX 2015 · Ford S-MAX 2016 · Ford S-MAX 2017 · Ford S-MAX 2018 · Ford S-MAX 2019 · Ford S-MAX 2020 · Ford S-MAX in Norway · Ford S-MAX in Finland · Ford S-MAX in the Netherlands · Ford S-MAX by postcode area · Ford S-MAX body, chassis and structure failures · Ford S-MAX brakes failures · Ford S-MAX vehicle identification failures · Ford S-MAX lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford S-MAX noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford S-MAX road wheels failures · Ford S-MAX seat belts and airbags failures · Ford S-MAX suspension failures · Ford S-MAX tyres failures · Ford S-MAX visibility failures