Does the Ford Sierra fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Ford Sierra records 2.96 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 7.71 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−4.75, 95% interval −5.16 to −4.34). It ranks 620 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 Sierra by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Sierra is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc”, recorded 165 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 165 | 0.93 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 156 | 0.88 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 57 | 0.32 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 32 | 0.18 |
| Excessive movement of centre of steering wheel up or down | 31 | 0.18 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 17,679 (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 Sierra by postcode area · Ford Sierra body, chassis and structure failures · Ford Sierra brakes failures · Ford Sierra vehicle identification failures · Ford Sierra lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Sierra noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Sierra road wheels failures · Ford Sierra seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Sierra suspension failures · Ford Sierra tyres failures · Ford Sierra visibility failures