Does the Honda Civic fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Honda Civic records 5.87 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.90 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+1.97, 95% interval +1.93 to +2.00). It ranks 118 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 Honda Civic by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Honda Civic is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 72,416 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 72,416 | 3.92 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 20,737 | 1.12 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 9,592 | 0.52 |
| EPS MIL indicating a system malfunction | 1,486 | 0.08 |
| Steering linkage retaining or locking device missing or ineffective | 1,461 | 0.08 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,848,283 (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 Honda Civic gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
12.5% of Honda Civic MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,264 miles later (16,572 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 16,572 (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
Honda Civic 1998 · Honda Civic 1999 · Honda Civic 2000 · Honda Civic 2001 · Honda Civic 2002 · Honda Civic 2003 · Honda Civic 2004 · Honda Civic 2005 · Honda Civic 2006 · Honda Civic 2007 · Honda Civic 2008 · Honda Civic 2009 · Honda Civic 2010 · Honda Civic 2011 · Honda Civic 2012 · Honda Civic 2013 · Honda Civic 2014 · Honda Civic 2015 · Honda Civic 2016 · Honda Civic 2017 · Honda Civic 2018 · Honda Civic 2019 · Honda Civic 2020 · Honda Civic in Finland · Honda Civic in the Netherlands · Honda Civic in Norway · Honda Civic by postcode area · Honda Civic body, chassis and structure failures · Honda Civic brakes failures · Honda Civic vehicle identification failures · Honda Civic lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Honda Civic noise, emissions and leaks failures · Honda Civic road wheels failures · Honda Civic seat belts and airbags failures · Honda Civic suspension failures · Honda Civic tyres failures · Honda Civic visibility failures