Does the Land Rover Freelander fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Land Rover Freelander records 7.38 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.27 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+3.11, 95% interval +3.05 to +3.17). It ranks 94 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 Land Rover Freelander by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Land Rover Freelander is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 33,413 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 33,413 | 3.92 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 13,017 | 1.53 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 10,401 | 1.22 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 1,648 | 0.19 |
| A steering ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment | 1,254 | 0.15 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 853,388 (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 Land Rover Freelander gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
17.3% of Land Rover Freelander MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 5,825 miles later (34,576 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 34,576 (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
Land Rover Freelander 1998 · Land Rover Freelander 1999 · Land Rover Freelander 2000 · Land Rover Freelander 2001 · Land Rover Freelander 2002 · Land Rover Freelander 2003 · Land Rover Freelander 2004 · Land Rover Freelander 2005 · Land Rover Freelander 2006 · Land Rover Freelander 2007 · Land Rover Freelander 2008 · Land Rover Freelander 2009 · Land Rover Freelander 2010 · Land Rover Freelander 2011 · Land Rover Freelander 2012 · Land Rover Freelander 2013 · Land Rover Freelander 2014 · Land Rover Freelander 2015 · Land Rover Freelander in Norway · Land Rover Freelander in Finland · Land Rover Freelander in the Netherlands · Land Rover Freelander by postcode area · Land Rover Freelander body, chassis and structure failures · Land Rover Freelander brakes failures · Land Rover Freelander vehicle identification failures · Land Rover Freelander lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Land Rover Freelander noise, emissions and leaks failures · Land Rover Freelander road wheels failures · Land Rover Freelander seat belts and airbags failures · Land Rover Freelander suspension failures · Land Rover Freelander tyres failures · Land Rover Freelander visibility failures