Does the Mazda 6 fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Mazda 6 records 1.25 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.74 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.49, 95% interval −1.54 to −1.44). It ranks 422 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 Mazda 6 by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mazda 6 is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 1,915 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 1,915 | 0.44 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 1,209 | 0.28 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 1,042 | 0.24 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 590 | 0.14 |
| Power steering inoperative and steering adversely affected | 96 | 0.02 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 433,186 (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 Mazda 6 gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
7.3% of Mazda 6 MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,761 miles later (1,963 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,963 (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
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