Does the Mazda Bongo fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Mazda Bongo records 10.11 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 5.47 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+4.64, 95% interval +4.40 to +4.88). It ranks 66 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 Bongo by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mazda Bongo is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc”, recorded 2,847 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 | 2,847 | 4.29 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 2,752 | 4.14 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 543 | 0.82 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 156 | 0.23 |
| Excessive wear or play in a universal joint or a flexible coupling excessively deteriorated | 109 | 0.16 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 66,406 (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 Bongo gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
15.4% of Mazda Bongo MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 4,574 miles later (1,590 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,590 (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
Mazda Bongo 1998 · Mazda Bongo 1999 · Mazda Bongo 2000 · Mazda Bongo 2001 · Mazda Bongo 2002 · Mazda Bongo 2003 · Mazda Bongo 2004 · Mazda Bongo 2005 · Mazda Bongo 2006 · Mazda Bongo 2007 · Mazda Bongo 2008 · Mazda Bongo 2009 · Mazda Bongo 2010 · Mazda Bongo 2011 · Mazda Bongo 2012 · Mazda Bongo 2013 · Mazda Bongo 2014 · Mazda Bongo 2015 · Mazda Bongo 2016 · Mazda Bongo 2017 · Mazda Bongo 2018 · Mazda Bongo by postcode area · Mazda Bongo body, chassis and structure failures · Mazda Bongo brakes failures · Mazda Bongo vehicle identification failures · Mazda Bongo lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mazda Bongo noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mazda Bongo road wheels failures · Mazda Bongo seat belts and airbags failures · Mazda Bongo suspension failures · Mazda Bongo tyres failures · Mazda Bongo visibility failures