MOT Risk Index.co.uk

Does the Mercedes-Benz 220 fail the MOT on steering more than it should?

The Mercedes-Benz 220 records 3.58 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.10 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.52, 95% interval −1.11 to +0.07). It ranks 291 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 Mercedes-Benz 220 by registration

What exactly fails on steering?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz 220 is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 69 times in 2019–2024.

Mercedes-Benz 220: most frequent steering defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wordingItemsPer 100 tests
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play691.51
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated410.90
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc320.70

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,581 (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

Mercedes-Benz 220 by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz 220 body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz 220 brakes failures · Mercedes-Benz 220 vehicle identification failures · Mercedes-Benz 220 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz 220 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz 220 road wheels failures · Mercedes-Benz 220 seat belts and airbags failures · Mercedes-Benz 220 suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz 220 tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz 220 visibility failures