Does the Nissan Pulsar fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Nissan Pulsar records 1.93 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.06 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+0.87, 95% interval +0.79 to +0.95). It ranks 166 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 Nissan Pulsar by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Nissan Pulsar is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 2,066 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 2,066 | 1.69 |
| A steering ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment | 113 | 0.09 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 98 | 0.08 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 57 | 0.05 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 122,037 (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 Nissan Pulsar gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
26.7% of Nissan Pulsar MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 7,507 miles later (621 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 621 (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
Nissan Pulsar 2014 · Nissan Pulsar 2015 · Nissan Pulsar 2016 · Nissan Pulsar 2017 · Nissan Pulsar 2018 · Nissan Pulsar in Finland · Nissan Pulsar in the Netherlands · Nissan Pulsar by postcode area · Nissan Pulsar body, chassis and structure failures · Nissan Pulsar brakes failures · Nissan Pulsar vehicle identification failures · Nissan Pulsar lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Nissan Pulsar noise, emissions and leaks failures · Nissan Pulsar road wheels failures · Nissan Pulsar seat belts and airbags failures · Nissan Pulsar suspension failures · Nissan Pulsar tyres failures · Nissan Pulsar visibility failures