Does the Nissan Qashqai fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Nissan Qashqai records 7.75 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.82 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+5.93, 95% interval +5.90 to +5.97). It ranks 40 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 Qashqai by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Nissan Qashqai is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 123,144 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 123,144 | 4.19 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 75,024 | 2.55 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 18,859 | 0.64 |
| A steering ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment | 8,656 | 0.29 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 665 | 0.02 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,936,755 (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 Qashqai gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
25.1% of Nissan Qashqai MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,677 miles later (66,090 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 66,090 (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 Qashqai 2007 · Nissan Qashqai 2008 · Nissan Qashqai 2009 · Nissan Qashqai 2010 · Nissan Qashqai 2011 · Nissan Qashqai 2012 · Nissan Qashqai 2013 · Nissan Qashqai 2014 · Nissan Qashqai 2015 · Nissan Qashqai 2016 · Nissan Qashqai 2017 · Nissan Qashqai 2018 · Nissan Qashqai 2019 · Nissan Qashqai 2020 · Nissan Qashqai in Finland · Nissan Qashqai in Norway · Nissan Qashqai in the Netherlands · Nissan Qashqai by postcode area · Nissan Qashqai body, chassis and structure failures · Nissan Qashqai brakes failures · Nissan Qashqai vehicle identification failures · Nissan Qashqai lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Nissan Qashqai noise, emissions and leaks failures · Nissan Qashqai road wheels failures · Nissan Qashqai seat belts and airbags failures · Nissan Qashqai suspension failures · Nissan Qashqai tyres failures · Nissan Qashqai visibility failures