Does the SEAT Exeo fail the MOT on steering more than it should?

The SEAT Exeo records 6.01 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.23 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+2.78, 95% interval +2.52 to +3.04). It ranks 102 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 SEAT Exeo by registration

What exactly fails on steering?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the SEAT Exeo is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 1,043 times in 2019–2024.

SEAT Exeo: most frequent steering defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wording	Items	Per 100 tests
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated	1,043	3.03
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc	528	1.54
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play	368	1.07

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 34,374 (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 SEAT Exeo gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?

13.9% of SEAT Exeo MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 7,390 miles later (770 advisories followed).

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 770 (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

Does the SEAT Exeo fail the MOT on steering more than it should?

What exactly fails on steering?

If a SEAT Exeo gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?

Related pages

Other pages for this model