Does the Subaru Outback fail the MOT on steering more than it should?

The Subaru Outback records 0.88 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.86 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.98, 95% interval −2.14 to −1.82). It ranks 480 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 Subaru Outback by registration

What exactly fails on steering?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Subaru Outback is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 147 times in 2019–2024.

Subaru Outback: 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	147	0.33
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc	71	0.16
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play	63	0.14
Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning	37	0.08

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 44,070 (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

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Does the Subaru Outback fail the MOT on steering more than it should?

What exactly fails on steering?

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