Does the Toyota Corolla fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Toyota Corolla records 1.22 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.91 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−3.69, 95% interval −3.74 to −3.63). It ranks 580 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 Toyota Corolla by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Toyota Corolla is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 3,560 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 3,560 | 0.58 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 1,327 | 0.22 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 1,015 | 0.16 |
| Steering linkage retaining or locking device missing or ineffective | 558 | 0.09 |
| Power steering fluid level below minimum mark | 199 | 0.03 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 615,584 (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 Toyota Corolla gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
5.0% of Toyota Corolla MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,086 miles later (3,965 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,965 (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
Toyota Corolla 1998 · Toyota Corolla 1999 · Toyota Corolla 2000 · Toyota Corolla 2001 · Toyota Corolla 2002 · Toyota Corolla 2003 · Toyota Corolla 2004 · Toyota Corolla 2005 · Toyota Corolla 2006 · Toyota Corolla 2007 · Toyota Corolla 2008 · Toyota Corolla 2009 · Toyota Corolla 2010 · Toyota Corolla 2019 · Toyota Corolla 2020 · Toyota Corolla in Norway · Toyota Corolla in Finland · Toyota Corolla in the Netherlands · Toyota Corolla by postcode area · Toyota Corolla body, chassis and structure failures · Toyota Corolla brakes failures · Toyota Corolla vehicle identification failures · Toyota Corolla lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Toyota Corolla noise, emissions and leaks failures · Toyota Corolla road wheels failures · Toyota Corolla seat belts and airbags failures · Toyota Corolla suspension failures · Toyota Corolla tyres failures · Toyota Corolla visibility failures