Does the Toyota Estima fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Toyota Estima records 2.04 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.37 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.33, 95% interval −1.47 to −1.20). It ranks 402 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 Estima by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Toyota Estima is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 825 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 825 | 1.14 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 192 | 0.26 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 151 | 0.21 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 75 | 0.10 |
| Steering linkage retaining or locking device missing or ineffective | 59 | 0.08 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 72,662 (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 Estima gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
7.5% of Toyota Estima MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 6,717 miles later (980 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 980 (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 Estima 2002 · Toyota Estima 2003 · Toyota Estima 2004 · Toyota Estima 2005 · Toyota Estima 2006 · Toyota Estima 2007 · Toyota Estima 2008 · Toyota Estima 2009 · Toyota Estima 2010 · Toyota Estima 2011 · Toyota Estima 2012 · Toyota Estima 2013 · Toyota Estima 2014 · Toyota Estima 2015 · Toyota Estima 2016 · Toyota Estima 2017 · Toyota Estima 2018 · Toyota Estima 2019 · Toyota Estima 2020 · Toyota Estima by postcode area · Toyota Estima body, chassis and structure failures · Toyota Estima brakes failures · Toyota Estima vehicle identification failures · Toyota Estima lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Toyota Estima noise, emissions and leaks failures · Toyota Estima road wheels failures · Toyota Estima seat belts and airbags failures · Toyota Estima suspension failures · Toyota Estima tyres failures · Toyota Estima visibility failures