Does the Toyota RAV4 fail the MOT on steering more than it should?

The Toyota RAV4 records 0.95 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.64 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−2.69, 95% interval −2.73 to −2.64). It ranks 523 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 RAV4 by registration

What exactly fails on steering?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Toyota RAV4 is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 2,783 times in 2019–2024.

Toyota RAV4: 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	2,783	0.38
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc	1,103	0.15
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play	913	0.13
Steering linkage retaining or locking device missing or ineffective	336	0.05
Power steering fluid level below minimum mark	335	0.05

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 723,850 (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 RAV4 gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?

5.9% of Toyota RAV4 MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,089 miles later (3,500 advisories followed).

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,500 (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 Toyota RAV4 fail the MOT on steering more than it should?

What exactly fails on steering?

If a Toyota RAV4 gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?

Related pages

Other pages for this model