Does the Vauxhall Meriva fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Vauxhall Meriva records 4.41 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.32 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+1.09, 95% interval +1.04 to +1.14). It ranks 154 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 Vauxhall Meriva by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Vauxhall Meriva is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 20,087 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 20,087 | 2.92 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 1,934 | 0.28 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 1,711 | 0.25 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 1,326 | 0.19 |
| A steering ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment | 1,001 | 0.15 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 687,721 (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 Vauxhall Meriva gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
16.2% of Vauxhall Meriva MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,111 miles later (15,243 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 15,243 (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
Vauxhall Meriva 2003 · Vauxhall Meriva 2004 · Vauxhall Meriva 2005 · Vauxhall Meriva 2006 · Vauxhall Meriva 2007 · Vauxhall Meriva 2008 · Vauxhall Meriva 2009 · Vauxhall Meriva 2010 · Vauxhall Meriva 2011 · Vauxhall Meriva 2012 · Vauxhall Meriva 2013 · Vauxhall Meriva 2014 · Vauxhall Meriva 2015 · Vauxhall Meriva 2016 · Vauxhall Meriva 2017 · Vauxhall Meriva in Norway · Vauxhall Meriva in Finland · Vauxhall Meriva in the Netherlands · Vauxhall Meriva by postcode area · Vauxhall Meriva body, chassis and structure failures · Vauxhall Meriva brakes failures · Vauxhall Meriva vehicle identification failures · Vauxhall Meriva lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Vauxhall Meriva noise, emissions and leaks failures · Vauxhall Meriva road wheels failures · Vauxhall Meriva seat belts and airbags failures · Vauxhall Meriva suspension failures · Vauxhall Meriva tyres failures · Vauxhall Meriva visibility failures