Does the Vauxhall Viva fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Vauxhall Viva records 0.44 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.83 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.39, 95% interval −0.43 to −0.35). It ranks 275 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 Viva by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Vauxhall Viva is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 612 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 612 | 0.30 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 76 | 0.04 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 58 | 0.03 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 201,368 (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 Viva gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
13.2% of Vauxhall Viva MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,881 miles later (992 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 992 (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 Viva 2015 · Vauxhall Viva 2016 · Vauxhall Viva 2017 · Vauxhall Viva 2018 · Vauxhall Viva 2019 · Vauxhall Viva in Finland · Vauxhall Viva in the Netherlands · Vauxhall Viva by postcode area · Vauxhall Viva body, chassis and structure failures · Vauxhall Viva brakes failures · Vauxhall Viva vehicle identification failures · Vauxhall Viva lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Vauxhall Viva noise, emissions and leaks failures · Vauxhall Viva road wheels failures · Vauxhall Viva seat belts and airbags failures · Vauxhall Viva suspension failures · Vauxhall Viva tyres failures · Vauxhall Viva visibility failures