Does the Volkswagen Bora fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Volkswagen Bora records 15.02 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 6.43 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+8.59, 95% interval +8.27 to +8.90). It ranks 11 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 Volkswagen Bora by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volkswagen Bora is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 2,906 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 2,906 | 5.00 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 2,872 | 4.94 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 2,260 | 3.89 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 168 | 0.29 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 157 | 0.27 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 58,126 (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 Volkswagen Bora gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
17.3% of Volkswagen Bora MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 4,833 miles later (1,982 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,982 (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
Volkswagen Bora 1999 · Volkswagen Bora 2000 · Volkswagen Bora 2001 · Volkswagen Bora 2002 · Volkswagen Bora 2003 · Volkswagen Bora 2004 · Volkswagen Bora 2005 · Volkswagen Bora 2006 · Volkswagen Bora in Finland · Volkswagen Bora in the Netherlands · Volkswagen Bora by postcode area · Volkswagen Bora body, chassis and structure failures · Volkswagen Bora brakes failures · Volkswagen Bora vehicle identification failures · Volkswagen Bora lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Volkswagen Bora noise, emissions and leaks failures · Volkswagen Bora road wheels failures · Volkswagen Bora seat belts and airbags failures · Volkswagen Bora suspension failures · Volkswagen Bora tyres failures · Volkswagen Bora visibility failures