Does the Volkswagen Crafter fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Volkswagen Crafter records 4.47 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.58 expected for a lcv 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) (−0.11, 95% interval −0.37 to +0.14). It ranks 236 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 Crafter by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volkswagen Crafter is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 816 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 816 | 2.99 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 124 | 0.45 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 80 | 0.29 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 48 | 0.18 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 45 | 0.17 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 27,268 (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 Crafter gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
10.0% of Volkswagen Crafter MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.2 months and 5,257 miles later (1,184 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,184 (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 Crafter 2006 · Volkswagen Crafter 2007 · Volkswagen Crafter 2008 · Volkswagen Crafter 2009 · Volkswagen Crafter 2010 · Volkswagen Crafter 2011 · Volkswagen Crafter 2012 · Volkswagen Crafter 2013 · Volkswagen Crafter 2014 · Volkswagen Crafter 2015 · Volkswagen Crafter 2016 · Volkswagen Crafter 2017 · Volkswagen Crafter 2018 · Volkswagen Crafter 2019 · Volkswagen Crafter in Norway · Volkswagen Crafter in the Netherlands · Volkswagen Crafter by postcode area · Volkswagen Crafter body, chassis and structure failures · Volkswagen Crafter brakes failures · Volkswagen Crafter vehicle identification failures · Volkswagen Crafter lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Volkswagen Crafter noise, emissions and leaks failures · Volkswagen Crafter road wheels failures · Volkswagen Crafter seat belts and airbags failures · Volkswagen Crafter suspension failures · Volkswagen Crafter tyres failures · Volkswagen Crafter visibility failures