Does the Volkswagen Fox fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Volkswagen Fox records 5.18 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.32 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+0.86, 95% interval +0.76 to +0.97). It ranks 167 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 Fox by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volkswagen Fox is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 4,205 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 4,205 | 2.28 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 2,560 | 1.39 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 1,066 | 0.58 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 490 | 0.27 |
| EPS MIL indicating a system malfunction | 362 | 0.20 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 184,306 (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 Fox gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
11.3% of Volkswagen Fox MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,418 miles later (2,978 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,978 (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 Fox 2006 · Volkswagen Fox 2007 · Volkswagen Fox 2008 · Volkswagen Fox 2009 · Volkswagen Fox 2010 · Volkswagen Fox 2011 · Volkswagen Fox 2012 · Volkswagen Fox in the Netherlands · Volkswagen Fox by postcode area · Volkswagen Fox body, chassis and structure failures · Volkswagen Fox brakes failures · Volkswagen Fox vehicle identification failures · Volkswagen Fox lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Volkswagen Fox noise, emissions and leaks failures · Volkswagen Fox road wheels failures · Volkswagen Fox seat belts and airbags failures · Volkswagen Fox suspension failures · Volkswagen Fox tyres failures · Volkswagen Fox visibility failures