Does the Volkswagen Passat fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Volkswagen Passat records 1.46 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.16 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.70, 95% interval −1.73 to −1.67). It ranks 445 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 Passat by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volkswagen Passat is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 6,181 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 6,181 | 0.46 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 5,583 | 0.42 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 4,042 | 0.30 |
| EPS MIL indicating a system malfunction | 2,000 | 0.15 |
| A steering ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment | 500 | 0.04 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,330,863 (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 Passat gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
12.3% of Volkswagen Passat MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 5,596 miles later (6,669 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 6,669 (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 Passat 1998 · Volkswagen Passat 1999 · Volkswagen Passat 2000 · Volkswagen Passat 2001 · Volkswagen Passat 2002 · Volkswagen Passat 2003 · Volkswagen Passat 2004 · Volkswagen Passat 2005 · Volkswagen Passat 2006 · Volkswagen Passat 2007 · Volkswagen Passat 2008 · Volkswagen Passat 2009 · Volkswagen Passat 2010 · Volkswagen Passat 2011 · Volkswagen Passat 2012 · Volkswagen Passat 2013 · Volkswagen Passat 2014 · Volkswagen Passat 2015 · Volkswagen Passat 2016 · Volkswagen Passat 2017 · Volkswagen Passat 2018 · Volkswagen Passat 2019 · Volkswagen Passat 2020 · Volkswagen Passat in Norway · Volkswagen Passat in Finland · Volkswagen Passat in the Netherlands · Volkswagen Passat by postcode area · Volkswagen Passat body, chassis and structure failures · Volkswagen Passat brakes failures · Volkswagen Passat vehicle identification failures · Volkswagen Passat lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Volkswagen Passat noise, emissions and leaks failures · Volkswagen Passat road wheels failures · Volkswagen Passat seat belts and airbags failures · Volkswagen Passat suspension failures · Volkswagen Passat tyres failures · Volkswagen Passat visibility failures