Steering linkage components: ball joint has excessive play
This one item accounted for 0.6% of every MOT test carried out in Great Britain, and it is among the commonest faults on 100 different model-and-year combinations. Here is where it clusters, and what it looks like on a car you are standing in front of.
How to spot it before you buy
Push down firmly on each corner — press on the body directly above the wheel, not the middle of a panel — and watch it settle
It should rebound once and stop; continued bouncing means worn shock absorbers (£150–400 a pair). Press only on the strong point over the wheel — bonnets and some wings are plastic or aluminium and can dent or crack if leaned on.
The models it hits hardest
Ranked by how often the fault came up as a share of that model's own tests, not by raw count — a fault in 8% of a small model's tests says more about that model than one in 3% of the Fiesta's. A linked row has a page of its own.
| Model | Years | Share of its tests |
|---|---|---|
| Kia Soul | 2010–2013 | 12.9% |
| Vauxhall Vivaro | 2010–2013 | 12% |
| Renault Trafic | 2010–2013 | 11.9% |
| Kia Venga | 2010–2013 | 11.9% |
| Nissan Primastar | 2010–2013 | 11.3% |
| Nissan Juke | 2010–2013 | 11.2% |
| Hyundai IX20 | 2010–2013 | 10.5% |
| Vauxhall Vivaro | 2014–2017 | 10.4% |
| Renault Trafic | 2014–2017 | 10.4% |
| Renault Megane | 2010–2013 | 9.5% |
| Nissan Qashqai | 2010–2013 | 9.3% |
| Renault Kangoo | 2010–2013 | 9% |
| Renault Grand Scenic | 2010–2013 | 9% |
| Mitsubishi Lancer | 2010–2013 | 8.3% |
| Mitsubishi Outlander | 2010–2013 | 8% |
| Nissan Leaf | 2010–2013 | 7.9% |
| Hyundai Veloster | 2010–2013 | 7.8% |
| Renault Scenic | 2010–2013 | 7.7% |
| Mazda CX-5 | 2010–2013 | 7.7% |
| Nissan Navara | 2010–2013 | 7.3% |
Showing the worst 20 of 100 affected model-and-year combinations. The full dataset is downloadable below.
Which manufacturers it clusters on
Pooled across each make's whole range, so this is a fact about the brand rather than about one of its models. Makes with at least 50,000 tests.
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See whether the car you're looking at has this on record
Type the registration and you get that car's own MOT history — every advisory and every failure, including whether this one has already come up.
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023. Class 4 standard tests only. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.