Buying Report · £14.99
Tools

Common problems by part

Volkswagen Transporter steering problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 78,853 MOT tests · Updated

At 6 years, 0.4 in 100 MOT tests of the Volkswagen Transporter failed on steering, against 0.5 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 78,853 MOT tests) [1].

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • Against all class 4 vehicles the same age: about average for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years), 322 MOT tests with a fail
  • When it starts: clear of 1.2 times from 19 years and at every older age seen
  • MOT tests at 6 years: 78,853 for the Volkswagen Transporter

Figures are for the model as a whole, not for one car.

What the MOT tests show

What we know

0.4 fails per 100 MOT tests at 6 years, against 0.5 for all class 4 vehicles tested at 6 (all test years). That is about average.

Why it matters

A steering fail stops the car passing until it is fixed.

What to check

With the engine running, turn the wheel lock to lock: listen for knocks or groans and feel for play at the straight-ahead position. On the drive the car should not wander.

The Volkswagen Transporter is a commercial or van-based vehicle: it is compared with all class 4 vehicles, cars and vans together, so part of any difference can come from how vans are used.

Volkswagen Transporter steering fails by age

Volkswagen Transporter steering fails per 100 MOT tests by ageSolid line: the Volkswagen Transporter. Dashed line: all cars the same age. The table below lists every value.05103 years: 0.2 per 100 (all cars 0.1), 63,918 MOT tests34 years: 0.3 per 100 (all cars 0.2), 71,475 MOT tests5 years: 0.4 per 100 (all cars 0.3), 73,400 MOT tests56 years: 0.4 per 100 (all cars 0.5), 78,853 MOT tests7 years: 0.6 per 100 (all cars 0.8), 78,401 MOT tests78 years: 1.2 per 100 (all cars 1.2), 74,570 MOT tests9 years: 1.7 per 100 (all cars 1.8), 69,159 MOT tests910 years: 2.6 per 100 (all cars 2.1), 61,476 MOT tests11 years: 2.4 per 100 (all cars 2.5), 55,678 MOT tests1112 years: 2.0 per 100 (all cars 2.8), 50,231 MOT tests13 years: 2.6 per 100 (all cars 2.9), 44,819 MOT tests1314 years: 2.4 per 100 (all cars 3.2), 45,003 MOT tests15 years: 2.1 per 100 (all cars 3.3), 46,430 MOT tests1516 years: 2.6 per 100 (all cars 3.4), 46,962 MOT tests17 years: 2.9 per 100 (all cars 3.6), 47,883 MOT tests1718 years: 4.0 per 100 (all cars 3.9), 44,453 MOT tests19 years: 5.5 per 100 (all cars 4.1), 37,867 MOT tests1920 years: 7.3 per 100 (all cars 4.2), 32,891 MOT tests21 years: 8.9 per 100 (all cars 4.2), 29,310 MOT tests2122 years: 9.8 per 100 (all cars 4.0), 24,948 MOT tests23 years: 9.9 per 100 (all cars 3.9), 22,028 MOT tests2324 years: 9.7 per 100 (all cars 3.7), 19,236 MOT tests25 years: 8.0 per 100 (all cars 3.7), 16,029 MOT tests25
Fails per 100 MOT tests by age, all first-use years pooled. Volkswagen Transporter All class 4 vehicles the same age Shaded: over 18 years, survivors only.
AgeMOT testsFails per 100All class 4 vehicles the same age
363,9180.20.1
471,4750.30.2
573,4000.40.3
678,8530.40.5
778,4010.60.8
874,5701.21.2
969,1591.71.8
1061,4762.62.1
1155,6782.42.5
1250,2312.02.8
1344,8192.62.9
1445,0032.43.2
1546,4302.13.3
1646,9622.63.4
1747,8832.93.6
1844,4534.03.9
19*37,8675.54.1
20*32,8917.34.2
21*29,3108.94.2
22*24,9489.84.0
23*22,0289.93.9
24*19,2369.73.7
25*16,0298.03.7

All first-use years of the Volkswagen Transporter pooled at each age, against all class 4 vehicles at that age over all 2022–2025 test years. * Only survivors are still tested at this age.

What fails in the steering at 6 years

Advisories (not fails)

Buying a Volkswagen Transporter? Check that exact car before the viewing.

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
  • Viewing checklist

See a sample report

By engine and fuel

  • 2.0 diesel: 0.4 per 100 at 6 years, about average for diesel class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 77,615 MOT tests)
  • 1.9 diesel: 2.5 per 100 at 16 years, fails less often than diesel class 4 vehicles the same age (0.6–0.7×) (all test years; 27,374 MOT tests)
  • 2.5 diesel: 2.6 per 100 at 17 years, fails less often than diesel class 4 vehicles the same age (0.5–0.6×) (all test years; 20,009 MOT tests)

How to check on a test drive

With the engine running, turn the wheel lock to lock: listen for knocks or groans and feel for play at the straight-ahead position. On the drive the car should not wander.

The most common advisory here in MOT records: Play in steering rack inner joint(s).

Check one Volkswagen Transporter, not the average

The figures here describe Volkswagen Transporter cars as a group. These free tools answer for one car. Each line says what the tool reads.

Other Volkswagen Transporter problems

Steering on rival models

Questions people ask

Does the Volkswagen Transporter have more steering problems than other cars?

0.4 in 100 MOT tests at 6 years, against 0.5 for all class 4 vehicles the same age: about average by our test (all test years; 78,853 MOT tests).

How common are Volkswagen Transporter steering problems?

0.4 in 100 MOT tests at 6 years failed on steering, against 0.5 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 78,853 MOT tests).

At what age do Volkswagen Transporter steering fails start?

19 years: from then on the rate stays clear of 1.2 times all class 4 vehicles the same age at every age seen, 182,309 MOT tests.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 1,135,020 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.

Parts: against all class 4 vehicles at the same age, all 2022–2025 test years pooled, not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare