Repair costs · Kia Sorento

Kia Sorento track rod end replacement: MOT fails on these items more often than other cars of the same age

At MOT, the Kia Sorento fails on items fixed by track rod end replacement at least 2.1 times as often as cars of the same ages and fuel. From 147,328 MOT tests at 18 ages (3 to 20 years), DVSA data 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

Kia Sorento, at least, per 100 MOTs (n=147,328)3.26

Cars of the same ages and fuel, per 100 MOTs1.52

Times as often≥ 2.1

Ages compared18

What this shows

These are MOT fail items that track rod end replacement fixes, as testers found them on the day of the test. Repairs done between MOTs never show up in MOT data, and mileage is not taken into account, so this is not how often owners pay for the repair.

By age

Fail items fixed by track rod end replacement, per 100 MOT tests, against cars of the same age and the same fuel mix. The model figure is a floor: DVSA data lists each model’s 25 most recorded items per age, and an item outside that list is counted as zero. The comparison figure is a ceiling: an item too rare to be listed for a fuel is counted at its highest possible value.

Kia Sorento: ages with at least 1,000 tests.
Age	Kia Sorento per 100	Same age and fuel per 100	Tests (n)
3 years	0	0.073	8,615
4 years	0	0.11	9,272
5 years	0.27	0.22	9,865
6 years	0.30	0.36	11,829
7 years	0.60	0.61	13,064
8 years	2.54	0.99	13,235
9 years	5.15	1.49	12,289
10 years	5.54	1.86	11,054
11 years	6.82	2.21	8,757
12 years	4.25	2.48	7,737
13 years	3.24	2.59	7,002
14 years	4.43	2.68	6,046
15 years	5.81	2.71	5,922
16 years	6.19	2.73	6,591
17 years	6.21	2.87	6,130
18 years	5.51	3.07	5,115
19 years	5.16	3.19	3,355
20 years	4.62	3.38	1,450

How we decide: a page exists only when the main generation’s rate, weighted to its own mix of ages and fuels, is at least 1.5 times the rate of cars of the same ages and fuel, from at least 50,000 tests at 3 or more ages, with at least 100 expected items.

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

What garages charge

Prices are national. They are not specific to the Kia Sorento.

No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure. Garages charge by the hour, so ask for a quote that lists labour time and parts. The rates below are what UK garages charge per hour.

Local garage labour, per hour (65 shops)£78

Local garage, middle half£70 to £96

Main dealer labour, per hour (62 shops)£156

Main dealer, middle half£144 to £174

Median hourly rate charged for car repairs, from 1,058 local garage and 953 main dealer price quotes collected by the ONS, September 2025 to August 2026. The same shops are priced each month, so the number of shops is the real sample.

Track rod end replacement: garage rates and all models

MOT defects this repair fixes

Track rod end ball joint has excessive play1.05 per 100, all cars
Track rod end ball joint has slight play1.00 per 100, all cars
Track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt0.27 per 100, all cars

Other models that fail on these items more often

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
SEAT Arona	at least 9.1	173,475
Renault Trafic	at least 6.0	428,817
Vauxhall Vivaro	at least 5.8	739,286
Fiat 500X	at least 5.6	139,151
Jeep Renegade	at least 5.5	110,103
Mercedes-Benz Citan	at least 4.8	80,122
Land Rover Range Rover Velar	at least 4.7	125,495
Kia Venga	at least 4.4	190,286
Vauxhall Adam	at least 4.1	237,726
Kia Soul	at least 4.1	97,370

Looking at a Kia Sorento?

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Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025, and the MOT inspection manual published on GOV.UK. Prices: ONS consumer price inflation price quotes, September 2025 to August 2026, UK.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026. Prices updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or the Office for National Statistics. How we calculate these figures · Data sources