There's more free movement at the steering wheel than there should be before the road wheels start to turn. This is a symptom rather than a named part — it can come from the rack, a joint in the column, the track rods or worn bearings.
Wording as it commonly appears on an MOT certificate: “Excessive movement in the steering system”.
What does it mean?
There's more free movement at the steering wheel than there should be before the road wheels start to turn. This is a symptom rather than a named part — it can come from the rack, a joint in the column, the track rods or worn bearings.
How serious is it?
Usually recorded as: Major. The tester assesses the actual vehicle on the day, so your certificate is what counts.
What normally causes it?
- Wear inside the steering rack itself
- A worn universal joint or coupling in the steering column
- Worn track rod ends or inner rack ends adding up
- A loose rack mounting bolt or perished rack mounting bush
What a mechanic would check
Someone gently rocks the wheel while I watch each part of the chain in turn — column joint, rack input shaft, rack mountings, then out to the track rods. It's a process of elimination and it's the only honest way to find it, because the certificate can't tell you where the slack is.
What might need replacing
- Track rod ends or inner rack ends
- A column coupling or UJ
- Rack mounting bushes, or the rack itself in the worst cases
Can you still drive it?
Failure item, and one worth taking seriously — vague steering is dangerous at motorway speed and it tends to get worse rather than settle down. Get it traced properly before anyone starts replacing parts on spec.
Repair cost
Genuinely unpredictable until it's diagnosed: a column coupling is a modest job, a steering rack is not. Insist the movement is isolated first.
Before the retest
Replacing a track rod end, rack gaiter or ball joint almost always changes the tracking, so ask for the alignment to be set after the repair rather than left to chance. Before the retest, check the steering wheel sits straight when driving in a straight line and that the car does not wander. A new gaiter should be properly clipped at both ends; a loose clip is an easy re-fail.
Retest rules
If the vehicle stays at the test centre for repair and is retested within 10 working days, a partial retest is often free; some items qualify for a free retest if you bring the car back by the end of the next working day. The exact conditions are set out on GOV.UK, so confirm with the test centre before you leave. A major or dangerous failure means the car cannot legally be driven away unless the previous MOT is still valid and nothing dangerous was recorded — check your certificate first.
Related help
More steering failures · MOT failure decoder · Ask a mechanic about your certificate
This is general guidance from a UK mechanic, not a substitute for a physical inspection. Only the tester who inspected your vehicle can confirm what was recorded and why.