MOT advisory explained
“Power steering component has slight seepage”
A damp patch on the steering rack, a hose end or the pump. Not a drip, not a leak, a weep. It is a hydraulic power steering advisory, so it belongs to cars built before electric steering took over, and it is one of the calmer lines on any certificate.
Hydraulic power steering runs on fluid under pressure. Somewhere in the system, most often at a seal on the steering rack, fluid is getting through slowly enough to leave the part wet but not to drip. The tester noted it as seepage, which is the mildest grade of leak.
1.8% fail on power steering at the next test and 24.0% are advised again. Seals weep for years before they leak, and the failure is a drip that reaches the ground, not a wet rack.
A separate wording on this page, “steering rack damp” in the notes, is worth a closer look. If the rubber gaiter on the end of the rack is full of fluid, the rack’s internal seal has gone, and that is a rack, not a weep. Squeeze the boot: if it squelches, the advisory is understating it.
A “power steering component has slight seepage” advisory means hydraulic power steering fluid is weeping from a seal, hose or joint, most often at the steering rack, leaving it damp but not dripping, so the car passes. Electric power steering has no fluid and cannot get this advisory. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, only 1.8% of 714,775 such advisories followed to the next test failed on the power steering, and 24.0% were advised again.
Where the fluid comes from
The rack. “steering rack”, “rack” and “rack area” are three of the top four notes. A hydraulic rack has a piston inside and seals at each end where the rack bar slides out to the track rods. Those seals weep first. Fluid collects on the underside of the rack housing and in the rubber gaiters at its ends.
Pipes and hoses. Two wordings on this page are about the pipework: the high-pressure hose from the pump, the return hose, and the metal pipes between them, which corrode. Seepage at a crimped hose end is the hose starting to fail. Corrosion on a pipe is noted separately and fails less often.
The pump and the reservoir. A weep at the pump shaft seal, and a reservoir level near the minimum line, are also filed here. The reservoir wording is the one to act on: a level that keeps dropping means the seepage adds up to a leak over a year, and a pump run dry is noisy, then dead.
Will it fail next year?
Eight wordings are grouped here, covering seepage from the rack, hoses, pump and joints, corroded pipes and a low reservoir. Together they have been recorded 1,537,644 times, and 714,775 can be followed to the same vehicle’s next MOT.
| What happened at the next test | Share |
|---|---|
| Failed on the same component | 1.8% |
| Same advisory recorded again | 24.0% |
According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair: 714,775 advisories followed to the same vehicle’s next test. Rows can overlap.
Two in a hundred is low, and in keeping with the other fluid weep on the certificate: an engine oil leak that is not excessive fails 1.2% of the time. Compare a track rod end with slight play, on the same steering system but a wear item, at 18.6%. Weeps are slow. Joints are not.
Nearly a quarter are re-advised. A damp rack looks the same for years, and the fluid it loses is topped up at each service without anyone thinking about it.
| Advisory wording | Fails on same part | Advised again | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track rod end ball joint has slight play | 18.6% | 16.9% | 1,700,156 |
| Suspension arm pin or bush worn | 7.4% | 29.3% | 8,344,577 |
| Brake hose slightly deteriorated | 5.1% | 33.8% | 735,057 |
| Steering linkage ball joint has slight play | 3.2% | 11.0% | 247,497 |
| Steering rack has slight free play detected at steering wheel | 1.9% | 19.5% | 336,333 |
| Power steering component has slight seepage from a component | 1.8% | 24.0% | 714,775 |
| Oil leak, | 1.2% | 42.8% | 8,941,140 |
This is an old-car advisory in two senses. Seals harden with age, so the rate climbs from 0.3 per 1,000 tests at 3–4 years to 17.2 at 20 years and over. And cars under about ten years old increasingly have electric steering with no fluid at all. The failure rate never moves from under two in a hundred.
| Age of car | Per 1,000 tests | Fails on same part | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 years | 0.3 | 1.5% | 10,326 |
| 5–6 years | 0.8 | 1.7% | 24,184 |
| 7–9 years | 1.8 | 1.7% | 73,339 |
| 10–12 years | 4.1 | 1.7% | 135,539 |
| 13–15 years | 7.8 | 1.8% | 184,257 |
| 16–19 years | 12.6 | 1.8% | 181,507 |
| 20 years and over | 17.2 | 1.8% | 92,221 |
Check the reservoir level now and again in a month. A level that holds is a weep and can be left. A level that drops is a leak in progress. Then squeeze the rack gaiters at each end of the rack: a boot that is soft and full of fluid means the internal seal has failed, and the rack is on its way out.
Listen too. A whine from the pump when you turn the wheel at low speed, especially when cold, is a pump short of fluid.
Do not use stop-leak additives in power steering fluid. They swell the seals for a while and can block the fine passages in the rack and pump.
Exact wording on your certificate
Eight advisories describe slight seepage or minor corrosion. The failures are a leak that drips, or a reservoir below minimum.
| Line on the certificate | Result | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Power steering component has slight seepage from a component | Advisory — pass | 2.1.5 (a) |
| Power steering pipe/hose has slight seepage | Advisory — pass | 2.1.5 (a) |
| Power steering pipe/hose slightly corroded | Advisory — pass | 2.1.5 (g) (i) |
| Power steering pump has slight seepage | Advisory — pass | 2.1.5 (a) |
| Power steering close to minimum mark | Advisory — pass | 2.1.5 (b) (i) |
| Power steering ram has slight seepage from a joint | Advisory — pass | 2.1.5 (a) |
| Power steering pipe/hose slightly damaged | Advisory — pass | 2.1.5 (g) (i) |
| Power steering component components slightly misaligned | Advisory — pass | 2.1.5 (e) (i) |
| Power steering component leaking to the extent that it drips | Major — fail | 2.1.5 (a) |
| Power steering reservoir below minimum mark | Major — fail | 2.1.5 (b) (ii) |
Nearly eight in ten have no position, because a rack runs across the car and a pump has one place to be. The few with a side are mostly the offside, where the rack’s pipe connections sit on most cars.
| Position written by the tester | Share of all instances |
|---|---|
| No position recorded | 78% |
| Offside front | 6% |
| Front | 4% |
| Offside | 3% |
| Nearside front | 3% |
| Nearside | 3% |
From 1,537,644 recorded instances. Testers can add their own note after the standard wording. The most common on this advisory: “steering rack” (89,796), “rack” (75,114), “steering box” (19,048), “rack area” (8,507), “steering rack area” (4,952), “box” (3,394), “reservoir” (1,836), “power steering rack” (1,803).
What it costs
At the advisory stage there is nothing to pay for except a top-up. If it becomes a leak, the cost depends entirely on the part: a hose is modest, a pump more, and a steering rack is one of the more expensive single components on an older car, usually supplied reconditioned. We do not publish a range across that spread. Related prices are on the repair costs index.
Can I still drive with this advisory?
Keep the reservoir topped up with the correct fluid, which is printed on the cap. If the steering becomes heavy, notchy or whines, stop topping up and have it looked at, because those are the signs of a pump running dry.
Enter your reg to see every steering advisory your car has had. Seepage year after year with the rack gaiter never mentioned is a weep. Seepage followed by a gaiter note is a rack.
Which cars get this advisory most?
The all-vehicle rate is 1.6 per 1,000 tests. On the models below it is four to eleven times that.
| Model | Per 1,000 tests | Vs all cars | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land Rover Defender | 17 | 10.9× | 1,232,451 |
| Saab 9-3 | 11 | 7.0× | 589,429 |
| Citroen Dispatch | 10 | 6.4× | 556,497 |
| Mitsubishi L200 | 9 | 5.6× | 935,407 |
| Peugeot Expert | 8 | 5.3× | 628,355 |
| Land Rover Discovery | 8 | 5.0× | 1,610,504 |
| Kia Sorento | 8 | 5.0× | 392,464 |
| Citroen C5 | 7 | 4.8× | 226,154 |
| Ford Fusion | 7 | 4.7× | 717,369 |
| Hyundai Santa Fe | 7 | 4.4× | 381,124 |
Model families are grouped by the first word of the DVSA model name, so “Transit” covers every Transit variant. Only models with at least 60,000 tests are ranked.
The Land Rover Defender leads at 10.9 times the average. Its steering box, not a rack, is a known weeper, and “steering box” in the notes is largely Defenders and their relatives. The Land Rover Discovery, Mitsubishi L200, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe are the other 4x4s: heavy vehicles with hydraulic steering working hard.
The Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert are the same van, and the Saab 9-3 and Citroen C5 are older cars that kept hydraulic steering late.
What to do next
- Find out which component. Rack, hose, pump or reservoir. The note usually says, and the rack is the one that matters.
- Check the level and mark it. A pen line on the reservoir. Look again in a month.
- Squeeze the rack gaiters. Dry and firm is a weep. Wet and soft is a rack seal, and a different conversation.
- Use the right fluid. The cap says which. The wrong one damages seals, and stop-leak damages everything.
Power steering seepage advisory FAQ
What does power steering component has slight seepage mean?
Hydraulic power steering fluid is weeping from a seal, hose or joint, most often on the steering rack, enough to make the part damp but not to drip. It is an advisory and the car passes.
Will a power steering weep fail the MOT next year?
Rarely. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 1.8% of 714,775 such advisories failed on the power steering at the next test. The failure is a leak that drips, or a reservoir below minimum.
Is it safe to drive with a power steering leak?
With slight seepage, yes. Keep the reservoir topped up. If the steering goes heavy, notchy or starts to whine, the pump is short of fluid and the car should be looked at before further driving.
How do I know if the steering rack is failing?
Squeeze the rubber gaiters at each end of the rack. If one is soft and full of fluid, the rack’s internal seal has gone. A weep on the outside of the rack housing is a lesser fault.
How much does it cost to fix?
Nothing at the advisory stage beyond a top-up. A leaking hose is modest, a pump more, and a reconditioned steering rack is one of the more expensive single repairs on an older car. We do not publish a range. Any prices on this site are estimates and final quotes come from garages.
Which vehicles get this advisory most?
The Land Rover Defender, at 10.9 times the average rate, and other 4x4s and vans with hydraulic steering such as the Land Rover Discovery, Mitsubishi L200 and Citroen Dispatch. Cars with electric power steering cannot get it.
How these figures were calculated. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, from the DVSA anonymised MOT test results (Open Government Licence v3.0): 350,943,111 tests. This advisory was recorded 1,537,644 times; 714,775 of those were followed to the same vehicle’s next test between 180 and 730 days later. “Fails on the same part” means a failure at that next test under the same defect code and naming the same component, on either side of the vehicle. Testers do not always name a component the same way twice, so the figure is a floor. Method and how to cite.