MOT advisory explained
“Steering linkage ball joint has slight play”
A ball joint somewhere in the linkage between the steering rack and the wheels has movement in it. On an ordinary car that is nearly always the inner tie rod, tucked inside the rack gaiter. On a Defender or a pickup it can be a drag link, and the wording is used for both.
The tester raised a front wheel, gripped the tyre and rocked it, and with a hand on the steering linkage felt one of its ball joints move before the wheel did. It is slight, so it passes. A ball joint with play in it does not recover.
Only 3.2% fail on this joint at the next test, but 10.4% fail on some steering joint, three times as many. Play migrates: a loose inner joint hammers the outer one on the same track rod, and the outer one is the track rod end that fails one time in five.
Two wordings on the same track rod. This one is the inner joint, at the rack. The outer joint, at the wheel, is “track rod end ball joint has slight play”, and it fails six times as often. If both are on your certificate for the same side, replace the whole track rod.
A “steering linkage ball joint has slight play” advisory means a ball joint in the steering linkage, most often the inner tie rod at the end of the steering rack, has movement that is still within limits, so the car passes. The fix is a new joint and a wheel alignment. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 3.2% of 247,497 such advisories failed on this joint at the next test, and 10.4% on any steering linkage joint.
Which joint the tester means
The inner tie rod. “tie rod”, “rack end”, “inner tie rod” and “inner rack end” are four of the top six notes and all name the same part. At each end of the steering rack a ball joint connects the rack bar to the track rod, hidden inside the rubber gaiter. It is levered with the wheel raised. It is a modest part on most cars and a short job, though the gaiter and the outer joint have to come off to reach it.
The drag link. The second wording on this page is for vehicles with a steering box instead of a rack: Defenders, older 4x4s, some pickups and vans. The box moves a drop arm, which moves a drag link, which moves the wheels. Each end of the drag link is a ball joint, and “drop arm” in the notes is this group.
How it is judged. The tester rocks the raised wheel and watches the joint under load. Movement between the ball and its socket that is visible but small is this advisory. Movement the tester judges excessive, or a joint whose dust cover has split so the grease is gone, is a failure.
Will it fail next year?
Five wordings are grouped here, two of them covering nearly all cases. Together they have been recorded 582,017 times, and 247,497 can be followed to the same vehicle’s next MOT.
| What happened at the next test | Share |
|---|---|
| Failed on the same component | 3.2% |
| Failed on anything under defect 2.1.3 | 10.4% |
| Same advisory recorded again | 11.0% |
According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair: 247,497 advisories followed to the same vehicle’s next test. Rows can overlap.
The two failure rows tell the story. Three in a hundred fail on this joint, because inner joints wear slowly inside their grease. But 10.4% fail on some steering linkage joint, and most of those are the outer track rod end, which fails 18.6% of the time after its own advisory. An inner joint with play is an outer joint under extra strain.
Only 11.0% are re-advised, low for a steering advisory. It gets fixed, or the outer joint gives out first and the fault changes its name.
| Advisory wording | Fails on same part | Fails under same code | Advised again | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track rod end ball joint has slight play | 18.6% | 19.4% | 16.9% | 1,700,156 |
| Suspension arm ball joint has slight play | 16.0% | 20.6% | 17.3% | 2,285,155 |
| Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play | 10.0% | 17.8% | 17.1% | 2,098,185 |
| Wheel bearing has slight play | 5.8% | 5.8% | 26.4% | 1,109,766 |
| Steering linkage ball joint has slight play | 3.2% | 10.4% | 11.0% | 247,497 |
| Steering rack has slight free play detected at steering wheel | 1.9% | 2.0% | 19.5% | 336,333 |
| Steering column universal joint has slight wear or play | 1.2% | 1.8% | 19.4% | 113,120 |
Both numbers rise with age. The advisory goes from 0.2 per 1,000 tests at 3–4 years to 4.3 at 20 years and over, and the share that fail on this joint from 1.6% to 4.7%. Steering joints on old vehicles are old joints, and the oldest vehicles here are the ones with drag links.
| Age of car | Per 1,000 tests | Fails on same part | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 years | 0.2 | 1.6% | 5,570 |
| 5–6 years | 0.4 | 2.1% | 13,050 |
| 7–9 years | 0.9 | 2.4% | 36,602 |
| 10–12 years | 1.7 | 2.9% | 55,405 |
| 13–15 years | 2.5 | 3.3% | 58,165 |
| 16–19 years | 3.1 | 3.7% | 45,996 |
| 20 years and over | 4.3 | 4.7% | 25,667 |
On most cars the inner tie rod and the outer track rod end are two parts on one rod. Replacing the inner means removing the outer, so a garage that finds play in the inner will often suggest doing both. On a car past ten years old that is sound advice, not an upsell: the outer is the one that fails.
On vehicles with a drag link, the ends are usually replaceable separately and the job is more accessible.
Every steering joint changed moves the toe setting. An alignment is not optional afterwards, and the tyres will tell you within a few thousand miles if it was skipped.
Exact wording on your certificate
Five advisories, the first two covering nearly all cases: a ball joint in a rack system and a drag link end in a box system. The failure is excessive play.
| Line on the certificate | Result | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Steering linkage ball joint has slight play | Advisory — pass | 2.1.3 (b) (i) |
| Drag link end ball joint has slight play | Advisory — pass | 2.1.3 (b) (i) |
| Drag link end slightly misaligned | Advisory — pass | 2.1.3 (e) |
| Steering linkage ball joint modified, but not inappropriately | Advisory — pass | 2.1.3 (f) (i) |
| Steering linkage ball joint worn, but not excessively | Advisory — pass | 2.1.3 (b) (i) |
| Steering linkage ball joint has excessive play | Major — fail | 2.1.3 (b) (ii) |
The two front corners lead, and the word inner appears in a quarter of all entries, which is testers pointing at the rack end specifically. The offside slightly leads the nearside.
| Position written by the tester | Share of all instances |
|---|---|
| Offside front | 20% |
| Nearside front | 18% |
| Offside front inner | 14% |
| Nearside front inner | 13% |
| Nearside | 7% |
| Offside | 7% |
From 582,017 recorded instances. Testers can add their own note after the standard wording. The most common on this advisory: “tie rod” (19,593), “rack end” (17,211), “inner tie rod” (8,948), “track rod” (7,639), “steering arm” (6,706), “inner rack end” (5,378), “inner track rod” (4,569), “drop arm” (3,766).
What it costs
An inner tie rod is a modest part, and the job is short once the outer joint and gaiter are off, plus an alignment afterwards. Drag link ends on a 4×4 are similar. We do not hold a canonical price for these, so we do not publish a range. Ask for the joint, fitted, with alignment included. Related prices are on the suspension repair cost page.
Can I still drive with this advisory?
A car that wanders a little on a straight road, or a light knock through the steering over rough surfaces, is what this feels like. Book the joint within a few months. If the steering becomes vague or the knock becomes a clunk when turning, bring it forward.
Enter your reg to see every steering advisory your car has had. An inner joint one year and the outer the next, on the same side, is one track rod wearing out.
Which cars get this advisory most?
The all-vehicle rate is 0.9 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 | 10 | 11.1× | 1,232,451 |
| Ford Ranger | 6 | 7.1× | 1,001,179 |
| Renault Scenic | 6 | 6.2× | 600,691 |
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter | 5 | 5.8× | 2,101,182 |
| Mitsubishi Shogun | 5 | 5.1× | 420,039 |
| Volkswagen Crafter | 4 | 4.5× | 585,956 |
| Renault Megane | 4 | 4.4× | 1,634,315 |
| Peugeot 206 | 4 | 4.3× | 1,061,894 |
| Land Rover Discovery | 4 | 4.3× | 1,610,504 |
| Mitsubishi L200 | 4 | 4.1× | 935,407 |
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 11.1 times the average, and it is the drag link vehicle par excellence: a steering box, a drop arm and a drag link with a ball joint at each end, all exposed under the front. The Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Shogun, Land Rover Discovery and Mitsubishi L200 are the other 4x4s and pickups.
The Renault Scenic and Renault Megane share a platform, and with the Peugeot 206 are the ordinary cars on the list, where the wording means an inner tie rod.
What to do next
- Ask which joint and which side. Inner tie rod, outer track rod end, or drag link. It sets the job.
- Check the outer joint on the same side. If it has any play, do the pair. It is the one that fails.
- Replace the joint and align. No alignment, no point. The toe will be out and the tyre will show it.
- Look at the gaiter while it is apart. A split rack gaiter is a cheap part and a failure item. Now is the moment.
Steering linkage ball joint advisory FAQ
What does steering linkage ball joint has slight play mean?
A ball joint in the steering linkage, most often the inner tie rod at the end of the steering rack, has movement that is still within limits. It is an advisory and the car passes.
Is it the same as a track rod end?
No. The track rod end is the outer joint at the wheel and has its own advisory. This wording is usually the inner joint at the rack. They are two joints on one rod.
Will it fail the next MOT?
According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 3.2% of 247,497 such advisories failed on this joint at the next test, but 10.4% failed on some steering linkage joint, usually the outer track rod end on the same side.
What is a drag link?
On vehicles with a steering box rather than a rack, the drag link is the rod that connects the box’s drop arm to the steering at the wheels. Its ball joints wear like any other, and the tester records them under this advisory.
How much does it cost to fix?
An inner tie rod or drag link end is a modest part and a short job, plus an alignment, which is essential afterwards. 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 11.1 times the average rate, and other 4x4s and pickups with drag link steering such as the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Shogun.
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 582,017 times; 247,497 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.