MOT advisory explained
“Steering column universal joint has slight wear or play”
The joint where the steering column turns a corner on its way to the rack has a little play in it, or the bearing at the top of the column has. It is one of the rarest lines on a certificate and one of the least likely to become a failure, and its main symptom is a knock you feel through your hands.
The steering column does not run in a straight line from the wheel to the rack. It bends, once or twice, through universal joints, small crosses with needle bearings in them, like the ones on a socket set extension. The tester rocked the wheel and felt or saw play at one of those joints, or at the bearing where the column passes through the dashboard.
Only 1.2% fail on the column at the next test and 19.4% are advised again. Column joints wear very slowly, they are not exposed to the road, and the failure threshold is play that makes the steering imprecise. Slight play mostly stays slight.
On many cars the lower universal joint sits in the engine bay where the column passes through the bulkhead, and it corrodes. “under bonnet” and “corroded” appear in the notes. A rusty joint that is stiff rather than loose gives notchy steering, and “notchy” is what testers call that. The fix is the same part.
A “steering column universal joint has slight wear or play” advisory means one of the jointed sections of the steering column, or the bearing at its top, has a small amount of play that is within limits, so the car passes. It shows as a light knock through the wheel. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, only 1.2% of 113,120 such advisories followed to the next test failed on the steering column, and 19.4% were advised again.
The joints in a steering column
Why the column has joints. The steering wheel sits at an angle to the rack, the column has to collapse in a crash, and it has to get past the engine and the pedals on the way down. So it is built in two or three sections linked by universal joints, usually one just below the dashboard and one at the rack. Each joint is a cross with four needle bearings, and the needles wear.
The top bearing. The second wording on this page, almost as common as the first, is the bearing at the top of the column that supports the steering wheel shaft. It wears loose, and the wheel can be rocked slightly in its housing. It is inside the car, does not corrode, and fails least of anything on this page.
What you feel. “knocking” is the second most common note. A knock or a click through the steering wheel when you change direction, most noticeable at low speed and over rough surfaces. A little dead movement at the wheel before the car responds. Neither affects the car’s ability to steer.
Will it fail next year?
Six wordings are grouped here, two of them covering nearly all cases. Together they have been recorded 241,368 times, and 113,120 can be followed to the same vehicle’s next MOT.
| What happened at the next test | Share |
|---|---|
| Failed on the same component | 1.2% |
| Same advisory recorded again | 19.4% |
According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair: 113,120 advisories followed to the same vehicle’s next test. Rows can overlap.
One in a hundred is as low as steering advisories go. Compare a track rod end with slight play at 18.6% or a steering linkage ball joint at 10.4%. Those joints live in road spray and take the load of the wheels. A column joint lives behind the dashboard or under the bonnet and carries only the driver’s hands.
One in five is carried over, which is about right for a fault that gets no worse from year to year and that the tester has to hunt for.
| Advisory wording | Fails on same part | Advised again | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track rod end ball joint has slight play | 18.6% | 16.9% | 1,700,156 |
| Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play | 10.0% | 17.1% | 2,098,185 |
| Wheel bearing has slight play | 5.8% | 26.4% | 1,109,766 |
| 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 |
| Steering column universal joint has slight wear or play | 1.2% | 19.4% | 113,120 |
Rare at every age. It rises from 0.2 per 1,000 tests at 3–4 years to 1.8 at 20 years and over, and the failure rate creeps from 0.6% to 1.7%. The oldest cars are where corroded lower joints live.
| Age of car | Per 1,000 tests | Fails on same part | Followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 years | 0.2 | 0.6% | 5,232 |
| 5–6 years | 0.2 | 0.7% | 6,828 |
| 7–9 years | 0.4 | 0.9% | 15,857 |
| 10–12 years | 0.8 | 1.2% | 25,868 |
| 13–15 years | 1.2 | 1.4% | 24,993 |
| 16–19 years | 1.1 | 1.4% | 14,241 |
| 20 years and over | 1.8 | 1.7% | 10,242 |
A worn joint is loose and knocks. A corroded joint is stiff and makes the steering feel notchy, as if it is passing over a series of small bumps as you turn. Both are recorded here, and both are cured by replacing the joint, but the stiff kind is the one to attend to sooner. Steering that catches is unpleasant at speed.
Some lower joints can be bought and fitted on their own. On many cars the joint is part of the lower column section and the section is replaced as a unit, which costs more.
Play at the steering wheel can also be a worn rack or rack end. The tester decides which by watching where the movement is. If the note says column, it is the column.
Exact wording on your certificate
Six advisories, two of them common: the universal joint and the top bearing. The failure is excessive play or a joint that is insecure.
| Line on the certificate | Result | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Steering column universal joint has slight wear or play | Advisory — pass | 2.2.2 (c) |
| Steering column top bearing slightly worn | Advisory — pass | 2.2.2 (b) |
| Steering column flexible coupling is slightly deteriorated | Advisory — pass | 2.2.2 (c) |
| Steering column deformed but serviceable | Advisory — pass | 2.1.3 (c) (i) |
| Steering column universal joint deformed but serviceable | Advisory — pass | 2.1.3 (c) (i) |
| Steering column shaft deformed but serviceable | Advisory — pass | 2.1.3 (c) (i) |
| Steering column universal joint has excessive wear or play | Major — fail | 2.2.2 (c) |
Seven in ten have no position, since the column is one part in the middle of the car. Where one is given it is nearly always “lower”, meaning the lower joint at the rack, the one that sits in the engine bay and corrodes.
| Position written by the tester | Share of all instances |
|---|---|
| No position recorded | 71% |
| Lower | 13% |
| Front | 4% |
| Upper | 3% |
| Offside front lower | 3% |
| Offside front | 3% |
From 241,368 recorded instances. Testers can add their own note after the standard wording. The most common on this advisory: “slight play” (239), “knocking” (137), “steering column” (53), “lower” (46), “noisy” (27), “under bonnet” (26), “column” (24), “lower joint” (19).
What it costs
A universal joint sold on its own is a modest part and a short job. A lower column section, where the joint is not separable, costs more and takes longer. A top bearing is a small part but the steering wheel and column shroud have to come off to reach it. We do not publish a range across those. Related prices are on the repair costs index.
Can I still drive with this advisory?
A knock through the wheel is annoying rather than dangerous. Have it looked at at the next service. If the steering becomes notchy or catches as you turn, have it seen sooner.
Enter your reg to see every steering advisory on your car’s record, and whether this one has been noted before under a different wording.
Which cars get this advisory most?
The all-vehicle rate is 0.3 per 1,000 tests. On the models below it is five to ten times that.
| Model | Per 1,000 tests | Vs all cars | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mazda 2 | 3 | 10.4× | 1,269,505 |
| Land Rover Defender | 3 | 8.7× | 1,232,451 |
| Saab 9-3 | 2 | 7.5× | 589,429 |
| Lexus CT | 2 | 7.5× | 263,102 |
| Ford Puma | 2 | 6.9× | 306,285 |
| Vauxhall Combo | 2 | 6.0× | 1,167,848 |
| Kia Ceed | 2 | 6.0× | 1,221,714 |
| Ford Fiesta | 2 | 5.8× | 15,017,429 |
| Hyundai i30 | 2 | 5.6× | 1,092,566 |
| Toyota Auris | 2 | 5.0× | 1,541,174 |
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 Mazda 2 leads at 10.4 times the average, with the Land Rover Defender and Saab 9-3 behind it. The Lexus CT, Toyota Auris, Kia Ceed and Hyundai i30 are pairs of related cars. The multiples are high because the base rate is so low; in absolute terms this advisory is uncommon on every model.
The Ford Fiesta is here for the usual reason: fifteen million tests.
What to do next
- Ask which joint. Upper, lower or top bearing. The lower one is the usual suspect and the one that corrodes.
- Notice whether it knocks or catches. A knock can wait. Notchy steering should not.
- Ask whether the joint is sold separately. It decides whether this is a small job or a column section.
- Leave it alone if it is slight and steady. This is one advisory where the numbers say most cars carry on for years.
Steering column joint advisory FAQ
What does steering column universal joint has slight wear or play mean?
One of the jointed sections of the steering column, between the steering wheel and the rack, has a small amount of play within limits. It is an advisory and the car passes.
Is a worn steering column joint dangerous?
Not at the advisory stage. The steering still works normally and the play is slight. It fails the MOT only when the play is excessive or the joint is insecure. According to DVSA MOT data analysed by PriceMyRepair, 1.2% of 113,120 such advisories failed on the column at the next test.
What does a worn steering column joint feel like?
A knock or click through the steering wheel when changing direction, most noticeable at low speed, and sometimes a little dead movement at the wheel. A corroded joint feels notchy rather than loose.
What is the steering column top bearing?
The bearing at the top of the column that supports the steering wheel shaft. When worn, the wheel can be rocked slightly in its housing. It is recorded under the same advisory and fails less often than the joint.
How much does it cost to fix?
A universal joint sold on its own is a modest part and a short job. Where it comes only as part of a column section, it costs more. We do not publish a range. Any prices on this site are estimates and final quotes come from garages.
Which cars get this advisory most?
The Mazda 2, Land Rover Defender and Saab 9-3, at seven to ten times the average rate, though the advisory is uncommon on every model.
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 241,368 times; 113,120 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.