MOT defect file
Steering rack mounting insecure or deteriorated
Last updated
Quick answer
The rack itself is moving on the bulkhead or subframe it bolts to, usually because a mounting bush has collapsed or a bolt has come loose. The steering feels imprecise even though every joint is sound.
- Typical cost
- £120–£450
- DIY viability
- Garage job
What you might notice
- A clonk through the steering wheel as you change direction, felt in your hands rather than heard from the road
- Steering that feels imprecise and rubbery even though the tracking has just been set and the joints are new
- The wheel needing a small correction after every bump, as the rack shifts and the toe angle changes with it
- Nothing at all in the early stages — a collapsed rack bush is found by levering the rack on a ramp, which is not something you can feel from the seat
What causes it
- Perished or crushed rack mounting bushes, which are rubber and age like every other bush on the car
- Mounting bolts that have loosened or stretched, often after previous work where a single-use bolt was reused
- Corrosion of the bulkhead, subframe or crossmember the rack clamps to, so the mounting no longer holds it firmly
- Impact damage from a kerb strike transmitted up the track rod into the rack and its mounting
Advisory or failure?
A steering rack or box mounting that is insecure is a major defect and a failure, as is a mounting bush or clamp so worn or deteriorated that the rack can move on the vehicle. A slightly worn mounting bush that still locates the rack is a minor defect. The grading rises to dangerous where the mounting is fractured, where a component is likely to become detached, or where the movement is severe enough that steering control could be lost. Two related points catch cars out here: the mounting bolts must be present and secure, so a missing bolt is a failure on its own, and because the mounting area sits within 30cm of a steering component attachment, corrosion around it is assessed as a prescribed area and must be repaired by continuous seam welding rather than filled or plated.
Can you fix it yourself?
Garage job
Diagnosis needs two people and a ramp — one applying steering input while the other watches the rack against its mounting from underneath — and telling a moving rack apart from a worn inner joint is exactly the judgement the tester is paid for. Retorquing accessible mounting bolts to the manufacturer's figure, with new bolts where they are specified as single use, is within reach of a careful home mechanic. Beyond that it is not driveway work: replacing rack bushes usually means unbolting the rack and often lowering the subframe, the track rods have to be disturbed, a hydraulic system needs bleeding afterwards, and the geometry has to be set up properly at the end.
What it costs
Mounting bolts and a pair of rack bushes are £20 to £70 in parts, with two to three hours of labour and an alignment on top, so a bush job lands at £180 to £320. Simply retightening and replacing bolts where nothing else is worn is at the bottom of the band. The top is reached where the rack has to come out completely, where corrosion around the mounting needs welded repair, or where the movement has damaged the rack and a reconditioned unit is the sensible fix — the part is around £150 to £350 on a common car, which with three to five hours of labour, bleeding and alignment reaches the top of the band and, on an electrically assisted rack that needs coding, goes beyond it.
What happens if you ignore it
A rack that moves on its mountings puts the steering geometry in a slightly different place every time you load it, which is why the car feels vague and needs constant correction — tiring on a motorway and imprecise in an emergency. The movement also works the mounting itself, so bolt holes elongate, the bush pockets wear and the corrosion around them accelerates, taking the job from a set of bushes towards bodywork repair. In the worst case a fractured mounting lets the rack shift far enough that steering input stops translating into wheel movement, which is why the severe version of this defect is graded dangerous.
Common questions
- Is a loose steering rack mounting an MOT failure?
- Yes. A steering rack or box mounting that is insecure is a major defect, as is a mounting bush or clamp so worn that the rack can move on the vehicle. A slightly worn bush that still locates the rack is a minor defect. It rises to dangerous where the mounting is fractured or the movement is severe enough that steering control could be lost.
- Why does my steering feel vague when the tracking and joints are new?
- Because the rack itself may be moving on the bulkhead or subframe it bolts to, usually through a collapsed mounting bush or a bolt that has come loose. Every joint can be sound and the geometry freshly set, yet the whole rack shifts under load, so the toe angle changes as you steer and the car needs constant small corrections.
- What causes a clonk felt through the steering wheel when changing direction?
- A rack shifting on its mountings is a common source, and the giveaway is that you feel it in your hands rather than hear it from the road. Confirming it needs a ramp and two people, one applying steering input while the other watches the rack against its mounting, because a moving rack and a worn inner joint feel much the same from the seat.
- Is a missing steering rack mounting bolt a failure on its own?
- Yes. The mounting bolts must be present and secure, so a missing one fails the car regardless of how the steering feels. Worth knowing too: the mounting area sits within 30cm of a steering component attachment, so corrosion around it is assessed as a prescribed area and must be repaired by continuous seam welding rather than filled or plated.
- How much does it cost to fix steering rack mountings?
- Between £120 and £450. Bolts and a pair of rack bushes are £20 to £70 in parts, with two to three hours of labour and an alignment on top, so a bush job lands at £180 to £320. A reconditioned rack at £150 to £350 for the part reaches the top of the band, and an electrically assisted rack that needs coding goes beyond it.
The warning light behind this
This defect is what a tester writes down. What you see from the driver’s seat is a symbol, and it is worth checking which one, because manufacturers reuse the same shape for more than one system.
This is general guidance, not a diagnosis. The severity DVSA records depends on the specific fault found, so the same item can appear as an advisory on one test and a failure on another. Ask a qualified tester or mechanic to inspect the vehicle.
Has this been recorded on your car?
Check the full MOT history for any UK registration.