Play in steering rack inner joint on the BMW X3

Play in steering rack inner joint on the BMW X3 is recorded on 22,599 tests — 7.1% of all its MOT tests, against 1.6% across every car in the data. That is 4.4× the national share.

Is this unusual for this model?

Compared with	What it says
Every car in the data	1.6% of tests record it — this model is 4.4× that share
The 325 models compared	9 of 325, highest first
The model's own record	317,988 tests · every year of the X3 →

A share of tests is not a probability for your car: it counts every BMW X3 tested, whatever its mileage, service history and use. The like-for-like comparison on the model page is the fairer number.

Year by year

In 2004, 2.5% of this model's tests recorded it; in 2017, 0.5%. The share has fallen 2.0 points over that time. Worst year 2011 at 20.7%; best 2009 at 0.2%.

Year	Failures recorded	Tests	Share of tests
2004	204	8,067	2.5%
2005	154	9,639	1.6%
2006	120	11,217	1.1%
2007	63	8,204	0.8%
2008	35	5,335	0.7%
2009	11	4,803	0.2%
2010	230	3,188	7.2%
2011	2,945	14,200	20.7%
2012	4,563	24,620	18.5%
2013	4,613	25,705	17.9%
2014	3,488	21,533	16.2%
2015	3,010	24,197	12.4%
2016	2,925	30,771	9.5%
2017	143	27,010	0.5%

Years with fewer than 0.2% of tests recording the item are left out: a year with two failures in 400 tests is noise, and this table is not here to make noise look like a trend.

What it costs

A typical UK repair for this item is £120–£300 fitted. It is a job for a garage, not a driveway. What the part is, and what to buy →

Prices are typical UK supply-and-fitting estimates, not quotes. What happens if it fails covers the retest rules.

Where this sits

Play in steering rack inner joint: every model, every year → — the item's own page, with the part guide.
BMW X3 MOT pass rate by year → — the model's whole record, and what else it fails on.
Every BMW model →