Linkage ball joint dust cover deteriorated on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Linkage ball joint dust cover deteriorated on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class is recorded on 12,663 tests — 1.5% of all its MOT tests, against 0.6% across every car in the data. That is 2.5× the national share.
Is this unusual for this model?
| Compared with | What it says |
|---|---|
| Every car in the data | 0.6% of tests record it — this model is 2.5× that share |
| The 240 models compared | 35 of 240, highest first |
| The model's own record | 850,750 tests · every year of the A-Class → |
A share of tests is not a probability for your car: it counts every Mercedes-Benz A-Class 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 2001, 0.7% of this model's tests recorded it; in 2018, 0.2%. The share has fallen 0.4 points over that time. Worst year 2013 at 4.2%; best 2018 at 0.2%.
| Year | Failures recorded | Tests | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 15 | 2,302 | 0.7% |
| 2002 | 20 | 3,573 | 0.6% |
| 2003 | 12 | 4,949 | 0.2% |
| 2004 | 12 | 4,753 | 0.3% |
| 2005 | 30 | 11,151 | 0.3% |
| 2007 | 52 | 23,128 | 0.2% |
| 2012 | 96 | 19,178 | 0.5% |
| 2013 | 2,253 | 53,544 | 4.2% |
| 2014 | 3,373 | 83,869 | 4.0% |
| 2015 | 2,719 | 95,330 | 2.9% |
| 2016 | 2,418 | 133,159 | 1.8% |
| 2017 | 1,252 | 139,570 | 0.9% |
| 2018 | 275 | 134,143 | 0.2% |
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 £18–£45 fitted. It is a job a careful owner can do at home. 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
- Linkage ball joint dust cover deteriorated: every model, every year → — the item's own page, with the part guide.
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class MOT pass rate by year → — the model's whole record, and what else it fails on.
- Every Mercedes-Benz model →