73 AUTO
Sign up free

MOT failures by make

Citroen MOT failures for “Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt”

Citroen cars failed their MOT on “Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” in 4.61% of 2,048,777 tests in 2023–2024 (94,517 tests) — 3.1 times as often as comparable cars of the same age, mileage and fuel, which would have failed on it in about 1.50% of tests. It is the number 1 most common failure item on Citroens.

Check what a specific car really costs to own

Data to 2024-12-30 · Page updated 2026-09-28 · Publisher: 73 Auto

Citroen tests failing on it
4.61%
94,517 of 2,048,777 tests, 2023–2024
Comparable cars
1.50%
national rate at the same age, mileage and fuel
Observed ÷ expected
3.08×
73 Auto analysis · rank #1 for Citroen

How unusual this is for the make

Across all MOT failures, Citroens fail 1.26× as often as comparable cars. On this item the gap is 2.44× wider than that overall level, so it is a genuine Citroen pattern rather than a reflection of how often the make fails in general. It is a major defect in the body, chassis and structure part of the test. Nationally it appears on 1.36% of MOT tests.

Citroen models and “Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt”

The Citroen C3 Aircross is most affected (12.48× comparable cars); the Citroen C1 least (0.33×). Not every model follows the make: the pattern is concentrated in some models. Model rows compare with cars of the same age and fuel.

Citroen models: share of MOT tests failing on Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt
ModelTestsFailed on itvs similar cars
Citroen C3 Aircross54,6182.07%12.48×
Citroen DS3146,86010.76%7.07×
Citroen Dispatch95,5788.30%4.99×
Citroen DS420,8148.94%4.57×
Citroen C4364,9935.51%3.69×
Citroen C542,7564.30%3.12×
Citroen Berlingo377,7765.37%3.09×
Citroen C3404,8963.85%2.67×
Citroen C224,6896.31%2.37×
Citroen Xsara61,2435.89%1.93×
Citroen Relay29,3242.32%1.07×
Citroen Nemo29,4171.44%0.66×
Citroen C1337,3440.36%0.33×
Models with at least 10,000 MOT tests and 30 expected failures on this item. 2023–2024 DVSA data; 73 Auto analysis.

By age at test

The difference is largest at 7-8 years old: 5.00% of Citroen tests against 0.98% for comparable cars.

Citroen: share of MOT tests failing on Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt by age band, against comparable cars
Age (years)Citroen testsCitroenComparable cars
3-4217,6830.75%0.19%
5-6259,0072.42%0.48%
7-8335,0635.00%0.98%
9-10340,4196.78%1.48%
11-12273,1386.07%1.91%
13-15303,3295.95%2.48%
16+252,2824.70%3.09%

Other Citroen MOT faults that stand out

Limitations

Official data: DVSA's anonymised MOT results (2023–2024), class 4 initial tests, cars at least 2.5 years old. 73 Auto analysis: the comparison rate applies the national rate of this item for each test's own age, mileage band and fuel to the Citroen tests. An MOT result reflects maintenance, mileage and how a car is used as well as its design, so this is not a measure of which make is most reliable. The wording of the defect is DVSA's.

Has this Citroen failed on it before?

Enter a registration to see that car’s own MOT history, advisories and the running costs 73 Auto expects. Your first check is free and shows the vehicle summary and its headline ownership cost. The category-by-category breakdown is part of a paid check.

UK number plate or 17-character VIN

Where these figures come from

Figures labelled as 73 Auto estimates are our own analysis of these sources, set out in the methodology and data sources. To report a factual error, see corrections.