C3 Steering Wheel Excessive Play MOT fail

[steviebabes]

Hi All
My C3 Picasso 1.6 HDI 60 plate failed it's MOT with excessive play in steering wheel.
There is quite a bit of play when the engine is off, which is not evident once the engine is running and the ECU kicks in.
The previous owner was billed for a replacement 5 years and 30000 miles ago.
Is it likely to have failed again or could this be something else?

Thanks in advance.

[GiveMeABreak]

You probably have the electric power steering mechanism built onto the rack, which is a complete replacement. It's possible that the previous replacement was a second hand one, which may mean it was on borrowed time.

[steviebabes]

Thanks
I hadn't thought of that!
I'll order a recon one for my garage to fix.

[Paul-R]

Is there nothing inside the rack, or at least the column, that wears away first. Something like on this Kia Ceed.

[PaulC5]

Have a look down the steering column and see if there is a joint that has worn or has loose bolts.

[Gibbo2286]

Have a look down the steering column and see if there is a joint that has worn or has loose bolts.

That would be my first call and it needs looking at pronto, the splined joint if left loose for too long can slip round and leave you with no steering.