Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Chevrolet Captiva 2011: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 50 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2011 Chevrolet Captiva were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

With 824 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2011 Chevrolet Captiva differs from the model years either side.

At a glance

How 824 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
50 in every 100
Did not pass first time
50 in every 100412 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
14 yearsabout 105,279 miles
First tests counted
824

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (rear)12 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2011 Chevrolet Captiva vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Brakes

One fault: anti-lock braking system (ABS), 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 412 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 27 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

ABS is failed as removed only where it has obviously been removed, because not every vehicle in the age range where removal is not permitted has ABS. A warning lamp that does not light or shows an ABS fault is Major, as is a missing or excessively damaged wheel speed sensor. Every failure row for this component is Major.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel engine warning light, 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 30 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An engine malfunction indicator lamp that is illuminated to show a malfunction is graded Major on a diesel, but only on the diesels the test covers, which depends on the vehicle type and when it was first used. DVSA lists it under exhaust emissions for compression ignition engines, and the detail line for the row also names an inoperative lamp.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

One fault: coil spring (rear), 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 51 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: brake light, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake light

Failed on 41 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

All stop lamps missing or not working is graded Dangerous, and so is a stop lamp that stays on when the brakes are released. A stop lamp that is missing or not working is Major. On some vehicles with LED rear lamps, part of the stop lamp can go out when the rear fog lamp is lit, which is not regarded as a defect.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 47 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 25 first tests47 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 34 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Exhaust system (rear)

Noted on 30 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Engine oil leaks

Noted on 100 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pads (rear)

Noted on 40 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Shock absorbers (front)

Noted on 36 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
50in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
7in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
43in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 50.0% of 824 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 56.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 43 not fixed make the 50 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

406080100200820092010201120122013Older carsNewer cars
406080100200820092010201120122013Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 46 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200847 in every 100336
200944 in every 100430
201049 in every 1001,115
2011 This car50 in every 100824
201257 in every 100678
201359 in every 100816

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

With 824 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2011 Chevrolet Captiva differs from the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 14 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 50.0% of 824 first MOTs on the 2011 Chevrolet Captiva passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 56.8%. Among 412 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-lock braking system (ABS) appears more often than on similar cars (6.6% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 3.7× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2011 Chevrolet Captiva at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (13.6%) and Coil spring (rear) (12.4%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Anti-lock braking system (ABS) (6.6% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 3.7× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS) shows up more often than on similar cars (6.6% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 3.7× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2011 Chevrolet Captiva include Anti-lock braking system (ABS), Diesel engine warning light, Coil spring (rear). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2011 Chevrolet Captiva (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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