Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Isuzu D-Max 2016: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 66 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2016 Isuzu D-Max were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

The 2016 Isuzu D-Max follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 4,027 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
66 in every 100
Did not pass first time
34 in every 1001,362 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
9 yearsabout 86,797 miles
First tests counted
4,027

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Rear fog light13 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Suspension arm ball joint (front)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 2016 Isuzu D-Max 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.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front): 26 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,361 of 1,362 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

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-roll bar pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 63 first tests26 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An anti-roll bar pin or bush that is excessively worn is Major, and one likely to become detached is graded Dangerous. The wording is DVSA's general rule for a suspension pin, bush or joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 98 first tests, 31 times as often as on similar cars.

Wheel bearings (front)

Failed on 103 first tests10 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Excessive play in a wheel bearing, or a bearing that is excessively rough, is Major. Play so excessive that the bearing is likely to break up or directional control is impaired is Dangerous, and so is a bearing so rough that it is likely to overheat or break up.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 292 first tests, 47 times as often as on similar cars.

Shock absorbers (rear)

Failed on 137 first tests4.9 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 96 first tests, 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Lamps and electrical

Two faults. The strongest is the rear fog light: 15 times as often as on similar cars.

Rear fog light

Failed on 182 first tests15 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A missing obligatory rear fog lamp, one that is not working, or one that does not emit a steady red light is graded Major. A rear fog lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp is Major too. The manual allows it to go out when main beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off.

Reversing lights

Failed on 37 first tests8.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Reversing lamps must show a white light to the rear, and on some vehicles the engine has to be running before they work. A lamp that does not emit a steady white light, does not face the rear or has its light intensity significantly reduced is Major. A lamp not securely attached is Minor, but one likely to become detached is Major.

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

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the rigid brake pipes (rear): 9.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 82 first tests9.6 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 144 first tests, 6.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Failed on 55 first tests7.9 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 123 first tests, 6.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 48 first tests5.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A parking brake lever pivot or ratchet mechanism that is obviously worn is graded Minor. It is Major when worn to the extent that the brake may inadvertently release, and also when the ratchet is not holding correctly. A lever must have obvious excessive travel before being rejected.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions not tested, 7.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions not tested

Failed on 43 first tests7.8 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An emissions test on a diesel that is unable to be completed is graded Major. The failure wording 'not tested' carries the same Major grade.

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

Body and structure

One fault: exhaust system (rear), 7.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 103 first tests7.4 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 59 first tests, 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

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. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Chassis condition

Noted on 21 first tests14 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Flexible brake hoses (front)

Noted on 21 first tests9.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Noted on 99 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsPossible 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
66in 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
27in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 66.2% of 4,027 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 72.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 27 not fixed make the 34 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020162020Older carsNewer cars
40608010020162020Older 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, 68 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201258 in every 1001,084
201360 in every 1002,464
201462 in every 1003,576
201565 in every 1004,249
2016 This car66 in every 1004,027
201770 in every 1004,085
201872 in every 1003,705
201975 in every 1003,690
202077 in every 1002,455
202182 in every 1003,017
202284 in every 1003,378

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2016 D-Max.

Of 2016 D-Max vehicles with under 59,000 miles, 75 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 120,000 miles or more, 56 in every 100 did.

Under 59,000805 tests
75
59,000–78,000800 tests
71
78,000–96,000 Typical car825 tests
67
96,000–120,000782 tests
62
120,000 and over811 tests
56

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 59,00078,000–96,000120,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)1.73.38.5
Rear fog light3.03.86.9
Suspension arm ball joint (front)1.54.06.5
Shock absorbers (rear)3.02.74.1
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)0.72.84.4

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

27in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

49in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

5in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

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

The 2016 Isuzu D-Max follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 13 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 66.2% of 4,027 first MOTs on the 2016 Isuzu D-Max passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 72.5%. Among 1,362 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Rear fog light appears more often than on similar cars (13.4% of those tests; 182 observed failures; about 15× 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 2016 Isuzu D-Max at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (13.4%), Rear fog light (13.4%) and Suspension arm ball joint (front) (11.9%), 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: Rear fog light (13.4% of those tests; 182 observed failures; about 15× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Rear fog light shows up more often than on similar cars (13.4% of those tests; 182 observed failures; about 15× 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 2016 Isuzu D-Max include Rear fog light, Wheel bearings (front), Exhaust system (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 2016 Isuzu D-Max (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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