Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Nissan Navara 2005: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 53 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2005 Nissan Navara were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Chassis condition (rear).

Summary

With 899 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2005 Nissan Navara differs from the model years either side.

At a glance

How 899 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
53 in every 100
Did not pass first time
47 in every 100419 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
20 yearsabout 136,319 miles
First tests counted
899

What failed most often

  1. Chassis condition (rear)18 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension mounting area (rear)14 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Windscreen washers13 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 2005 Nissan Navara 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.

Body and structure

Two faults. The strongest is the chassis condition (rear): 11 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 416 of 419 failed first attempts (99.3%) 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.

Chassis condition (rear)

Failed on 75 first tests11 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A main load-bearing structural member that is fractured, deformed, modified or inadequately repaired is Major when structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and Dangerous where steering or braking is likely to be adversely affected. Corrosion of the body, cab or chassis at a mounting point is Dangerous where overall security or stability is impaired.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 26 first tests, 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system

Failed on 26 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear): 6.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)

Failed on 39 first tests6.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.

Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 23 first tests6.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Service brake efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and efficiency less than half of the required value is graded Dangerous. On a roller brake tester, if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock, the efficiency requirement for that system counts as met.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 46 first tests4.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A wheel with no recorded braking effort on the roller test is graded Dangerous. Inadequate effort, a brake grabbing severely, abnormal lag and excessive fluctuation in effort are each Major. So is significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied, which indicates a binding brake.

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

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the wheel bearings (front): 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Wheel bearings (front)

Failed on 28 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsPossible 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 58 first tests, 7.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 59 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

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

Visibility

One fault: windscreen washers, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Windscreen washers

Failed on 56 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Windscreen washers that are not working, or do not provide sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, are graded Major. They must provide enough fluid for the wipers to clear the windscreen effectively. Vehicles with an opening windscreen, or some other adequate view to the front, left and right, are not inspected for washers.

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

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Noted on 33 first tests2.6 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
53in 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
40in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 53.4% of 899 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 59.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 40 not fixed make the 47 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

4060801002005201020152020Newer cars
406080100200520102020Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200457 in every 100577
2005 This car53 in every 100899
200654 in every 1001,374
200755 in every 1001,638
200855 in every 1001,317
200953 in every 1001,387
201055 in every 1001,546
201155 in every 1003,290
201252 in every 1002,874
201357 in every 1003,072
201458 in every 1003,171
201560 in every 1003,600
201670 in every 1007,275
201768 in every 1008,322
201870 in every 1007,400
201974 in every 1006,878
202078 in every 1003,960
202182 in every 1006,561

FAQs

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

With 899 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2005 Nissan Navara differs from the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Chassis condition (rear), about 18 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 53.4% of 899 first MOTs on the 2005 Nissan Navara passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 59.6%. Among 419 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Chassis condition (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (18.0% of those tests; 75 observed failures; about 11× 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 2005 Nissan Navara at the first attempt were Chassis condition (rear) (18.0%), Suspension mounting area (rear) (14.2%) and Windscreen washers (13.5%), 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: Chassis condition (rear) (18.0% of those tests; 75 observed failures; about 11× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Chassis condition (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (18.0% of those tests; 75 observed failures; about 11× 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 2005 Nissan Navara include Chassis condition (rear), Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear), Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test). 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 2005 Nissan Navara (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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