Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Nissan Qashqai 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 50 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Nissan Qashqai were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Track rod end (front).

Summary

The 2012 Nissan Qashqai follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 36,763 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
50 in every 100
Did not pass first time
50 in every 10018,560 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 100,713 miles
First tests counted
36,763

What failed most often

  1. Track rod end (front)21 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)20 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Suspension arm ball joint (front)18 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 2012 Nissan Qashqai 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

Five faults. The strongest is the suspension arm (rear): 6.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 18,556 of 18,560 failed first attempts 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.

Suspension arm (rear)

Failed on 473 first tests6.7 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a suspension arm. A component that is fractured, missing or likely to fail is graded Dangerous, and one excessively damaged or corroded is Major. On some vehicles, some highly stressed parts are thin pressed steel, and many of those have hollow box sections or up-facing areas that can collect road dirt and salt, so they get special attention.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 1,394 first tests, 4.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 1,060 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Whether a suspension arm ball joint dust cover still keeps dirt out decides its grade. Severely deteriorated is Minor, while missing, or no longer preventing the ingress of dirt, is Major.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)

Failed on 1,653 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Excessive wear on an anti-roll bar linkage ball joint is Major. A joint likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Anti-roll bar ball joint (front)

Failed on 442 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On an anti-roll bar ball joint, DVSA fails a suspension pin, bush or joint that is excessively worn as Major. One likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 156 first tests, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Failed on 3,273 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A suspension arm ball joint is failed under the general suspension pin, bush or joint wording. Excessively worn is Major, and likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

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

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: airbag warning light, 5.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Airbag warning light

Failed on 1,482 first tests5.7 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 30 first tests, 3.3 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.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 4.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 3,861 first tests4.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 1,232 first tests, 4.6 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.

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 3,036 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 36 first tests, 3.6 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.

Brakes

One fault: handbrake performance (roller test, rear), 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Handbrake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 532 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake that is inoperative on one side is Major. When tested on the road, the failure is the vehicle deviating excessively from a straight line. Vehicles whose parking brake was already tested as the secondary brake are not tested again for this.

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

Road wheels

One fault: wheel fixings (front), 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Wheel fixings (front)

Failed on 390 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Wheel nuts, bolts and studs are the fixings that attach the road wheel. A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud is Major. If more than one is loose or missing, it is graded Dangerous.

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 sub-frame pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 357 first tests21 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 192 first tests4.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Noise-suppression undertray (front)

Noted on 37 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pads (rear)

Noted on 2,077 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

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 49.5% of 36,763 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 56.9%: 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.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel20,666109,929 miles4648
Petrol16,09688,861 miles5451

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

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

406080100201220152020Older carsNewer cars
40608010020122020Older carsNewer cars

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

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200744 in every 1007,157
200842 in every 10010,306
200942 in every 10018,193
201045 in every 10026,166
201147 in every 10029,126
2012 This car50 in every 10036,763
201352 in every 10042,253
201465 in every 10041,861
201568 in every 10053,336
201671 in every 10055,751
201776 in every 10057,212
201879 in every 10045,117
201983 in every 10047,673
202087 in every 10031,521
202188 in every 10028,472
202290 in every 10040,576

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2012 Qashqai.

Of 2012 Qashqai vehicles with under 76,000 miles, 62 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 127,000 miles or more, 44 in every 100 did.

Under 76,0007,377 tests
62
76,000–93,0007,190 tests
50
93,000–109,000 Typical car7,712 tests
47
109,000–127,0007,066 tests
45
127,000 and over7,412 tests
44

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Diesel109,929 miles4648
Petrol88,861 miles5451

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 109,929 against 88,861). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

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 76,00093,000–109,000127,000 and over
Track rod end (front)5.511.213.6
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)4.611.913.0
Suspension arm ball joint (front)4.39.611.6
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)4.88.89.8
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)3.55.25.2

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

When a car fails

22in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

54in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

12in 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 2012 Nissan Qashqai follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Track rod end (front), about 21 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 49.5% of 36,763 first MOTs on the 2012 Nissan Qashqai passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 56.9%. Among 18,560 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension arm (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (2.5% of those tests; 473 observed failures; about 6.7× 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 2012 Nissan Qashqai at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (20.8%), Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (20.2%) and Suspension arm ball joint (front) (17.6%), 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: Suspension arm (rear) (2.5% of those tests; 473 observed failures; about 6.7× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Suspension arm (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.5% of those tests; 473 observed failures; about 6.7× 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 2012 Nissan Qashqai include Suspension arm (rear), Airbag warning light, Track rod end (front). 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 2012 Nissan Qashqai (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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