Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Nissan X-Trail 2004: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 52 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2004 Nissan X-Trail were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension mounting area (rear).

Summary

The 2004 Nissan X-Trail follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,380 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
52 in every 100
Did not pass first time
48 in every 100667 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
21 yearsabout 121,661 miles
First tests counted
1,380

What failed most often

  1. Suspension mounting area (rear)22 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension arm ball joint (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)14 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 2004 Nissan X-Trail vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

Four faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear): 12 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 663 of 667 failed first attempts (99.4%) 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 (rear)

Failed on 26 first tests12 times as often as similar carsPossible 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 51 first tests, 12 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

Failed on 28 first tests6.3 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 38 first tests, 6.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 144 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 82 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Failed on 107 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: seat belt mounting area (rear), 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Seat belt mounting area (rear)

Failed on 21 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A seat belt anchorage likely to become detached in the event of a collision is graded Dangerous. The load bearing structure near an anchorage, called a prescribed area, is Major when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Anchorage points are inspected for all seat belts fitted, except a belt with no corresponding seat.

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

Body and structure

One fault: vehicle structure condition (rear), 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Vehicle structure condition (rear)

Failed on 25 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Structure that is fractured, deformed, corroded, modified or inadequately repaired is failed on rigidity only if the overall structural rigidity of the vehicle is significantly reduced. Structure that is likely to affect steering or braking adversely is graded Dangerous. Prescribed areas are not covered here, as they are checked under other sections, including brakes and steering.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 31 first tests, 3.4 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 and one wear pattern. The strongest is the brake performance (roller test, front): 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, front)

Failed on 31 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

Brake pads (rear)

Failed on 30 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 54 first tests, 2.4 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, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end

Failed on 30 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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.

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 25 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Noted on 128 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (front)

Noted on 36 first tests2.2 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
52in 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
41in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 51.7% of 1,380 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 59.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 41 not fixed make the 48 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsPassed first time, as tested
Diesel86949
Petrol50856

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

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

4060801002004201020152020
406080100200420102020

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 50 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200352 in every 100784
2004 This car52 in every 1001,380
200554 in every 1002,274
200650 in every 1002,987
200750 in every 1002,795
200850 in every 1002,418
200954 in every 1001,598
201052 in every 1001,208
201155 in every 1001,859
201257 in every 1001,555
201362 in every 1001,504
201462 in every 1003,609
201564 in every 1007,783
201669 in every 10014,205
201774 in every 10016,308
201881 in every 1008,513
201983 in every 1005,424
202086 in every 1004,495
202186 in every 1002,167
202293 in every 100536

FAQs

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

The 2004 Nissan X-Trail follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Suspension mounting area (rear), about 22 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 51.7% of 1,380 first MOTs on the 2004 Nissan X-Trail passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 59.0%. Among 667 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (3.9% of those tests; 26 observed failures; about 12× 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 2004 Nissan X-Trail at the first attempt were Suspension mounting area (rear) (21.7%), Suspension arm ball joint (front) (16.1%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (14.3%), 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-roll bar pins and bushes (rear) (3.9% of those tests; 26 observed failures; about 12× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (3.9% of those tests; 26 observed failures; about 12× 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 2004 Nissan X-Trail include Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear), Suspension mounting area (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 2004 Nissan X-Trail (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.

Check any vehicle’s MOT history

Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.

Run a free check