Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volkswagen Sharan 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 67 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Volkswagen Sharan were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension arm pins and bushes (front).

Summary

The 2012 Volkswagen Sharan follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,945 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
67 in every 100
Did not pass first time
33 in every 100644 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 107,608 miles
First tests counted
1,945

What failed most often

  1. Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre condition (rear)13 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (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 2012 Volkswagen Sharan 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

Two faults. The strongest is the diesel engine warning light: 4.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 643 of 644 failed first attempts (99.8%) 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.

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 69 first tests4.1 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.

Petrol engine warning light

Failed on 46 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on a petrol engine is a Major failure when it is illuminated indicating a malfunction. The detail line DVSA gives for the same row also names an inoperative lamp. The test covers only certain petrol vehicles, depending on their age, size and fuel type.

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

Lamps and electrical

One fault: side repeater indicators, 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Side repeater indicators

Failed on 37 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Sequential or dynamic direction indicators are not a reason to fail. Where a side repeater is required, it is allowed to be part of the front direction indicator if it has a marked wraparound lens, or an amber light coming through the front lens when viewed from a set distance to the side of the rear bumper. A lens defect with no effect on the emitted light is Minor, and one that adversely affects the light is Major.

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

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the suspension arm pins and bushes (front): 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 102 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 141 first tests, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 76 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A suspension joint dust cover that is severely deteriorated is Minor. It becomes Major once it is missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, so what matters is whether it still keeps dirt out. DVSA words this for any suspension joint dust cover, and files it here under anti-roll bars.

Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 22 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover is Major, and so is one that no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A cover that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. DVSA uses one wording for the dust cover on any suspension joint.

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

Tyres

One wear pattern: tyre condition (rear), 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Tyre condition (rear)

Failed on 86 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Exposed or damaged ply or cords are graded Dangerous. A cut in excess of the requirements and deep enough to reach the ply or cords is Major, and testers may open the cut with a blunt instrument to check its depth. A tyre contacting the vehicle through flexing or suspension movement is not a defect; fouling fails only at the time of test.

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

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: airbag warning light, 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Airbag warning light

Failed on 23 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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 (rear)

Noted on 76 first tests5.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pads (rear)

Noted on 70 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 31 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
67in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
28in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 66.9% of 1,945 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 72.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 28 not fixed make the 33 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsPassed first time, as tested
Diesel1,45064
Petrol49576

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

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

4060801002005201220152020Older carsNewer cars
40608010020122020Older 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
200552 in every 100437
200650 in every 100430
200749 in every 100489
200850 in every 100416
200950 in every 100363
201055 in every 100568
201167 in every 1002,005
2012 This car67 in every 1001,945
201368 in every 1002,027
201471 in every 1002,551
201575 in every 1002,773
201678 in every 1002,683
201779 in every 1002,828
201883 in every 1002,662
201985 in every 1004,526
202086 in every 1001,428
202184 in every 1001,050

FAQs

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

The 2012 Volkswagen Sharan follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Suspension arm pins and bushes (front), about 16 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 66.9% of 1,945 first MOTs on the 2012 Volkswagen Sharan passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 72.3%. Among 644 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Diesel engine warning light appears more often than on similar cars (10.7% of those tests; 69 observed failures; about 4.1× 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 Volkswagen Sharan at the first attempt were Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) (15.9%), Tyre condition (rear) (13.4%) and Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) (11.8%), 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: Diesel engine warning light (10.7% of those tests; 69 observed failures; about 4.1× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Diesel engine warning light shows up more often than on similar cars (10.7% of those tests; 69 observed failures; about 4.1× 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 Volkswagen Sharan include Diesel engine warning light, Side repeater indicators, Suspension arm pins and bushes (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 Volkswagen Sharan (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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