How reliable is the Nissan Pathfinder compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Nissan Pathfinder, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 55.7% across 4,726 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Nissan Pathfinder?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 23.9% of failed Nissan Pathfinder tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Nissan Pathfinder?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 27.3% of all Nissan Pathfinder tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Nissan Pathfinder usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 127,635 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Nissan Pathfinder get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 58.7% of Nissan Pathfinder tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 54.7%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Nissan Pathfinder models petrol or diesel?

Of the Nissan Pathfinder cars tested, 99% are diesel, 1% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Nissan Pathfinder MOT pass rate & common failures

From 4,726 recorded MOT tests of the Nissan Pathfinder, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 4,726 MOT tests, 55.7% of Nissan Pathfinder tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Nissan Pathfinder fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 23.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 127,635 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

55.7%unadjusted, not comparable4,726 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Pathfinder. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 4,726 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Nissan Pathfinder tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn23.9%
431 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened17.5%
317 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
3.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play16.2%
292 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn15.7%
284 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning15.0%
271 occurrencesLamp not working explained
6.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc12.7%
230 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
7.Exhaust system leaking or insecure10.8%
196 occurrencesExhaust leaking or insecure explained
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.0%
180 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
9.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced8.8%
159 occurrencesCorrosion in a structural area explained
10.A wheel bearing with excessive play7.6%
137 occurrencesWheel bearing has excessive play or is rough explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Nissan Pathfinder tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements27.3%
1,290 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn15.1%
714 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured14.6%
690 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn14.2%
670 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users12.0%
566 tests
6.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced11.0%
521 testsCorrosion in a structural area explained
7.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded10.4%
493 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
8.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.3%
489 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

9–11 yrs59%

12–14 yrs57%

15+ yrs55%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Pathfinder fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 127,635
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel99.2%
Petrol0.8%

Check a specific Nissan Pathfinder

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Nissan models

Nissan Qashqai — 67.4% adjusted
Nissan Juke — 66.5% adjusted
Nissan Micra — 63.8% adjusted
Nissan Note — 65.9% adjusted
Nissan X-Trail — 70.5% adjusted
Nissan Navara — 68.6% adjusted
All Nissan models

Common questions

How reliable is the Nissan Pathfinder compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Nissan Pathfinder, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 55.7% across 4,726 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Nissan Pathfinder?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 23.9% of failed Nissan Pathfinder tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Nissan Pathfinder?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 27.3% of all Nissan Pathfinder tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Nissan Pathfinder usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 127,635 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a Nissan Pathfinder get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 58.7% of Nissan Pathfinder tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 54.7%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Nissan Pathfinder models petrol or diesel?: Of the Nissan Pathfinder cars tested, 99% are diesel, 1% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.