Pass rate
72.0%
Below average — 3.9 pts behind the 75.9% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 2,439 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £23–£68
2011 Nissan Pathfinder MOT pass rate
- 2011
- typical 115,385 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
23.0% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2014 73.4% pass
- Avoid 2009 68.2% pass
Across the 10 years on record, a spread of 5.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 63.6%
- Typical mileage
- 115k mi
The 2011 Nissan Pathfinder MOT pass rate is 72.0% of its MOT tests — 3.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 23.0% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Nissan Pathfinder does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 2.7× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 14.9% of everything recorded on the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder, against 5.6% nationally — 9.3 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 23.0%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 75.9%; this one manages 72.0% — 3.9 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Nissan Pathfinder? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 75.9%, so this figure is 3.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 63.6%. The median 2011 Nissan Pathfinder in this dataset had covered 115,385 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 71.9% of the time, April–September 72.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated", noted on 5.99% of tests.
- 2,439 recorded tests behind this page.
- 72.0% overall pass rate, 63.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Nissan Pathfinder, the average is 69.8% — best year 2014 (73.4%), worst 2009 (68.2%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 2,439
- Typical mileage (median)
- 115,385 mi
- Make and model
- Nissan Pathfinder
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Body Panel Repair
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Pathfinder MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 58% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Pathfinder
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 476 | 72.9% |
| South West | 331 | 66.5% |
| East of England | 288 | 74.7% |
| North West | 258 | 73.3% |
| Yorkshire | 253 | 74.3% |
| West Midlands | 232 | 72.8% |
| East Midlands | 215 | 70.7% |
| Wales | 136 | 69.1% |
| Scotland | 135 | 70.4% |
| North East | 90 | 73.3% |
| London | 25 | 80.0% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2011 Pathfinder
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2011 Pathfinder
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the coil springs 5.9% of tests
“coil spring fractured or broken”
Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.
-
Check the suspension joints 5.5% of tests
“ball joint excessively worn”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
-
Check the lights 5.4% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2011 Pathfinder through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £23–£68 — and 40% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £23–£68
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp with a multiple light source up to…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 90%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 40%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 2,439 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Pathfinder, side by side
10 model years on record, from 2005 to 2014. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.2% to 73.4% — a spread of 5.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2005 71.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 68.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 68.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 68.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2009 68.2% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2010 71.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 72.0%joints constant velocity boot…
- 2012 69.7% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2013 70.4% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2014 73.4% coil spring fractured or broken
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2011 cars with a similar record
- Citroen C4 72.1%
- Alfa Romeo Giulietta 71.9%
- Suzuki SX4 72.1%
- Fiat Fiorino 72.1%
- Citroen C3 72.2%
- Kia Rio 72.2%
Closest pass rates among 2011 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 6,345 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 1,480 | 23.00% | 20.98% | +2.02 |
| Brakes | 991 | 15.40% | 20.89% | −5.49 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 983 | 15.30% | 12.21% | +3.09 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 959 | 14.90% | 5.57% | +9.33 |
| Tyres | 661 | 10.30% | 19.76% | −9.46 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 387 | 6.00% | 5.52% | +0.48 |
| Visibility | 329 | 5.10% | 4.97% | +0.13 |
| Steering | 284 | 4.40% | 2.57% | +1.83 |
| Non-component advisories | 194 | 3.00% | 4.18% | −1.18 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 77 | 1.20% | 1.76% | −0.56 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 6.0% | £80–250 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 5.9% | £25–65 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 5.5% | £18–45 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.4% | £5–20 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 4.2% | £18–45 |
| Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.0% | £18–45 |
| Stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.9% | £3–12 |
| Mirrors slightly damaged Visibility | Minor | 2.8% | £3–15 |
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.7% | £5–25 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.6% | £5–25 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 19.4% | £45–95 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 15.3% | £18–45 |
| Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 10.1% | £18–45 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 9.6% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 8.9% | £200–700 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 7.6% | £18–45 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 3 | 66.7% | 29,380 mi |
| 30-60k | 94 | 77.7% | 50,704 mi |
| 60-90k | 387 | 76.0% | 77,672 mi |
| 90-120k | 878 | 71.0% | 105,347 mi |
| 120k+ | 1,075 | 70.8% | 146,564 mi |
Source: 2,439 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2011 Pathfinder MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2011 Nissan Pathfinder?
72.0% of the 2,439 2011 Nissan Pathfinder tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 75.9% for cars first used in 2011. First-attempt pass rate: 63.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2011 Nissan Pathfinder?
The three most recorded items are joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (5.99%), coil spring fractured or broken (5.90%), ball joint excessively worn (5.49%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 66.7% of the time, falling to 70.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2011 Nissan Pathfinder in this dataset had covered 115,385 mi.
Does the season affect the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 71.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 72.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.