VehicleScore research
Nissan Qashqai: track-rod comments in the MOT data
Qashqais aged 9–11 with 60,000–119,999 miles had a track-rod MOT comment on 30.3% of 8,232 vehicles. Other vehicles in that age and mileage slice were at 6.6%. At ages 12–14, still in that mileage band, the Qashqai rate was 43.6% of 4,230, against 7.5%.
The pass rate looks ordinary until the car is older
The age-standardised MOT pass rate for the Qashqai is 75.5%, from 175,682 tests on 16,046 vehicles. The crude rate, before that adjustment, is 77.1%. The dataset’s overall pass rate is 78.5%. Standardising to the age mix of tests pulls the Qashqai down, which means its unadjusted figure was helped by younger tests.
Split by age, the gap opens later. At ages 9–11 the Qashqai pass rate is 70.1% against 75.0% for every test in that band. At 12–14 it is 64.9% against 72.3%. At 15 or over it is 63.0% against 71.3%, on a smaller 5,728 tests. Younger Qashqais sit slightly above the band. This is not a statement that the model is unreliable. It is the pass rate of the tests we hold.
Test pass rate by the vehicle’s age at the test. The comparison column is every pass/fail test in that age band, including Qashqai. A vehicle can appear in more than one band.
| Age at test | Vehicles | Tests | Qashqai | All tests in the band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 years | 12,843 | 14,562 | 88.5% | 87.4% |
| 3–5 years | 15,344 | 50,057 | 85.0% | 84.4% |
| 6–8 years | 13,713 | 48,505 | 77.7% | 79.3% |
| 9–11 years | 10,345 | 37,220 | 70.1% | 75.0% |
| 12–14 years | 5,712 | 19,610 | 64.9% | 72.3% |
| 15 or over years | 1,968 | 5,728 | 63.0% | 71.3% |
Buying a Qashqai?
These figures describe thousands of Qashqais in our dataset. They cannot tell you the history of the individual car you’re considering. Enter its registration to check that vehicle.
Track-rod comments, matched on age and mileage
A track rod connects the steering rack to the steering arm at the wheel. An MOT comment on it means the tester recorded wear, play or damage. It does not, by itself, say the car failed. In the 9–11 / 60,000–119,999 slice, 35.3% of the Qashqai’s track-rod comments were failures (1,364 of 3,860). At ages 12–14 in the same mileage band, 45.2% were failures. A large share of the comments were advisory, minor or PRS notes. The elevated rate is still the rate of the comment, not a failure rate of 30.3% or 43.6%.
Track-rod comments, Qashqai against other vehicles
Age 9–11, 60–120k miles
Age 12–14, 60–120k miles
Age 12–14, 120k+ miles
The same pattern appears above 120,000 miles. At ages 12–14, 49.0% of 1,717 Qashqais had a track-rod comment, against 9.2% of 118,330 other vehicles. Holding the comparison at a higher mileage band did not remove the gap.
Ball-joint comments are the second repeated pattern, not a separate theory about the car. At ages 9–11 and 60,000–119,999 miles, 37.1% of the same 8,232 Qashqais had a ball-joint comment, against 9.9%. 44.6% of those comments were failures. Both parts sit at the end of the steering and suspension, which is why a buyer looking at a Qashqai of this age should read those two lines on the MOT history rather than a generic “suspension” label.
Share of Qashqai vehicles in each age and mileage slice with at least one matching MOT comment. The comparison is other vehicles in the same slice, not the model itself. Failure share is the percentage of matched comments recorded as a fail. The rest are advisory, minor or PRS comments.
| Comment | Slice | Qashqai | Other vehicles | Gap | Comments that were failures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track rod wear | Age 9–11, 60,000–119,999 miles | 30.3% 2,495 of 8,232 | 6.6% 503,599 vehicles | +23.7 pp | 35.3% 1,364 of 3,860 |
| Track rod wear | Age 12–14, 60,000–119,999 miles | 43.6% 1,843 of 4,230 | 7.5% 326,538 vehicles | +36.1 pp | 45.2% 1,257 of 2,783 |
| Track rod wear | Age 12–14, 120,000 miles or more | 49.0% 842 of 1,717 | 9.2% 118,330 vehicles | +39.8 pp | 49.6% 625 of 1,259 |
| Ball joint wear | Age 9–11, 60,000–119,999 miles | 37.1% 3,057 of 8,232 | 9.9% 503,599 vehicles | +27.3 pp | 44.6% 2,067 of 4,635 |
| Ball joint wear | Age 12–14, 60,000–119,999 miles | 37.0% 1,567 of 4,230 | 12.0% 326,538 vehicles | +25.1 pp | 47.9% 1,101 of 2,300 |
What to look at on the car in front of you
On a Qashqai around 9 to 14 years old, open the MOT history and search for track rod and ball joint. A single advisory is a different fact from the same comment on consecutive tests, and a failure is a different fact from an advisory. The free check shows that history for the registration you enter. It does not show outstanding finance or a write-off category.
Nothing here says Qashqais are unreliable, and nothing here says a clean MOT on a 12-year-old Qashqai is unusual. The comparable rates are 6.6% and 7.5% in the two main slices, so most other cars of that age and mileage did not have the comment. Most Qashqais in the 9–11 slice did not have it either: 30.3% did.
The wider comment ranking is on common MOT problems. Age-standardised pass rates for other models are on MOT pass rates by car model.
Related VehicleScore research
Methodology
Snapshot 27 September 2026, job 2026-09-27.1. Qashqai vehicles are those resolved to that model in VehicleScore’s naming list. The age-standardised pass rate reweights the Qashqai’s own age-band pass rates to the age mix of tests in the dataset. Every age band had enough Qashqai tests to be included.
Issue rates count a vehicle if any included comment matched the rule, whether the comment was a fail, advisory, minor or PRS. The comparison excludes Qashqais. Each published slice has at least 100 Qashqais, at least 20 with the comment, at least 200 other vehicles, and Wilson 95% intervals that do not overlap. The pass-rate comparison column is the full age band, Qashqais included. The issue comparison is other vehicles only.
The dataset is vehicles checked through VehicleScore. It is not a measure of how often Qashqais on the road develop play in a track rod, and it does not identify a mechanical cause.