2017 Nissan Qashqai 1.6L Diesel · KT17 KDK

Two MOT failures within the last fourteen months dominate the mechanical profile of this Qashqai, both dated 2025 and 2026, and they touch on safety-critical areas rather than minor presentation items. The 2025 test recorded Major defects against the engine malfunction indicator lamp and the electronic stability control warning lamp, meaning the ECU was either flagging an active powertrain or emissions fault or the warning system itself was compromised at the point of test. Although the vehicle subsequently passed in April 2025 and again on 2026-03-25, the latest pass was accompanied by a separate failure notice on the same day for front brake pads worn down to the wear indicator, an item that should have been identified and rectified well before reaching the sensor thickness. Layered beneath these failures are recurring advisories for perished or edge-worn tyres across multiple test cycles and a flagged offside front track rod end with slight play, all of which suggest a pattern of deferred consumable and chassis attention rather than a single isolated event. With 55,723 miles recorded over nine years, the vehicle accumulates roughly 6,191 miles annually, a figure broadly in line with average private use for a Qashqai of this era. There are no multi-year gaps in testing that would imply extended standing, which removes concerns around seized callipers, perished rubber, and 12V battery deterioration that often accompany long lay-ups. Equally, there is no evidence of mileage acceleration that would point to high motorway or commercial use, so wear on clutches, dual-mass flywheels, and turbo components is unlikely to be disproportionately advanced relative to age. The relatively modest annual mileage does mean, however, that advisories for tyre cracking recorded in 2021 and 2022 on all four corners are consistent with age-related rubber degradation rather than aggressive driving, and the same logic applies to the 2024 advisory for edge wear, which on a Qashqai of this mileage often traces to worn rear suspension bushes allowing slight camber misalignment. The 2025 failure relating to the engine MIL and stability control warning lamp is the single most important item for a prospective buyer to interrogate. Both warning lamps share the ESC module and wheel speed sensor network, so any persistent reappearance on the dashboard, particularly during cold starts, on uneven surfaces, or accompanied by an intermittent traction control intervention, warrants diagnostic interrogation with a Nissan-capable scan tool capable of reading ABS and chassis DTCs rather than a generic OBD-II reader. Sensor connectors at the wheel hubs and the yaw rate sensor under the centre console are common culprits on this generation Qashqai. The offside front track rod end ball joint play flagged in 2025 should be checked by rocking the steering at full lock with the wheel loaded and listening for a clonking transmitted through the rack, and the inner joint should be inspected for perished gaiters because oil ingress rapidly destroys the rack itself. The brake pad failure recorded the same day as the 2026 pass is a clear signal that brake wear should not be assumed to be in hand simply because an MOT has been completed. The buyer should physically inspect pad and disc condition through the wheel, confirm the offside front caliper slider pins are free, and feel for a firm pedal without sponginess or judder under firm application. A test drive should include moderate-speed stops from 40 mph to detect brake disc runout, which on Qashqais frequently presents as steering wheel vibration rather than pedal feedback. Finally, with tyres having been flagged for cracking in three of the last five tests, examine the sidewalls closely for ozone cracking and check the DOT date stamps, as rubber older than six years becomes hard and loses grip well before the tread reaches the legal limit, an issue worth documenting before purchase.