2009 Nissan Qashqai 2.0L Diesel · SJ09 XHL

The Nissan Qashqai presents a mixed maintenance picture. The most recent test on 20 June 2025 at 157,303 miles passed, but the record shows a clear pattern of deferred repairs and recurring faults. The trend is not reassuring. In the June 2024 test at 142,984 miles, the tester flagged a worn brake pedal pivot, slight play in the offside front lower suspension arm ball joint, and both front tyres worn to the legal limit. A year earlier, the same vehicle failed twice in May 2024 with far more serious defects: excessively binding front brakes, worn and pitted front brake discs, exposed ply on both rear tyres, a failed parking brake, a damaged obligatory mirror, an SRS warning lamp, and excessive play in the nearside front track rod end. That these suspension and braking issues were flagged repeatedly suggests the previous owner addressed the immediate MoT failures but did not resolve the underlying wear. The June 2025 pass came with advisories on both front tyres and a minor exhaust leak, indicating basic upkeep remains reactive rather than preventive. The mileage pattern is broadly consistent with the vehicle's age. Between the May 2023 test at 125,126 miles and the June 2025 test at 157,303 miles, the car covered roughly 32,177 miles in just over two years, averaging around 15,000 miles annually. That is above the typical 9,253 miles per year implied by the overall lifetime average, pointing to heavier recent use. The jump from 142,944 miles in May 2024 to 157,303 miles in June 2025 alone accounts for 14,359 miles in thirteen months. This accelerated wear rate places additional stress on consumable components and makes the recurring tyre and brake defects less surprising. A buyer should inspect the front suspension and steering linkage carefully. The track rod end and lower suspension arm ball joint were flagged for excessive and slight play respectively in the 2024 failure, and the brake pedal pivot showed wear. Check for uneven tyre wear on the inner edges, which appeared repeatedly across multiple tests and hints at tracking or suspension geometry issues. The front braking system also demands attention: binding calipers, worn discs, and pitted surfaces were all recorded in May 2024, and while the vehicle passed in 2025, no evidence suggests a thorough overhaul of the braking system. The SRS warning lamp that appeared in the 2024 failure should be scanned for fault codes to confirm whether the airbag system is fully operational. Finally, inspect the exhaust system for corrosion around the minor leak noted in the most recent test, as a seventeen-year-old vehicle of this age is prone to exhaust deterioration.