2005 Nissan Pathfinder: MOT pass rate and reliability

63.7% of 2005 Nissan Pathfinders pass the MOT first time, measured across 515 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 147,138 miles.

How the 2005 compares

  • Against all Nissan Pathfinders (60.1%, 5,692 tests): +3.6 points
  • Against all 2005 cars (64.2%): -0.5 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Nissan Pathfinder model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2005 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Nissan Pathfinder:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2005 63.7% 515 147,138
2006 58.4% 866 148,146
2007 57.7% 944 131,032
2008 58.4% 469 127,855
2009 57.5% 645 121,342
2010 62.6% 486 128,033
2011 64.8% 633 116,684
2012 57.1% 401 110,196
2013 60.3% 393 99,320
2014 62.1% 327 98,399

What this means if you are buying a 2005 Pathfinder

The 2005 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 3.6 points more often than the Nissan Pathfinder average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 21-year-old car fails on

A 2005 car is 21 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is very high mileage. Clutches, dual-mass flywheels and head gaskets have usually been through at least one repair by this point, so ask for evidence rather than assume the car is original everywhere. On a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder the average at test was 147,138 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2011 at 64.8%, and the weakest in our data is 2012 at 57.1%. That 7.7 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2005 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Nissan Pathfinder MOT data · Every model