Nissan Serena
Registered from 1999 to 2021.
About this model
The Nissan Serena is a minivan manufactured by Nissan, joining the slightly larger Vanette. The car was engineered by Nissan's Aichi Manufacturing Division and launched in 1991 as a compact passenger van, and it grew larger with each generation over the years. Earlier versions were front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout with a live axle mounted on leaf springs, while the following generations are front-wheel drive or 4WD.
From the Wikipedia article Nissan Serena, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2010 2.0 petrol. 46 of 277 tests failed, 17%.
Better than 86% of 2010 cars. The typical one fails 24%, across 955 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and electrics | 43% | 20 |
| Suspension | 28% | 13 |
| Brakes | 22% | 10 |
| Tyres and wheels | 22% | 10 |
| Steering | 13% | 6 |
| Visibility | 11% | 5 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Front or rear fog lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements
- A tyre cords visible or damaged
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Suspension — 28% of its failures
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Brakes — 22% of its failures
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- Tyres and wheels — 22% of its failures
- A tyre cords visible or damaged
- Steering — 13% of its failures
- Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
- Lights and electrics — 43% of its failures
- An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Front or rear fog lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Visibility — 11% of its failures
When it starts failing
At 80–100k miles this one fails 18% of its inspections, against the 25% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40–60k miles | 6% | 19% | 51 | |
| 60–80k miles | 13% | 22% | 97 | |
| 80–100k miles | 18% | 25% | 68 |
216 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 60k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.