Volkswagen Amarok
Registered from 2011 to 2025.
About this model
The Volkswagen Amarok is a mid-size pickup truck produced by German automaker Volkswagen since 2010. It is a body-on-frame truck with double-wishbone suspension at the front and leaf springs at the rear. The Amarok range consists of single cab and double cab, combined with either rear-wheel drive or 4motion four-wheel-drive, and is powered by turbocharged petrol or turbocharged direct injection (TDI) diesel engines.
From the Wikipedia article Volkswagen Amarok, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2019 3.0 diesel. 367 of 3,624 tests failed, 10%.
Better than 36% of 2019 cars. The typical one fails 9%, across 908 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 37% | 134 |
| Tyres and wheels | 26% | 95 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 25% | 92 |
| Lights and electrics | 16% | 58 |
| Suspension | 7% | 27 |
| Visibility | 6% | 23 |
The defects inspectors cite
- Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- A tyre seriously damaged
- A tyre cords visible or damaged
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Where it stands out against its peers
- Brakes: failed more often than 91% of 2019 cars — 37% of its 367 failed tests, where an ordinary 2019 car has 19%.
- Exhaust and emissions: failed more often than 96% of 2019 cars — 25% of its 367 failed tests, where an ordinary 2019 car has 6%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
NHTSA's investigations are American; no European regulator publishes an equivalent record, so this section has nothing to draw on for a European car. There is no European equivalent of the service-bulletin register either.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Brakes — 37% of its failures
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
- Tyres and wheels — 26% of its failures
- A tyre seriously damaged
- A tyre cords visible or damaged
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
- Exhaust and emissions — 25% of its failures
- Suspension — 7% of its failures
- Lights and electrics — 16% of its failures
- Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Visibility — 6% of its failures
When it starts failing
At 120–140k miles this one fails 17% of its inspections, about what an ordinary car of the same age does.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–20k miles | 6% | 5% | 202 | |
| 20–40k miles | 8% | 9% | 1,085 | |
| 40–60k miles | 11% | 12% | 1,137 | |
| 60–80k miles | 12% | 14% | 644 | |
| 80–100k miles | 12% | 14% | 324 | |
| 100–120k miles | 15% | 16% | 143 | |
| 120–140k miles | 17% | 17% | 53 |
3,588 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 40k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.
Recalls
Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.
A12/0041/18
The servo return pipe to the steering box could be damaged by a hose clamp and/or by coming into contact with the body of the wheel housing. A damaged pipe could leak hydraulic oil on to hot components or the brake disk, leading to the risk of a fire or an accident.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/03161/24
The seat belt may not have been routed through the anchorage eyelet, but through the plastic cover only. The plastic cover will tear under load, offering no protection, increasing the risk of injuries in the event of an accident. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users
A12/0819/15
The brake callipers may work loose because their bolts may not have been attached tightly enough to the wheel bearing housing. This may cause the front wheel to jam.
Recall of the product from end users
SR/00355/26
There could be a loss of braking power from the electronic brake booster (EBB) module. If the power brake assist fails, brake pedal travel and braking distance may increase. This increases the risk of accidents and injuries. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Recall of the product from end users