Fault File
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Jaguar F-Pace

All generations and engines together · 54,883 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 66k

Reliability verdict
CBy age
CBy miles

Graded against its peers

Middling among SUVs, by age and by mileage. Watch steering and brakes. A fair used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating steering advisories.

First-time failure at age 7
16.9%
Across 11,441 tests. The average for SUVs is 16.4%.
First-time failure at 50-60k miles
15.5%
Across 8,852 tests. The average for SUVs is 15.1%.
Rank in its class
25 of 38
1 = lowest failure rate among the 38 SUVs we can rank.
Typical mileage at age 7
66k miles
How far the average car has gone by seven years old. Low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

What owners report

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

2.0d Ingenium timing chain rattle and stretch

Confirmed pattern

The four-cylinder Ingenium diesel (mostly 2016-2019 cars) is the fault that dominates every F-Pace buying guide. Owners report a metallic rattle on cold start as the chain, guides and tensioners wear, often linked to oil dilution from incomplete DPF regenerations rather than high mileage alone. Left alone it can jump time and wreck the engine; a full chain kit or, in bad cases, a reconditioned engine, runs well into four figures. Jaguar has separately recalled related AJ20 diesel parts, including a cracked oil filter housing and a leaking turbo oil feed pipe, on 2020-2024 build cars, which shows the engine family has known oil and cooling weak points.

Reported from 40-100k miles · sources: K Motors, Stedmans Garage, fpaceforums.co.uk, jaguarforums.com

Power steering assistance drops out (EPAS fault)

Partly in the MOT data

Owners report a "steering assistance reduced" warning or suddenly heavy steering, sometimes with a battery or EPS warning light alongside it. Forum threads trace some cases to water getting into the electric power steering rack or module, others to a failed steering angle sensor; a full rack replacement is a genuinely expensive repair rather than a quick fix. This lines up with the measured MOT data for the large-SUV class, where steering is the standout fault category for this model. The forums talk about electronics and water ingress rather than worn track rod ends, so the measured fault and the folklore point at the same system without necessarily agreeing on the cause.

Reported at various ages · sources: fpaceforums.co.uk, jaguarforums.com, Facebook F-Pace owners groups

Fuel rail and fuel return hose leaks (2016-2017 cars)

Confirmed pattern

Early F-Pace diesels built between November 2016 and August 2017 were subject to official recalls covering fuel rail and fuel return hose leaks, a fire risk if unaddressed. Any car in that build window should show the recall as done on its service history or DVSA recall check. Cars that slipped through the net can show a fuel smell or unexplained hard starting.

Nov 2016-Aug 2017 builds · sources: RCV, UK vehicle recall database, gov.uk recall checker

Driveshaft falls out on early automatics

Confirmed patternAutomatics only

Pre-April 2016 automatic-gearbox F-Pace models were recalled after a too-short driveshaft could work loose and drop out, leaving the car with no drive to that wheel, sometimes while moving. It only affects early automatics, not manuals, and the fix is a straightforward driveshaft swap once flagged. Check the recall was actioned on any early car before buying.

Pre-April 2016 auto builds · sources: RCV, K Motors, UK vehicle recall database

3.0 V6 diesel crankshaft and turbo failures

Emerging3.0d V6 only

The V6 diesel (used in higher-spec F-Pace trims) has a reputation among specialists for crankshaft and turbo problems that can show up surprisingly early, in some reported cases under 40,000 miles. Symptoms are a persistent knock or rumble from the engine, oil pressure warnings, or vibration under load; the fix is usually a full engine replacement rather than a repair, so it is one of the costliest failures on the range. It is not the same fault as the four-cylinder diesel's timing chain issue and buyers should not assume a clean four-pot history says anything about a V6.

Reported from under 40k miles · sources: Stedmans Garage, K Motors

Infotainment glitches and blank instrument cluster

Confirmed pattern

General electrical gremlins come up repeatedly: InControl Touch Pro screen freezes or restarts, parking sensors that stop working, and battery drain on cars left standing. Jaguar issued an official recall and software fix for a specific batch of cars built between 17 August and 1 September 2017 whose instrument cluster could go blank, confirming the wider pattern of software-related dash and infotainment faults on this generation.

Reported at various ages · sources: Stedmans Garage, UK vehicle recall database

What to check on this car

Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.

Saveable checklist

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Steering playRuns high on this model With the engine running and the car parked, waggle the wheel lightly about the straight-ahead. The wheels should respond almost at once. A dead zone before anything happens means wear in the rack or the track rod ends.Recorded on 6.0% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.4%
Brake pipes underneathRuns high on this model Follow the metal brake lines with a torch where they run along the sills and over the rear axle. White crust or flaking metal means they are corroding, and the online MOT history usually shows the same advisory creeping up for years before the fail.Recorded on 2.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.4%
Leaks Look at the ground where the car usually stands, then glance under the engine after your test drive. Fresh drips of oil or coolant are the cheapest warning you will ever get about a car.Recorded on 2.3% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.0%
Warning lights on ignitionRuns high on this model Turn the ignition on without starting the engine and watch the dash. Every warning light should appear, then go out once it is running. Be more suspicious of a light that never comes on at all than of one that stays on; warning bulbs have been known to vanish before a sale.Recorded on 1.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.4%
Rubber boots and gaitersRuns high on this model On full steering lock, look in behind each front wheel at the concertina rubber boots on the driveshafts and steering rack. Splits, or grease flung around the arch, mean dirt is getting into a joint that costs far more than the boot protecting it.Recorded on 1.2% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.7%
Coil springs Look through the wheel spokes at the bottom coil of each spring; when springs snap it is usually there, and the break is visible. Step back and check the car sits level too. A dropped corner is often a broken spring.Recorded on 0.9% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.3%
Bushes and ball joints Drive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 0.7% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 5.9%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Tyres, all four Check the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 24.0% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 20.1%
Pads and discsRuns high on this model Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 17.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 10.1%
Windscreen and wipers Scan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 2.0% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.7%

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

Start the car stone cold and listen for a metallic rattle from the engine bay before the oil pressure builds. A rattle that fades after a few seconds points to timing chain wear on the 2.0d Ingenium.
On the test drive, turn the wheel lock to lock at low speed and watch for any warning lights or a sudden heavy patch. A "steering assistance reduced" message or unexpected heaviness suggests an EPAS or steering rack fault.
Run the reg through the gov.uk vehicle recall checker before viewing. An outstanding fuel leak, driveshaft or instrument cluster recall should have been actioned for free, so an open one is a red flag on how the car has been looked after.
If it's an automatic built before April 2016, ask to see the driveshaft recall stamped in the service book. No record of the fix means a real risk of a driveshaft working loose.
On any V6 diesel, listen under load for a knock or rumble and check the oil pressure light settles quickly on startup. Either sign points at the crankshaft or turbo issue reported on this engine, which usually means a full engine replacement.
Cycle through every infotainment screen and check the parking sensors and instrument cluster come up cleanly. Freezing, blank screens or dead sensors are consistent with the electrical faults reported across the range.

Open the saveable checklist, tick it off at the car

The MOT data

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

How this model wears

Jaguar F-PaceClass average, all tracked models

What testers flag

Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 34,160 tests in this band.

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
Advisory
6.0%class 0.4%
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
Fail
2.5%class 0.4%
A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded
Advisory
2.5%class 0.4%
Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users
Advisory
2.3%class 2.0%
Play in steering rack inner joint(s)
Advisory
1.9%class 1.1%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
1.4%class 6.7%
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
Fail
1.4%class 0.4%
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated
Minor
1.2%class 0.7%
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
Fail
1.1%class 0.4%
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
Advisory
0.9%class 1.3%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
26.8%class 22.9%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
17.5%class 10.1%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
14.3%class 8.7%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
7.3%class 13.4%
Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt
Advisory
3.2%class 2.2%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Fail
2.9%class 2.3%
Nail in tyre
Advisory
2.3%class 1.6%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Fail
2.1%class 1.6%

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