Fault File
All models / All cars / Small SUVs / Nissan Juke

Nissan Juke

All generations and engines together · 314,027 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 51k

First-time failure at age 7
21.6%
Across 29,139 tests. The average across all tracked models is 19.5%.
Rank at age 7
167 of 239
1 = lowest failure rate among the models tracked.
Typical mileage at age 7
51k miles
Check the mileage view below; low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

Generation

Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.

How this model wears

Nissan JukeClass average, all tracked models

Known issues

Measured

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

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. 125,341 tests in this band.

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
17.9%class 6.7%
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Advisory
9.0%class 1.9%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Fail
9.0%class 1.6%
Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users
Advisory
4.0%class 2.0%
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
Advisory
2.4%class 0.4%
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
Fail
1.9%class 0.4%
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Fail
1.8%class 0.2%
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated
Minor
1.7%class 0.7%
Exhaust system leaking or insecure
Advisory
1.4%class 0.6%

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
24.0%class 22.9%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
22.6%class 12.7%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
10.8%class 8.7%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
8.2%class 10.1%
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
Fail
3.7%class 1.7%
Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt
Advisory
3.0%class 2.2%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Fail
2.9%class 2.2%
Nail in tyre
Advisory
2.7%class 1.6%

Unconfirmed issues

Reported

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

CVT automatic gearbox failure

Confirmed pattern

The Xtronic CVT fitted to 1.6 petrol Mk1 cars is the single biggest reason not to buy one on trust. Owners report jerky pull-away, whining, shuddering under load and, in a fair number of cases, outright failure well before 50,000 miles. Full replacement runs £4,000-7,000 since the unit is rarely repairable, and Nissan does not treat it as a design fault outside of goodwill claims.

Reported from under 50k to 100k+ miles · sources: Honest John, ASR Gearbox Repairs, Juke Owners Club forum

1.6 DIG-T and 1.2 DIG-T timing chain rattle

Confirmed pattern

A rattle on cold start that owners trace to a stretched timing chain or worn tensioner, most commonly flagged on the 1.2 DIG-T turbo petrol and early 1.6 DIG-T units. Left alone it can jump time and bend valves, turning a chain job into a full engine rebuild or replacement. Reported anywhere from 35,000 to 100,000 miles, and it's frequent enough on the 1.2 that Nissan dealers and independents both recognise the noise on sight; repair cost ranges from a few hundred pounds for a chain kit to £2,000-8,000 if it's let go too long.

Reported 35-100k miles · sources: Haynes, Juke Forums (jukeforums.co.uk), Nissan Juke Owners Club

Turbo oil feed blockage and DPF clogging

Diesel only

On the 1.5 dCi diesel, short runs and poor servicing let the diesel particulate filter clog, killing performance and sometimes triggering a limp mode; a filter that won't regenerate itself can mean a £300 professional clean or, in the worst case, a £800-2,000+ replacement including labour. The turbo's oil feed pipe can also silt up on both petrol and diesel turbo engines, starving the turbo of oil and shortening its life if services are stretched.

Reported mainly on stop-start/short-journey cars · sources: Parkers, Haynes, WhoCanFixMyCar

Clutch master cylinder leak (manual cars)

Manual only

An internal leak in the clutch master cylinder lets the pedal go soft, sluggish to return, or drop to the floor with no warning. Some owners report it appearing as early as 15,000-22,000 miles, well inside what most buyers would call "still new", and it's a repeated enough theme on manual Jukes that Parkers flags it as a specific thing to test-drive for. Parts and labour are modest, typically a few hundred pounds, but it's an easy thing for a seller to hide with a quick pedal pump before you arrive.

Reported from 15k miles · sources: Parkers, Honest John

Rear brake corrosion and rapid front disc wear

Partly in the MOT data

Owners describe front discs needing replacement unusually early, sometimes 8,000-18,000 miles, and rear brakes corroding or binding even on low-mileage cars, which lines up with brakes being the standout measured MOT fault for this class of car. The folklore version is about premature wear and sticking rather than outright failure: pads and discs going in far sooner than a normal service interval would suggest, and rear calipers seizing on cars that sit for long periods.

Reported from as little as 9-18k miles · sources: Honest John owner reports, Juke Owners Club forum

Second-generation (2019-2025) overall reliability

Emerging

The newer Juke has a genuinely bad reliability reputation in owner surveys, finishing last of 38 small SUVs in What Car?'s most recent poll with a 55.2% score, and Nissan as a brand placed 29th of 30 manufacturers. Reports point at electrical gremlins and infotainment glitches rather than one single headline fault, which makes it harder to pin down than the Mk1's CVT or timing chain, but it's consistent enough across surveys to flag rather than dismiss as noise.

Survey-based, not one specific part · sources: What Car? reliability survey, Parkers

Viewing one? Ask this

Built from the two sections above.

Drive it from cold and pull away gently in first and second gear. Hesitation, shudder or a flare in revs before the car catches up points to CVT wear.
Listen for a rattle in the first few seconds after cold start, before you touch the throttle. A death-rattle sound that fades as revs rise is the classic timing chain tensioner symptom on the 1.2 and 1.6 DIG-T.
Press the clutch pedal slowly and let it come back up on its own. A pedal that returns slowly, feels spongy, or doesn't fully return points to a leaking clutch master cylinder.
On a diesel, check for a warning light or a noticeable lack of power once warmed up. Sluggish performance after 10-15 minutes of driving can mean a DPF that isn't regenerating properly.
Check the rear discs and calipers for surface rust and see if the wheels spin freely by hand. Heavy rust or a wheel that drags suggests seized rear calipers, common even on lower-mileage cars.
Pull the full MOT history and look at advisory wording on brakes year after year. Repeated brake advisories rather than a one-off suggest a car that's been patched rather than properly fixed.
On a 2019-on car, test every touchscreen function and the digital dash for freezes or blank panels. Infotainment glitches are one of the more commonly reported gremlins on the second-generation Juke.

Others in its class

Same segment (Small SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.

How it compares

Head to head with the other popular cars in its class on reliability and common faults.