Fault File
All models / All cars / Small SUVs / Volkswagen T-Cross

Volkswagen T-Cross

All generations and engines together · 25,286 MOT tests in the 2025 data

Reliability verdict
BBy miles

Graded against its peers

Better than most small SUVs per mile driven. Watch steering and lights & electrics. A solid used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating steering advisories.

First-time failure at 50-60k miles
17.0%
Across 1,816 tests. The average for small SUVs is 21.1%.

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.

DSG twin-clutch gearbox jerky at low speed

EmergingAutomatics only

The 7-speed DSG auto can feel hesitant pulling away and jerky when parking or crawling in traffic, with slow kickdown when accelerating out of a junction. It's most noticeable in stop-start town driving and doesn't reliably improve with age. A DSG oil and filter change (VW calls for one every 40,000 miles or so, sooner if the service history is patchy) often settles rough changes; if it doesn't, a clutch pack or mechatronic repair runs into four figures. Manual cars don't get this complaint.

Reported from new, worse with a neglected service history · sources: Auto Express, VW Owners Club

Dashboard trim rattles and squeaks

Emerging

A rattle or squeak from the passenger side near the windscreen, usually traced to the air vent surround or dash mouldings, comes up repeatedly in owner reviews. RAC's used-buying guide separately flags general creaking and rattling from interior trim as a T-Cross weak point. It's a nuisance rather than a safety issue, and dealers often need two or three attempts to actually cure it under warranty.

From new, more common on pre-facelift cars · sources: Honest John owner reviews, RAC Drive

Curtain airbag weld defect (recall)

Confirmed pattern

A safety recall covers curtain airbag units where the gas generator's weld to the outlet pipe was not reliable, meaning the airbag might not deploy properly in a side impact. This is a genuine manufacturer recall, not forum speculation, so check the car's recall status by registration before buying and get confirmation the work has been done. The fix is free at a dealer where it applies.

Safety recall, check by registration · sources: Autoinsider recall listing, RAC Drive

Instrument cluster and dashboard electrical glitches

Confirmed pattern

A software fault in the instrument cluster control unit has been the subject of a manufacturer recall, causing warning lights or readouts to misbehave. Separately, some owners report random dashboard error codes appearing specifically in wet weather, in at least one documented case traced to water reaching wiring behind the door sill trim. Usually a free software update or a trim/wiring repair at a dealer, but worth testing on a wet-weather drive before you buy.

Recall plus isolated wet-weather wiring reports · sources: Autoinsider recall listing, Honest John owner reviews

DPF clogging on town-only diesels

DisputedDiesel only

The now-discontinued 1.6 TDI can suffer the usual DPF clogging if it only ever does short runs, bringing on warning lights and rough running until it gets a proper motorway run or a forced regeneration. This is the standard small-diesel problem rather than anything T-Cross specific, and it mostly hits early, low-mileage, town-bound cars. A car with a genuinely mixed-driving history rarely suffers, and there's no equivalent issue on the petrol range.

Town-driven diesels, any age once neglected · source: VW Owners Club

Steering wheel electrics (clockspring)

Partly in the MOT data

RAC's used-buying notes flag clockspring failures on the T-Cross, the electrical connector that spins with the steering wheel, taking out the horn, airbag warning light and steering wheel controls together when it fails. That's a different fault to what usually fails an MOT under "steering": testers are mostly picking up worn track rod ends, play in the rack or power steering faults, not a dead clockspring. Steering is the measured weak point for this class, but the electrical fault owners describe and the mechanical wear MOT testers catch are not the same thing, so a clean steering MOT history doesn't rule this one out.

Reported at various ages · source: RAC Drive

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.

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 11.3% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.7%
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 4.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 5.9%
Lights and horn walkroundRuns high on this model With a helper, run every light: dipped, main beam, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reverse, fog, and the horn. On newer cars a dead LED section can mean replacing the whole lamp unit rather than a bulb.Recorded on 1.1% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.4%
Dampers Look for oil misting on the damper body behind each wheel, then push down hard on each corner of the car. It should settle in one bounce. A floaty or crashy ride on the test drive is the same fault felt from the driver's seat.Recorded on 1.6% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.3%
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 1.2% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.4%
Steering play 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 0.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.1%
A binding brake After the test drive, hold the back of your hand near each wheel hub. One wheel running much hotter than the rest is a sticking caliper. A car that slows itself down when you lift off on a flat road is saying the same thing.Recorded on 0.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.6%

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 fourRuns high on this model 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 22.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 11.1%
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 16.1% 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 1.7% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.0%

Because of what owners report

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

On the test drive, pull away from cold and crawl in traffic for a few minutes (automatics only). Hesitation, jerkiness or slow kickdown points to the DSG needing an oil and filter service, or worse.
Push and wiggle the dash trim near the windscreen and air vents. Looseness or a rattle back confirms the known trim squeak. Cosmetic but persistent.
Check the car's recall status by registration before you view it. An open curtain airbag or instrument cluster recall should be sorted free. Don't pay to have it done.
Test the horn, airbag warning light and steering wheel buttons together. All three playing up at once points to a clockspring fault, not a wheel alignment problem.
If it's a wet day, watch for random warning lights or dashboard error messages. Water-related electrical faults have been linked to door sill trim wiring on some cars.
On diesel cars, ask about the mix of driving (motorway vs short runs) and any DPF warnings. A town-only history with no motorway regen runs raises the chance of a clogged DPF.
Read the full MOT advisory history, not just pass or fail. Recurring steering advisories matter more than a single pass, given steering is this model's measured weak point.

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

Volkswagen T-CrossClass 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. 1,537 tests in this band.

Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated
Minor
11.3%class 0.7%
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
Fail
5.3%class 0.4%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
4.4%class 5.9%
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
Advisory
1.6%class 2.3%
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
Fail
1.2%class 1.4%
An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source m
Fail
1.1%class 0.4%
Play in steering rack inner joint(s)
Advisory
0.8%class 1.1%
Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution.
Advisory
0.8%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.

A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
23.7%class 12.7%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
18.9%class 22.9%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
16.1%class 10.1%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
14.3%class 8.7%
Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt
Advisory
4.2%class 2.2%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Fail
4.0%class 1.6%
A tyre seriously damaged
Fail
3.3%class 1.8%
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
Advisory
3.2%class 3.4%

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