Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Maintenance & Safety

NOx sensors, alternators and injectors among most common van faults, WSG finds

Since 2021, NOx sensors have accounted for 5.3% of all WSG van warranty claims, at an average cost of £568.63, including VAT.

3 min read
Share
van faults
ADVERTISEMENT

According to claims analysis conducted by Warranty Solutions Group (WSG), NOx sensors, alternators and fuel injectors are the most common van faults.

Since 2021, NOx sensors have accounted for 5.3% of all WSG van warranty claims, at an average cost of £568.63, including VAT.

Alternator faults made up 5.14% of all van warranty claims, costing an average of £473.61, while fuel injectors represented 4.45% of claims, and cost £661.01 on average.

Turbochargers followed, costing an average of £802.40 to repair and accounting for 3.26% of all van warranty claims paid by WSG since 2021.

The most expensive components to repair, of the top 15 most common faults, were diesel particulate filters (DPFs), at £1,377.92 on average.

ADVERTISEMENT

On average, the cost of repairing a DPF exceeded that of repairing a gearbox (£1,272.63).

DPFs were the fifth-most-common fault, making up 2.66% of all claims.

The average warranty claim paid out by WSG since 2021 was £628.83, with labour costs averaging £127.72.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dennis Brett, claims director at WSG, said: “One of the biggest misconceptions is that the highest repair bill represents the biggest reliability issue.

“In reality, it’s often the faults that occur hundreds or even thousands of times across a vehicle parc that have the greatest commercial impact.

ADVERTISEMENT

“A £300 or £500 repair repeated across a fleet can ultimately cost operators far more than the occasional major engine failure.

ADVERTISEMENT

“By analysing more than 3,000 authorised warranty claims over five years, we’re able to identify patterns that simply aren’t visible from individual repairs.

“Claims intelligence provides a unique insight into what’s really happening once vehicles are out in the field and how reliability is evolving as technology becomes more sophisticated.

“The data shows that emissions-related systems and electronically controlled components are now among the most common reasons commercial vehicles require workshop attention.

“These aren’t isolated incidents; they’re recurring issues that operators need to understand and plan for. Modern vans are delivering higher levels of efficiency, lower emissions and greater connectivity than ever before, but that progress has also increased the complexity of vehicle maintenance.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Components such as NOx sensors, diesel particulate filters, AdBlue systems and electronic control units are becoming increasingly critical to vehicle performance.

“That makes preventative maintenance, early diagnosis and access to specialist technical expertise more important than ever.

“Operators that understand these trends will be in a much stronger position to reduce downtime, manage maintenance budgets and improve whole-life vehicle performance.

“Every warranty claim tells a story, but thousands of warranty claims reveal meaningful trends. That’s where claims intelligence becomes incredibly valuable.

“It enables fleets, dealers and operators to make more informed maintenance decisions, better manage total cost of ownership and ultimately keep more vehicles on the road.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Related