According to one embodiment, a storage apparatus includes: a read section that receives a predetermined electrical parameter to read out data from a recording medium; a characteristic detection section that detects a plurality of characteristic values corresponding to a plurality of different predetermined electrical parameters received by the read section, respectively, the characteristic values being predetermined indicators of the read section, respectively; a characteristic relation acquisition section that acquires a slope of a characteristic value versus a predetermined electrical parameter from the predetermined electrical parameters and the characteristic values; and a determination section that determines presence/absence of failure in the read section based on the slope acquired by the characteristic relation acquisition section.