What breaks most · 1990 to 1998 model years
Nissan 240SX problems by year
Owners have filed 146 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Nissan 240SX across model years 1990 to 1998. Three years stand out: 1995 for air bags complaints, 1990 for fuel system complaints and 1993 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1994, 1992 and 1996.
- Years to check closely: 1995, 1990, 1993
- Fewest complaints: 1994, 1992, 1996
- Complaints on file
- 1461990 to 1998, all trims
- Worst year
- 199560 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 185 fires · 6 injuries · 2 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 113kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 3Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 2 | 1 | Fuel system (20) | |
| 9 | 0 | 1 | Seat belts (4) | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | Tires (2) | |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 60 | 9 | 1 | Air bags (15) | |
| 8 | 3 | 0 | Tires (2) | |
| 6 | 2 | 0 | Air bags (3) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) |
What fails on the 1995 Nissan 240SX
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 25% |
15 | 6 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 23% |
14 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1995 Nissan 240SX |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 13% |
8 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1995 Nissan 240SX |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
5 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1995 Nissan 240SX |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 7% |
4 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1995 Nissan 240SX |
| Tires | 5% |
3 | 0 | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 5% |
3 | 0 | — |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 5% |
3 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
95 nissan 240sx gas tank failure, cracked and leaking gasoline. Nothing was done to the tank, it just cracked and started leaking. *jb
-
Fuel injector has leaked fuel due to fuel rail. Vehicle has been repaired three times. This part is on national back order. Please provide further information.*ak
-
On numerous occasions the steering wheel has locked up, and the ignition key will not turn. I have replaced both the ignition and the starter, and still the problem persists. *ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Nissan 240SX years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1995, 1990, 1993 carry the most filings on the Nissan 240SX. The 1995 alone has 60 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Nissan 240SX problem?
On the 1995 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 15 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Nissan 240SX problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Nissan 240SX complaints that include mileage is about 113,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.