What breaks most · 1990 to 2002 model years
Nissan Nissan problems by year
Owners have filed 77 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Nissan Nissan across model years 1990 to 2002. Three years stand out: 2000 for electrical system complaints, 2002 for engine and cooling complaints and 1999 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1992 and 1994.
- Years to check closely: 2000, 2002, 1999
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1992, 1994
- Complaints on file
- 771990 to 2002, all trims
- Worst year
- 200016 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 112 fires · 17 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 75kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Seat belts (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 6 | 2 | 0 | Air bags (2) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (3) | |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | Suspension (3) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Tires (1) | |
| 9 | 5 | 0 | Air bags (4) | |
| 16 | 2 | 0 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 9 | 1 | 0 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 15 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (5) |
What fails on the 2000 Nissan Nissan
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 63% |
10 | 1 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 19% |
3 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 13% |
2 | 2 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Wheels | 6% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 6% |
1 | 1 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Service Brakes, AIR | 6% |
1 | 0 | — |
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.
-
2000 nissan maxima with bad ignition coils - over 1200 people have signed an on-line petition. Consumers are getting screwed because of faulty coils supplied by nissan. *jb
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Engine missed off and on after 30k miles. I thougt it might be injectors so kept adding cleaners to gas tank. At 74000 miles diagnosed problem as engine coils and replace all 6 to cure missing and hesitation problem.
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 Nissan years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2000, 2002, 1999 carry the most filings on the Nissan Nissan. The 2000 alone has 16 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Nissan Nissan problem?
On the 2000 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 10 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Nissan Nissan problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Nissan Nissan complaints that include mileage is about 75,000 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.