What breaks most · 1990 to 1996 model years
Nissan Stanza problems by year
Owners have filed 107 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Nissan Stanza across model years 1990 to 1996. Three years stand out: 1990 for fuel system complaints, 1991 for fuel system complaints and 1992 for fuel system complaints. The quietest years are 1994 and 1993.
- Years to check closely: 1990, 1991, 1992
- Fewest complaints: 1994, 1993
- Complaints on file
- 1071990 to 1996, all trims
- Worst year
- 199036 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 56 fires · 10 injuries · 3 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 132kMedian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 1 | 1 | Fuel system (20) | |
| 33 | 1 | 1 | Fuel system (20) | |
| 33 | 2 | 1 | Fuel system (13) | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Seat belts (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Exterior lighting (1) |
What fails on the 1990 Nissan Stanza
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 56% |
20 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 19% |
7 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seat belts | 14% |
5 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Tires | 8% |
3 | 1 | — |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
3 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 3% |
1 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 3% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 3% |
1 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling 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.
-
A very bad gas odor/fumes in the vehicle, gas is leaking in the engine compartment. Also gas leaking from gas filler tube. *jb
-
Fuel pump failure [second time] and sending unit [harness] completely fried. Car stalled in middle of pa interstate with traffic -- was very lucky to avoid accident. *jb
-
Consumer could smell something burning. Consumer was purchasing more gas, but not getting mileage. Took to dealer ,and they said it was fuel injectors. They were leaking gas on engine.*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 Stanza years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1990, 1991, 1992 carry the most filings on the Nissan Stanza. The 1990 alone has 36 complaints, led by fuel system.
What is the most common Nissan Stanza problem?
On the 1990 model year, the most-reported component is fuel system with 20 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Nissan Stanza problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Nissan Stanza complaints that include mileage is about 132,000 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.