Nissan Titan Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Nissan Titan options? We analyzed 10 model years (2015–2024) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Nissan Titan has 753 owner complaints and 33 safety recalls across model years 2015–2024. The most reported issue area is ENGINE. 2017 drew the most complaints; 2020 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Nissan
- Model
- Titan
- Model years analyzed
- 2015–2024 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 753
- Safety recall campaigns
- 33
- Crash-related complaints
- 34
- Fire-related complaints
- 20
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2017 (172 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2020 (21 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ENGINE
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Nissan Titan: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
NCAP crash test ratings for this model are not yet loaded or this vehicle was not tested in the years analyzed. NHTSA tests a subset of new vehicles each year. Check nhtsa.gov/ratings directly for the latest results.
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe NISSAN TITAN has 753 NHTSA complaints and 33 recalls on record. 34 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 753 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 33 federal recall campaigns
- 34 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Sep 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
33 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TIRES
TIRES
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL:BULBS
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
TIRES:BEAD
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2015–2024. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 753 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
753 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
Airbag failed to deploy on a complete front end collision with a -28 maximum delta-v, longitudinal (MPH [km/h]) at 100 milliseconds. Front airbag warning lamp was "Off"
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN TITAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM FRACTURED, WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH. AS A RESULT, THE CONTROL SENSOR FRACTURED AS WELL. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT LOW SPEED TO HIS RESIDENCE WHERE HE DISABLED THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ( MY AUTO IMPORT CENTER 1860 E STERNBERG RD, MUSKEGON, MI 49444 (231) 799-2886) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE RETAINING SPRING FRACTURED (BRAKES SYSTEM ) AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 54,000.
2015 NISSAN TITAN CRACKED MANIFOLD 57,000 MILES. PURCHASED USED WITH ISSUE STARTING WITHIN 30 DAYS.
WHEN TRYING TO GET VEHICLE OUT OF SAND 4 WD SWITCH WAS ENGAGED WITH NO 4 WHEEL DRIVE RESULTING. 4 WHEEL DRIVE ERROR CAME UP. TOOK INTO DEALER AND TRANSFER CASE HAD TO BE REPLACED. I WAS STUCK IN SAND AND VULNERABLE. VEHICLE ONLY HAD 23,000 MILES ON IT WITH VERY LITTLE USE OF 4 WHEEL DRIVE. SEEMS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL.
WITH TRUCK IN PART, KEY IN IGNITIONS, AND ENGINE RUNNING THE TRUCK WILL AUTO LOCK THE DOORS WHEN DRIVER EXITS VEHICLE AND CLOSES THE DOOR. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES ON MY TRUCK. THIS IS A DANGER IF CHILD IS IN THE TRUCK AND PARENT GET OUT TO OPEN GATE OR ANYOTHER REASON AND CLOSES DOOR. FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED AT HOME. SECOND TIME I WAS 40 MINUTES FROM ANY TOWN IN THE COUNTRY. CELL PHONE LOCKED IN TRUCK AS IT WAS RUNNING, WAITED ALMOST ONE HOUR FOR PASSING VEHICLE TO CALL AAA FOR LOCKSMITH. I WAITED ANOTHER HOUR FOR TOWTRUCK TO UNLOCK MY TRUCK.
ABS WARNING LIGHT, SLIP LIGHT, TIRE DEFLATION LIGHT, 4X4 WARNING LIGHT KEEP ON INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING IN THE STREET. ACCELERATOR DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON.
Read 14 more owner reports
SINCE I GOT A NOTICE CONCERNED THAT AIR BAGS MIGHT BE DEFECTIVE AND VIN NUMBER DOES SHOW POSSIBLE PROBLEM BUT NO RECALL AT THE MOMENT.
GAS GAUGE IS NOT READING BELOW 1/4 TANK. THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL FOR NISSAN TITANS OF THE SAME YEAR, BUT NOT THE VIN NUMBER MY TITAN IS. I HAVE RAN OUT OF GAS ON A BUSY ROAD ONCE BECAUSE OF THIS INCORRECT READING.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN TITAN. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 65 TO 75 MPH, THE REAR WHEELS LOCKED UP AND THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY SHIFTED INTO 4 WHEEL DRIVE MORE THAN TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SEVERAL DEALERS, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE REPLICATED OR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WAS A DRIVE TRAIN WIND UP, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS INTENDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000.
SON HAD ACCIDENT 5/15/16, FRONT AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND SON WAS KILLED INSTANTLY. ..UPDATED 12/11/17 *BF *CN
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle intermittently stalled; the contact waited several minutes for the vehicle to return to normal operation. The Check Engine warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel temperature valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the radiator needed to be flushed and refilled. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
Unknown, vehicle was purchased from Insurance Auto Auctions with minor front collision damage that occurred in the State of Georgia. Suspension damage was not revealed until vehicle was delivered by a transporter to my home. Upon inspection of the vehicle it was determined that the McPherson shock absorber was defective and broke in 2 pieces causing the release of the spring tension. The Nissan manufacturing defect occurred in the factory welds of the upper strut tower support in that the welds of the shock tower never fused with the vehicle chassis which caused the rupture of the entire upper right front suspension.
The Rear Automatic Braking (RAB) software fails to detect a connected trailer harness. The truck experiences un-commanded, sudden emergency braking during multi-point turns when going from forward to reverse when manueverimg a trailer, creating an immediate hazard of neck injury, trailer jackknifing on public roadways or loss of control. this is on a truck that has a brake controller for trailers, the truck knows a trailer is hooked up but repeatedly turns the RAB back on after it driver disables it, furthermore the truck does not have a driver configuration option in settings to permanently disable these features but rather has a temporary button on the center console which resets every time the truck goes from forward to reverse.
Peoria Nissan found a bad weld at the right front strut tower. The weld failed causing a crack in the frame. As a result the entire frame required replacement. Nissan refuses to offer any warranty other than a one year parts warranty for the frame beyond the original manufactures warranty which ends August 2025. Two service advisors advised me they have seen three frames fail in the same area at their dealership.
After replacing the truck frame and one day after returning the truck to me the transmission slipped out of gear while driving 75mph on the freeway. While attempting to brake the transmission seemed to lock up. When I slowed the truck down enough I hit the brakes and shifted the transmission into park. By doing this I was able to stop before hitting other vehicles and a guard rail. Nissan replaced the transmission. After several test drives they replaced the second transmission because of shifting problems. The current transmission just recently would not shift into second gear. I’ll be taking it back Monday. In short my transmission has been replaced twice in a months time and is going back to the dealership for additional repairs.
The issues I'm experiencing with this vehicle is delayed pedal response and a whole slew of transmission problems. There are no codes or check engine lights on. When coming to a stop and the vehicle downshifts you can visibly see the RPMs go up with each down shift and sometimes the downshift is so harsh going to 1st gear that it feels like another vehicle has bumped me from behind causing the truck to jerk forward and make a clunking sound. There is also a problem when upshifting where the RPMs will jump up before shifting into the next gear. I had a situation where I was turning left on a green light with traffic coming and had plenty of time to make it but when I rolled out into the intersection and hit the gas nothing happened for over 2 seconds. The RPMs didn't move and when I pressed the gas harder the vehicle went into a low gear and the RPMs shot up to about 5000 RPMs and accelerated rapidly to just miss an incoming vehicle. Vehicle has inconsistent shifting where it shifts ok one day and other days it acts erratically. I have been to two different dealerships and both say the truck drives as designed. I have had all the software updates done on this truck that were supposed to correct these issues but they have not helped. I opened up a case with Nissan support and they admitted these transmission problems were being addressed by their engineering team and a new software update would be available some point in the future, this was a year ago.
Truck was exiting highway driver tried to disengage cruise control, would not disengage. Driver put truck in neutral to slow down truck but didnt slow down enough to avoid accident. Driver and passenger are in hospital with several injuries. The air bags did not deploy during accident. Insurance is inspecting vehicle.
from day one, it has had a hesitation on acceleration from both still and moving normal highway speeds. rarely is acceleration steady, smooth and immediate. dealer has had for regular oil change and this problem has been reported every time . answer was that factory recall was performed and should be better. but NO. over a year now, several visits and nothing resolved. a couple times when i needed that immediate acceleration but with severe hesitation and a semi truck hitting his brakes and blowing horn i would call it a safety problem. im not sure what work was preformed, assuming most time transmission but after research on computer there have been nissans with engine components causing this. please help. where do i go from here?
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Titan. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V671000 (Power Train) and 22V457000 (Power Train) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, for a routine recall repair where it was diagnosed that the transfer case needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic informed the contact the repair would be at her expense. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact's husband owned a 2020 Nissan Titan. The contact stated while her husband was driving 65-75 MPH, he noticed a smoke odor. The contact's husband veered to the side of the road and immediately exited the vehicle. The contact's husband saw flames between the cabin and the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle became engulfed in fire. The contact's husband attempted to extinguish the fire with fire extinguishers and sustained significant burns on both hands. Additionally, the contact's husband sustained bruises on the left leg. The fire department assisted the contact's husband in extinguishing the fire. The contact's husband received medical assistance and was advised to follow up with a primary care Doctor and a burn specialist. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, where it was totaled. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall that was completed on the vehicle in February, 2023. The local dealer and a second dealer, ABC Nissan (1300 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85014), were notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Showing 20 of 753 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Nissan Titan
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Nissan Titan, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Nissan Titan has 753 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Nissan Titan has 33 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 34 of the Nissan Titan's 753 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Nissan Titan vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Nissan Titan vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Nissan Titan has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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Nissan Titan reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Nissan Titan reliable?
Poor. The Nissan Titan has 753 NHTSA owner complaints and 33 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is ENGINE. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Nissan Titan years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2017 (172 complaints), 2021 (110 complaints), 2018 (90 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Nissan Titan problems?
Top reported issues: ENGINE (298 complaints); POWER TRAIN (213 complaints); ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (111 complaints).
Does the Nissan Titan have recalls?
Yes — 33 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Nissan Titan. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.