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Nissan: Reliability & Common Problems

#10 of 24
Longevity rank#1 Tesla holds up to ~184k
~121k
Trouble-free mileageacross all body styles
276
Nissans inspectedreal pre-purchase inspections
62/100
Average conditionall cars we check: 61/100



Based on 276 used Nissans we inspected, they are in about average shape — average condition 62/100 vs 61 for all cars we check. Every number on this page comes from real pre-purchase inspections — cars people were about to buy and paid an independent inspector to go through point by point, engine to underbody, paint depth to error codes. Not owner surveys, not warranty statistics, not forum lore: what we actually found.

What we found

Most common faults

Oil leaks · Engine
49%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
36%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
31%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
24%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
17%

Share of inspected Nissans where each item was flagged.

How they score

Excellent 21% Good 34% Mediocre 28% Poor 17%
Hidden history

What the seller might not mention — how often we find it on Nissans.

78%had a repainted or replaced panelall cars: 74%
7%showed structural repairall cars: 4%
24%had fault codes recently clearedall cars: 24%

Compare with another brand:

Cross-shopping? Nissan vs Toyota · Nissan vs Honda · Nissan vs Ford

How long does a Nissan last?

Across every Nissan body style we've inspected — sedans, SUVs and anything else pooled together — the average one's condition dips below decent (a 55/100 score) around ~121k miles. It ranks Nissan #10 of 24 brands we have enough data to rate; the longest-lasting, Tesla, holds up to ~184k. Shopping a Nissan near that mileage? Expect more wear ahead — see which makes give the best odds at your budget.



Good cars by mileage
0 25 50 75 100 0–20k mi: 97%, drawn from the nearby bands (13 cars in this band) 20–40k mi: 90% in good shape (21 cars) 40–60k mi: 80% in good shape (35 cars) 60–80k mi: 67% in good shape (43 cars) 80–100k mi: 68% in good shape (44 cars) 100–120k mi: 36% in good shape (36 cars) 120–140k mi: 37% in good shape (35 cars) 140–160k mi: 24%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars in this band) 160–180k mi: 21%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars in this band) 180–200k mi: 17%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars in this band) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
0 25 50 75 100 1 years old: 95%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age) 2 years old: 93%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars this age) 3 years old: 83%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars this age) 4 years old: 52% in good shape (23 cars) 5 years old: 68%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age) 6 years old: 71% in good shape (24 cars) 7 years old: 66% in good shape (29 cars) 8 years old: 46% in good shape (26 cars) 9 years old: 45% in good shape (29 cars) 10 years old: 51%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age) 11 years old: 44% in good shape (16 cars) 12 years old: 33%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age) 13 years old: 18% in good shape (11 cars) 14 years old: 15%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age) 15 years old: 18%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share of Nissans in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; a band under 20 cars follows the nearby bands, so a run above the all-cars line stays above it, and a band of 20 or more uses the rate we measured; where a band has too few cars, the line follows the trend between the bands on either side; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). The dashed grey curve is all cars we check.

Is Nissan getting better?
↘↗ Dipped in the mid-2010s — the newest generation recovered 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 60% in good shape (age-adjusted; 29 cars, raw 55%) 60 2015–17: 47% in good shape (age-adjusted; 51 cars, raw 45%) 47 2018–20: 71% in good shape (age-adjusted; 47 cars, raw 77%) 71 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+

Share of Nissans in good shape (60+/100) when inspected at the same age — 5–10 years old, age-adjusted — by model-year generation; the dashed line is the all-brand average. Compare every brand's trajectory →



Nissan models we've inspected
Rogue 41 cars · 68% good Versa 27 cars · 59% good Sentra 38 cars · 58% good Altima 49 cars · 40% good Frontier 24 cars · profile soon Pathfinder 21 cars · profile soon Maxima 13 cars · profile soon Murano 10 cars · profile soon

Recently inspected:

2017 Nissan Armada · 92k mi — flagged: oil leaks, fault codes recently cleared, smoothness. Inspected Nov 10.
2014 Nissan Pathfinder · 82k mi — flagged: oil leaks, oil sludge, transmission control module. Inspected Nov 9.
The bottom line

Start under the hood. Oil leaks hit nearly half these Nissans, with fuel-trim and cooling faults right behind, so a clean exterior means little until the engine checks out. Repaints are routine and structural repairs run above the fleet, so fresh paint plus any frame repair is a reason to walk, not haggle. Among same-age cars, 2018–20 is the smart window and 2015–17 the weak one—skip the latter unless the price already assumes extra work. Past about 121,000 miles these cars typically fall below decent, so budget for tires, live fault codes, and a real inspection or leave it.

FAQ
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Are Nissans reliable?
55% of the 276 Nissans we inspected scored 60/100 or higher, averaging 62/100 — they are in about average shape.
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What are the most common problems with a used Nissan?
Across the Nissans we inspected, the items we flag most often are oil leaks (49%), tires condition & wear (36%), active error codes (31%).
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Are newer Nissans more reliable than older ones?
The mid-2010s Nissans were the weak patch — the newest generation has recovered, comparing all of them at the same age (5–10 years old).
Thinking of buying a Nissan? Get the exact car inspected before you pay.
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Based on 276 inspections · updated Nov 12, 2026