2000 Nissan Quest Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2000 Nissan Quest most often describe headlights that quit or flicker because the bulb connectors overheat and melt, and an accelerator pedal that sticks or binds so the van lurches from a stop. Lighting complaints cluster from a few thousand to roughly 50,000 miles, while pedal complaints tend to appear later, often past 70,000 miles. Sliding-door and tailgate hardware failures and air bag concerns in crashes are also reported.

1. 1
   Exterior lighting

   Headlights cut out or flicker; melted bulb connectors

   • 22 complaints (25%)
   • median 40,000 mi at 4.2 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2011

   Complaints describe one or both headlights going dark while driving at night, sometimes intermittently, and sometimes returning only when the wiring or socket is pressed or wiggled. When the lamps were inspected, owners and mechanics found the bulb connectors and sockets melted or heat-damaged, while the bulbs themselves were often fine. Some owners say the connectors were replaced and the failure came back, and a few report the parts were unavailable or that the dealer attributed the damage to the owner. Mostly reported between about 4,000 and 50,000 miles.

   What to check: Check both headlights with the engine running and try wiggling the connectors behind each lamp; look for browned or deformed sockets and ask whether the connectors have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I'm the owner of 2000 Nissan Quest , my car starting give me a problem last month when the right side headlamp its went out [failure] , I did found out its somthing worng with the socket , if I used my hand hold the socket the light will came on. Now everynight if I have to drive at night I have to open the hood and used my hand to hold the socket so the light will come on.”

   NHTSA complaint #10060285, filed 2004-03, 38,820 miles

   “Faulty headlight assembly: the headlight assembly in the van melted due to heat and corrosion. The parts department of the dealership informed me that he had seen lots of this problem and always overstocked this part. Dealer stated that I must have not replaced the boot covering correctly and it was not nissans fault I had to pay for the replacement. It happened again I got the same answer. Not nissans fault.”

   NHTSA complaint #10045154, filed 2003-10, 50,000 miles
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Accelerator pedal sticks or binds, causing lurching

   • 14 complaints (16%)
   • median 88,500 mi at 9.0 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2015

   Owners describe the gas pedal becoming hard to press or staying down, then the van surging forward abruptly, often when pulling away from a stop or creeping toward a light. Several say it got worse over time and that dealers could not reproduce or correct it. Related complaints mention carbon buildup in the throttle body, a frayed throttle cable found by a dealer, and in one case a faulty cruise control unit that was disconnected. Reported from roughly 25,000 to 172,000 miles, often developing gradually and worsening with use.

   What to check: With the engine off, press the pedal slowly through its full travel and feel for binding or a sticky spot; ask whether the throttle body has been cleaned and whether the throttle cable and cruise control have been checked.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “As I was driving on city street, my car started accelerating on its own. When I shifted into neutral, the RPM shot up to 4-5000. The breaks were too hard and failed to stop the car until it was in neutral. The mechanic found the origin of the problem in a faulty cruise control. Eventually the Nissan dealership disconnected the cruise control. This happened last week and so far I have not experienced any other problem. Dealership believes that this was a failure of an electronic component as a normal wear and tear. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10339616, filed 2010-06, 172,000 miles

   “I start driving very slow out of parking space when the car accelerate by itself, reaching high speed within seconds, the brakes did not work at all,foot pedal or emergency brake. It seems that the accelerator pedal was stuck. My foot was not in the accelerator but car continue increasing speed. I have no choice to collide against another parked car and hitting a wall where finally the car stop. Even when the car got to stop against the wall, the engine continue running accelerated until I finally shut off the engine.”

   NHTSA complaint #10735634, filed 2015-07, 110,500 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Air bags not deploying in collisions

   • 6 complaints (7%)
   • median 73,616 mi at 6.8 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2013

   Several complaints describe frontal or multi-vehicle impacts in which the air bags did not deploy, and occupants reported injuries. Others mention the SRS warning light staying on, with a dealer diagnosis that the air bag module needed replacement, and one owner felt deployment was ineffective. These accounts describe what happened after a crash rather than a symptom that can be observed in advance. Crashes described at a range of mileages, from under 10,000 to about 140,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have the SRS system scanned for stored codes and confirm the air bag warning lamp comes on at startup and then goes out; ask whether the front seats or trim have been modified.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Another vehicle invaded my lane, coming in opposite direction, we hit head on causing great damage in front and driver side of my minivan. I assume we both were at 30 MPH. I sustained injuries to my neck and shoulders (so far) I feel as if the air bag had deployed I could have had some facial bruising but not all the pain I have in my upper back and neck. **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis*734330”

   NHTSA complaint #10007033, filed 2000-10, 7,232 miles

   “An f-350 ran a stoplight at 50 MPH and impacted the front driver side of van at the tire. The van turned upon impact and received the balance of the impact head on with concentration to the left quadrant. Further spinning, the van then impacted the side of the offending vehicle. Complaint: the air bags did not deploy. She was wearing her seat belt. She sustained injuries to cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions of back. She was treated for 2.5 months and then released. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10496482, filed 2013-02, 140,000 miles
4. 4
   Body and structure

   Sliding door and tailgate hardware failures

   • 5 complaints (6%)
   • median 92,978 mi at 8.6 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2013

   Complaints describe sliding doors that drop, come off the upper track, or hang from only the lower hinge, and a tailgate that fell after a lift-gate arm broke. Some owners note the other door had already been opening with difficulty before the failure. Dealers repaired the doors in some cases and declined warranty coverage in others because of vehicle mileage. Reported from about 46,000 miles upward, with one owner noting the van had over 100,000 miles.

   What to check: Open and close both sliding doors and the tailgate fully, watching for loose rollers, play in the tracks, and any sagging; check that the door latches hold firmly when partly open.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The sliding door's top pins came off the track, which resulted in the passenger sliding door dangling. Only the bottom hinge was keeping the door attached to van. When opened, the passenger side sliding door came out of the top tracks, leaving the door suspended only by the bottom sliding hinge. This was without warning, however, the driver side sliding door had been exhibiting symptoms of trouble with opening. The rollers in the top tracks had apparently broken off the pins. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10074341, filed 2004-06, 45,956 miles

   “The consumer's daughter opened the sliding door of the 2000 Quest intending to climb inside. The heavy sliding door fell down and outward towards the passenger almost injuring her. ***nar*** the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired. The consumer was informed that the repair would not be covered under warranty because the vehicle had over 100,000 miles on it.”

   NHTSA complaint #10161556, filed 2006-06

Buying note. On a 2000 Quest, inspect the headlight connectors and ask about past lighting repairs, and check the throttle pedal for binding before anything else. Also open both sliding doors fully and have the air bag system scanned, since those are the areas owners describe most often.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.