Nissan Van Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 12 consumer complaints across the 2 model years of the Nissan Van (1987–1988) that have at least 5 complaints. 1987 has the most, with 7. Across all years, the part named most often is engine cooling (7 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Van model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 5 | 95,000 | 5 | 3 | — | Not enough data |
| 1987 | 7 | 1,000 | 6 | 3 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine cooling7 50%
- Steering2 14%
- Transmission and drivetrain1 7.1%
- Seat belts1 7.1%
- Latches, locks and linkages1 7.1%
- Fuel system1 7.1%
- Electrical system1 7.1%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1987: “The hoses and head gasket deteriorated resulting in coolant leak. The coolant leaked onto the exhaust manifold and caused a fire in the engine compartment and smoke in the passenger compartment. The manufacturer has issued four recall for the problem and although the corrections were made the problem still exist ( recalls 91v-211, 90v-136, 95v-103.002).”
NHTSA complaint #8022793, filed 2002-11, 1,000 miles1988: “The contact owns a 1988 Nissan VAN. While the vehicle was parked, the front passenger side manual door lock failed to disengage while locked. The door would only unlock manually from the exterior of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the manufacturer no longer produces the lock mechanism for replacement. The failure and current mileages were 95,000. Updated 09/14/09. The consumer stated the latch/lock is now working properly. Updated 09/16/09.”
NHTSA complaint #10280363, filed 2009-08, 95,000 milesOther Nissan models
15,506 complaintsNissan Rogue
7,408 complaintsNissan Pathfinder
7,381 complaintsNissan Maxima
6,949 complaintsNissan Murano
5,964 complaintsNissan Sentra
5,956 complaintsNissan Frontier
3,363 complaintsNissan Versa
3,327 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology