U.S. public vehicle records

1997 Nissan D21: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

34 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

68,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1997 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 7 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags:Frontal is the most frequently named component, appearing in 8 of 34 complaints (23.5%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	3	8.8%
Electrical and battery issues	2	5.9%
Steering behavior	1	2.9%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Air Bags:Frontal

Tires

Air Bags

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner

Structure:Body

Vehicle Speed Control

Air Bags:Side/Window

Air Bags:Frontal: 8; Tires: 3; Air Bags: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 2; Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner: 2; Structure:Body: 2; Vehicle Speed Control: 2; Air Bags:Side/Window: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 2; 50,000 to 74,999: 2; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 1; 150,000 and above: 1

25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (2). 27 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2005

2006

2007

2008

2012

2000: 11; 2001: 7; 2002: 5; 2003: 4; 2005: 1; 2006: 2; 2007: 1; 2008: 2; 2012: 1

Pattern summary

Air Bags:Frontal leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 3 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 2 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10001594 · 2002-12-27 (December 27, 2002)

DURING A COLLISION AND WITHOUT WARNING DRIVER'S SEAT FULLY RECLINED BACKWARD CAUSING A DISTRACTION TO CONSUMER. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS....*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10001594 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10003585 · 2003-01-28 (January 28, 2003)

I HAVE A 1997 NISSAN PU TRUCK AND HAVE BEEN HAVING A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE TIMING CHAIN ASSEMBLY. I HAVE HAD 2 TIMING CHAINS REPLACED AND BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AT LEAST 8 TIMES CONCERING THIS PROBLEM. THE MANAGER OF THE NISSAN REPAIR DEPARTMENT IN MISSOULA FINALLY TOULD ME THAT EVERY 1997 NISSAN PU THAT HE HAD EVER SEEN HAS THE SAME PROBLEM BUT HE DID NOT INFORM ME OF A RECALL OF THE TRUCK. HE TOULD ME THAT THE ENGINE DESIGN DOES NOT PROVIDE SUFFICIENT OIL PRESSURE TO THE TIMING CHAIN ASSEMBLY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS FIRST STARTED. T…

Owner-reported narrative. 41,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10003585 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10008685 · 2003-03-04 (March 4, 2003)

THE VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED AND BOTH FRONT SEATS BROKE AND TWISTED TOWARDS RESULTING IN INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANTS. *AK *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10008685 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10037860 · 2003-08-28 (August 28, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH VEHICLE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10037860 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10043580 · 2003-10-26 (October 26, 2003)

CLUTCH, SEAT BELTS, NOISE IN STEERING WHEEL, THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR, HORN, SPARK PLUGS AND DISTRIBUTOR. *LA

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10043580 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10124210 · 2005-06-04 (June 4, 2005)

BATTERY KEEP'S GOING DEAD OVER AND OVER! I PUT A NEW ONE IN AND IT HAPPEN ALL OVER. I HAD TO HAVE THE ALTERNATOR FIXED ABOUT 3 TIMES. THE 4TH TIME I GOT A NEW ONE AND NEW BATTERY AND THE BATTERY IS THE SAME. I WILL DRIVE AND IT RUNS THE BATTERY DOWN. I CAN NOT FIND ANY RECALLS FOR THIS.

Owner-reported narrative. 100,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10124210 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10148288 · 2006-01-22 (January 22, 2006)

I HAVE A 1997 NISSAN PICKUP TRUCK THAT HAS A DANGEROUS HESITATION PROBLEM. WHENEVER I DRIVE THE TRUCK UP ANY HILLS OR ENCOUNTER STRONG HEAD WINDS, THE TRUCK'S ENGINE LOOSES POWER AND SPEED. CONSEQUENTLY, I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR-ENDED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. IN 2005 I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED NISSAN DEALER. UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS CHARGED $450.00 TO REPLACE A PART THAT WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SERVICE PERSONNEL DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING THE MALFUNCTION. AFTER COMPLAINING TO THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE P…

Owner-reported narrative. 37,046 miles reported. Look up ODI 10148288 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10158713 · 2006-05-31 (May 31, 2006)

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS THE BATTERY AND BRAKE INDICATOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. UPON INSPECTION THE CONTACT DETERMINED THE ALTERNATOR FAILED. THE FAILURE AND REPLACEMENT OCCURRED ON SIX DIFFERENT OCCASIONS UNDER VARIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE ALTERNATOR PART NUMBER IS 23001-0S300. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALERSHIP.

Owner-reported narrative. 68,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10158713 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.