Nissan Titan: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Nissan Titan: 13 model years scored from 408 NHTSA owner complaints and 34 recall campaigns. Worst year 2017, best year 2013.
Nissan Titan: which years to avoid
Across 12 scored model years the Nissan Titan ranges from 43/100 in 2017 to 91/100 in 2015 — a 48-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Titan at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (90 of them).
Avoid: 2017, 2018, 2019 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021, 2023 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
How the Titan changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 4 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2015
Mean score 89/100, about 1 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Air Bags more than anything else (16 complaints). 5 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2017–2019
Mean score 45/100, about 12 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (152 complaints). The record falls 44 points against the years before it. 4 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2020–2021
Mean score 79/100, about 4 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (7 complaints). The record improves by 34 points against the years before it. 2 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2023–2024
Mean score 89/100. 2 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2013 (score 87). Worst: 2017 (score 43, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 87 | BUY | $5,120 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | 91 | BUY | $5,010 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022 | — | DATA PENDING | $5,150 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 86 | BUY | $5,290 | 0 | 5 |
| 2020 | 72 | BUY | $5,496 | 21 | 5 |
| 2019 | 46 | AVOID | $4,894 | 46 | 4 |
| 2018 | 45 | AVOID | $5,124 | 90 | 4 |
| 2017 | 43 | AVOID | $5,412 | 172 | 3 |
| 2015 | 91 | BUY | $6,046 | 10 | 1 |
| 2014 | 90 | BUY | $6,186 | 10 | 2 |
| 2013 | 87 | BUY | $6,326 | 11 | 3 |
| 2012 | 89 | BUY | $6,479 | 22 | 2 |
| 2011 | 87 | BUY | $6,622 | 26 | 1 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Titan, through the years →
Titan sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Titan on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Nissan Titan
Across every Titan model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine166 complaints across all Titan years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System66 complaints across all Titan years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train61 complaints across all Titan years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Fuel/Propulsion System44 complaints across all Titan years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
- Unknown Or Other37 complaints across all Titan years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Air Bags26 complaints across all Titan years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Nissan Titan years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2017, 2018, 2019 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2017 is the weakest at 43/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Nissan Titan years to buy?
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021, 2023… all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2015 at 91/100, on 10 complaints and 1 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Nissan Titan problem?
166 of the complaints filed against the Titan across all its model years sit in the Engine group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04