IllustrationFEEL AUTO COMPANY RESPONSIBLE FOR EYE INJURY SUSTAINED, AIRBAG FAILURE. *AK
1997 Nissan D21
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Nissan D21 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 23.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all D21 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 7 of 57 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
22 crash reports0 fire reports9 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
21 reportsWAS GOING ABOUT 40-50MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE HAD STOPPED. APPLIED BRAKES QUICKLY. VEHICLE SLID INTO OTHER VEHICLE. FRONT END PUSHED TOWARDS RADIATOR. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE ABS BRAKES FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE QUICKLY. THE SEAT BELTS FAILED TO RESTRAIN PASSENGER WHO HIT HEAD ON DASHBOARD. WILL BE TAKING VEHICLE TO DEAL…
Read full complaint
WAS GOING ABOUT 40-50MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE HAD STOPPED. APPLIED BRAKES QUICKLY. VEHICLE SLID INTO OTHER VEHICLE. FRONT END PUSHED TOWARDS RADIATOR. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE ABS BRAKES FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE QUICKLY. THE SEAT BELTS FAILED TO RESTRAIN PASSENGER WHO HIT HEAD ON DASHBOARD. WILL BE TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER.
THERE WAS A HEAD-ON COLLISION AT 55 MPH, AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. *AK
WHEN VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF AN 85 CADILLAC THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG. THE TRUCK IS BEING REPAIRED. DAMAGES TOTALED $6,000.00. *AK
VEHICLE ROLLED OVER SIDE TO SIDE AND FRONT TO BACK END; DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH AND ANOTHER VEHICLE GOING 40MPH, HAD DIRECT FRONTAL IMPACT IN WHICH DRIVER'S AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY, WHICH DID NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN THIS ACCIDENT. *AK
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, RAN OVER A SHEET OF ICE ,VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLIDE UNTIL IT HIT GUARDRAIL HEAD-ON. DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY, RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURIES. *AK
DURING FRONTAL IMPACT AT 35 TO 40 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH THE VEHICLE HIT THE BARRIER, CAUSING THE REAR AXLE TO FALL OFF, THE VEHICLE KEPT GOING AND HIT AN EMBANKMENT IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AND THE AIR BAG DIDNOT DEPLOY. *AK
WHILE DRIVING STRUCK ANOTHER VEHICLE FROM THE BACK AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.