IllustrationDURING FRONTAL IMPACT AT 35 TO 40 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *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
What owners actually said
57 reportsCONSUMER IS UNABLE TO HEAR THE INAUDIBLE WARNING ALARM.
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT ABOUT 40 OR 50 MPH THE VEHICLE JUST SHAKES FOR NO APPARENT REASON. *AK DRIVELINE IS NOT PROPERLY BALANCED IN ORDER TO GIVE A QUALITY RIDE. *SLC
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
WHILE DRIVING HIT A TREE AND THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. ALSO THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS ON AFTER THE ACCIDENT. *AK
REAR AXLE SEALS LEAK.
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.