Is Nissan as reliable as Toyota?
Toyota comes out ahead: Nissan 1.47 vs Toyota 0.94 NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022). Nissan owners filed 1.6× as many complaints per vehicle sold as Toyota owners.
By CarWhere Research · Updated November 2026 · Method
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022; published U.S. sales). Not a survey, not Consumer Reports' method, and not repair frequency.
Nissan vs Toyota at a glance
| Nissan | Toyota | |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints per 1,000 sold | 1.47 | 0.94 |
| Serious-safety complaints per 1,000 | 0.12 | 0.10 |
| Rank of 19 brands | #4 | #2 |
| Models covered | 14 | 12 |
| Vehicles sold (rated model years) | 9,035,214 | 15,629,831 |
| Owner complaints | 13,245 | 14,637 |
| Share of brand U.S. sales covered | 97.9% | 96.2% |
| Top complaint areas | Powertrain / transmission 19.3% · Electrical system 18.5% · Engine 16.4% | Powertrain / transmission 16% · Engine 14.6% · Electrical system 13.9% |
| Recall campaigns (vehicles covered) | 150 (11.4 million) | 198 (15.8 million) |
Model years 2015–2022. Lower is better. Serious-safety complaints are those where the owner reported a crash, a fire or at least one injury. Recall campaigns are NHTSA campaigns filed January 2016 to September 2026; vehicles covered counts a vehicle once per campaign.
What drives the numbers
- Nissan's count is driven most by 2015 Altima complaints about lighting and air bags (956, 7.2% of Nissan's complaints). Other models with rates above Nissan's overall 1.47: Leaf (7.67), Titan (2.66), Pathfinder (1.82).
- Toyota's count is driven most by 2019–2020 RAV4 complaints about engine and fuel / propulsion (1,563, 10.7% of Toyota's complaints). Other models with rates above Toyota's overall 0.94: Highlander (1.46), Venza (2.00), Tundra (1.06).
Nissan vs Toyota complaints per 1,000 sold, by model year
Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are still growing. Compare the two lines within a year, not one year against another.
| Model year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan | 2.19 | 1.54 | 1.51 | 1.37 | 1.34 | 1.32 | 0.89 | 1.17 |
| Toyota | 0.86 | 0.79 | 0.79 | 1.03 | 1.28 | 1.04 | 0.95 | 0.74 |
What Nissan and Toyota owners complain about
Share of each brand's NHTSA complaints naming the area (a complaint can name more than one).
Nissan
- Powertrain / transmission19.3% · 2,560
- Electrical system18.5% · 2,448
- Engine16.4% · 2,174
- Brakes12.6% · 1,675
- Air bags9.5% · 1,258
- Forward collision avoidance9% · 1,191
Toyota
- Powertrain / transmission16% · 2,340
- Engine14.6% · 2,143
- Electrical system13.9% · 2,028
- Fuel / propulsion11.9% · 1,744
- Brakes11.8% · 1,725
- Air bags9.6% · 1,404
Model matchups
Each brand's best-selling model in the classes both sell, on the same per-1,000-sold measure.
Compact SUVs: Nissan Rogue vs Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Nissan Rogue 1.51 vs Toyota RAV4 1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Rogue's most-cited area is brakes (17.1%); the RAV4's is electrical system (21.5%).
1.51 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 3,756 complaints / 2,483,134 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2020
- Years to avoid:
- 2016–2018, 2022, 2023
- Top complaint areas:
- Brakes 17.1% · Powertrain / transmission 16.9% · Electrical system 16.7%
1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 3,483 complaints / 3,155,248 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2019–2021, 2023, 2024
- Top complaint areas:
- Electrical system 21.5% · Engine 17.8% · Fuel / propulsion 13.6%
Midsize cars: Nissan Altima vs Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Nissan Altima 1.55 vs Toyota Camry 0.84 complaints per 1,000 sold. Powertrain / transmission is the most-cited area for both (22.3% and 18.5% of complaints).
1.55 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 2,632 complaints / 1,695,823 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2011, 2021–2023
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2009, 2013–2016
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 22.3% · Air bags 14.6% · Lighting 13.1%
0.84 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 2,348 complaints / 2,788,813 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2016, 2017, 2022
- Years to avoid:
- 2008–2012, 2018–2020
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 18.5% · Engine 15.4% · Brakes 14.4%
Compact cars: Nissan Sentra vs Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Nissan Sentra 1.26 vs Toyota Corolla 0.68 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Sentra's most-cited area is powertrain / transmission (29.5%); the Corolla's is air bags (20.9%).
Nissan Sentra
1.26 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 1,683 complaints / 1,333,964 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2009, 2012, 2023
- Years to avoid:
- 2013–2017
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 29.5% · Electrical system 18.2% · Engine 13.8%
0.68 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 1,586 complaints / 2,339,849 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2009–2011, 2019, 2020
- Top complaint areas:
- Air bags 20.9% · Engine 16.8% · Powertrain / transmission 13.7%
Midsize pickups: Nissan Frontier vs Toyota Tacoma
The Nissan Frontier has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Nissan Frontier 0.57 vs Toyota Tacoma 0.75 complaints per 1,000 sold. Powertrain / transmission is the most-cited area for both (19.8% and 24.1% of complaints).
0.57 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 324 complaints / 567,817 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2015
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2012, 2022, 2023
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 19.8% · Electrical system 18.8% · Air bags 12%
0.75 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 1,330 complaints / 1,770,925 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2021
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016–2019, 2024
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 24.1% · Fuel / propulsion 16.8% · Brakes 14.9%
Three-row SUVs: Nissan Pathfinder vs Toyota Highlander
The Toyota Highlander has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Nissan Pathfinder 1.82 vs Toyota Highlander 1.46 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Pathfinder's most-cited area is engine (26.3%); the Highlander's is powertrain / transmission (31.1%).
1.82 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 955 complaints / 525,813 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2011, 2012, 2020
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2013–2015, 2017, 2022–2024
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 26.3% · Powertrain / transmission 17.3% · Brakes 13.3%
1.46 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 2,546 complaints / 1,749,226 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2017–2023
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 31.1% · Brakes 11.8% · Electrical system 10.5%
How these numbers are calculated
complaints per 1,000 sold = NHTSA owner complaints filed for model years 2015–2022 ÷ U.S. vehicles sold in calendar years 2015–2022 × 1,000
Complaints come from NHTSA's public owner-complaint database (NHTSA data), counted once per complaint and matched across NHTSA's trim and body-style names. Vehicles sold are published U.S. calendar-year sales per nameplate. Model years with fewer than 5,000 sold are too few to rate and are left out. A brand gets a score only when its covered models number at least 3 and make up at least 70% of its U.S. sales; rates under 10% apart are called close.
This is the federal complaint rate, not an owner survey or repair-frequency figure. Consumer Reports publishes a survey-based ranking that measures something different. Full method and brand ranking.
Questions
Is Nissan as reliable as Toyota?
Toyota comes out ahead: Nissan 1.47 vs Toyota 0.94 NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022). Nissan owners filed 1.6× as many complaints per vehicle sold as Toyota owners.
Which has more serious complaints, Nissan or Toyota?
Counting only complaints that report a crash, fire or injury, Nissan logs 0.12 per 1,000 sold and Toyota 0.10. Those are 8% of Nissan's complaints and 11% of Toyota's.
Where do Nissan and Toyota rank overall?
Nissan ranks #4 and Toyota #2 of the 19 brands with enough sales data, ranked by NHTSA complaints per 1,000 sold for model years 2015–2022.
What do Nissan and Toyota owners complain about most?
Nissan: powertrain / transmission (19.3%), electrical system (18.5%), engine (16.4%). Toyota: powertrain / transmission (16%), engine (14.6%), electrical system (13.9%). Shares are of each brand's complaints for model years 2015–2022; one complaint can name more than one area.
Which has more recalls, Nissan or Toyota?
From January 2016 to September 2026, NHTSA lists 150 Nissan recall campaigns covering 11,433,936 vehicles and 198 Toyota campaigns covering 15,819,237. Vehicles covered counts each vehicle once per campaign, so one car in three recalls counts three times. Recalls are fixes the maker files, a different signal from owner complaints.
Is the Nissan Rogue more reliable than the Toyota RAV4?
The Toyota RAV4 has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Nissan Rogue 1.51 vs Toyota RAV4 1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold. Based on 2,483,134 and 3,155,248 vehicles sold. Years to avoid on the Rogue: 2016–2018, 2022, 2023. Years to avoid on the RAV4: 2008, 2019–2021, 2023, 2024.
Is the Nissan Altima more reliable than the Toyota Camry?
The Toyota Camry has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Nissan Altima 1.55 vs Toyota Camry 0.84 complaints per 1,000 sold. Based on 1,695,823 and 2,788,813 vehicles sold. Years to avoid on the Altima: 2008, 2009, 2013–2016. Years to avoid on the Camry: 2008–2012, 2018–2020.