Nissan Titan Engine Problems

Owners have filed 583 complaints about engine & cooling problems with the Nissan Titan — 18% of all Titan complaints. The worst model years are 2004 (132), 2005 (120) and 2017 (102). Problems typically start around 78,000 miles. One related recall has been issued.

583complaints
2004worst year
78ktypical miles
1related recalls
7crashes
16fires

Engine complaints by model year

’04’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’2413212075242887462110245184421
Engine complaints per model year, Nissan Titan.
YearComplaintsShare of year's complaintsTypical mileage
202417%—
2023212%124,000 miles
202147%0 miles
2020417%85,000 miles
20191837%20,000 miles
20184550%6,000 miles
201710255%22,000 miles
201518%57,000 miles
2013218%87,000 miles
2012627%56,000 miles
2011415%89,000 miles
2010715%69,000 miles
2009817%71,000 miles
20082821%91,000 miles
20072417%93,000 miles
20067517%86,000 miles
200512013%83,000 miles
200413213%82,000 miles

Which parts fail

  • Exhaust system
    60
  • Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
    52
  • Cooling system
    9
  • Engine
    8
  • Cooling system › Radiator assembly
    3
  • Cooling system › Fan
    2
  • Engine › Gasoline
    2
  • Exhaust system › Emission control
    1

Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).

Mileage when the problem started

  • Under 25k
    5113%
  • 25k–50k
    359%
  • 50k–75k
    7719%
  • 75k–100k
    10928%
  • 100k–150k
    7920%
  • 150k+
    4411%

What owners report

Vehicle has on a handful of occasions stalled or has no throttle response, when taking off from a stop light. The last 2 times this happened the truck engine was till running, but had no throttle response. I had to shift to neutral and pump gas with no input to throttle. Vehicle is very dangerous to drive. Dealership has had numerous repair attempts while vehicle was still under WT. I still don't trust vehicle as it still has very little throttle input idle is terrible and truck lurches on take off's. There is a Nissan Consumers affairs case open on truck with a settlement of $1700 dollars with me taking all the risk. Vehicle is now out of warranty as of a few weeks ago.

2021 Titan · Jul 2025

The vehicle will not move between lower level gears and will not accelerate when it is stuck. The vehicle will rev up very high but not switch gears even if you dig all the way in on the gas pedal. In fact, if you do that the engine makes a chirping noise. This defect prevented me from accelerating through an intersection and I nearly got hit by oncoming traffic. We have taken it to the Nissan dealership 3 times and they have said this is normal for this type of truck. We are taking this to an independent service center for a second opinion.

2021 Titan · May 2022

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle intermittently stalled; the contact waited several minutes for the vehicle to return to normal operation. The Check Engine warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel temperature valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the radiator needed to be flushed and refilled. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

2020 Titan · 85,000 miles · May 2026

from day one, it has had a hesitation on acceleration from both still and moving normal highway speeds. rarely is acceleration steady, smooth and immediate. dealer has had for regular oil change and this problem has been reported every time . answer was that factory recall was performed and should be better. but NO. over a year now, several visits and nothing resolved. a couple times when i needed that immediate acceleration but with severe hesitation and a semi truck hitting his brakes and blowing horn i would call it a safety problem. im not sure what work was preformed, assuming most time transmission but after research on computer there have been nissans with engine components causing this. please help. where do i go from here?

2020 Titan · Jul 2023

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the driver's side of the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and then while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed failure with cylinder #7. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced at 27,000. The contact stated that at 80,000 miles the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Capital City Nissan of Topeka (1980 SW Topeka Blvd, Topeka, KS 66612) to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced again. The vehicle had not been repaired. …

2019 Titan · 20,000 miles · Feb 2020

I rented vehicle from Budget rent a car system. The electrical engine computer system components malfunctioned and went out while I was driving. The rental car company sold or destroyed the vehicle upon request. My safety was compromised involving me in a accident. The Nissan Dealerships in Philadelphia & Ohio confirmed several unresolved recalls. The vehicle was inspected by Nissan Dealership after accident on behalf of Budget Rent a Car but Nissan dealership refused to fix recalls on a wrecked vehicle. When rented from airport the vehicle appeared to be fine until electrical issues caused vehicle to become powerless causing wreck.

2019 Titan · Oct 2019 · crash · 1 injury

While driving on Interstate 20 at a 75 mph speed in traffic, the truck began a loud knocking noise and the engine shut down. After fighting the dead truck off the roadway from the highway speeds and avoiding traffic, I was able to get the truck safely stopped. Upon attempting to restart the engine, the starter caught on fire. I was able to get the fire extinguished with minimal damage. The truck was towed by a wrecker to my home. I replaced the starter and inspected the wiring harness for fire damages. The truck did restart after sitting for several days, and the knock which was heard on the roadway the day of the failure was excessive. After other checks and inspections, the crankshaft was found to be broken in half causing loud knocking. This is a catastrophic failure with a monetary replacement of approximately $20,000-$30,000.

2018 Titan · Nov 2024 · fire

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that while refueling, there was an engine run-on after the vehicle was turned off. The contact determined there was a vapor lock issue and that air was entering the fuel system. The vehicle was difficult to start. There was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. Upon research, the contact determined that the failure was like TSB: NTB19-049. The contact used a scanner and determined the failure was related to the fuel pump module. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were on back order. The contact called another local dealer, Victory Nissan Parts Center (307 Thompson Ln, Nashville, TN 37211); who confirmed that parts were backordered for approximately 6 to 8 months. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

2018 Titan · 62,000 miles · Nov 2025

Related recalls (1)

Engine and engine cooling

NHTSA recall 10V-517 · Oct 28, 2010 · 747,480 vehicles

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 armada, titan, Infiniti qx56 and model year 2005-2006 frontier, pathfinder and xterra vehicles. The intelligent power distribution module (ipdm) assembly contains an engine control module (ECM) relay that has a diode for electrical current noise reduction.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the ECM relay inside the ipdm assembly. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on December 6, 2010. Owners May contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

NHTSA investigations

Loss of motive power due to broken crankshaft with no ability to restart.

NHTSA investigation PE23020 · opened Nov 15, 2023 · closed Jun 27, 2025

On November 15, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE23020 to investigate allegations of loss of motive power in model year (MY) 2016 through 2019 Nissan Titan XD trucks equipped with 5.0L Cummins diesel engines. The complaints allege the condition was due to a failure of the engine crankshaft.

Frequently asked questions

Which Nissan Titan years have engine problems?

By NHTSA complaints, the 2004 (132), 2005 (120), 2017 (102), 2006 (75) and 2018 (45) model years. Engine complaints make up 13% of all complaints for the 2004.

Is there a recall for Nissan Titan engine problems?

Yes — 1 recall, including 10V-517 (engine and engine cooling, Oct 28, 2010). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.

At what mileage do Nissan Titan engine problems start?

Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles; 22% happened before 50,000 miles.

What part fails most often?

Owners most often name the exhaust system (60 mentions), followed by the exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (52).

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.