Skip to content

Japan · NHTSA recalls & complaints

Nissan VIN decoder

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is a Japanese maker of cars, SUVs, pickups and electric vehicles, and the parent of the Infiniti luxury brand. Merger talks with Honda ended in February 2025. Nissan remains the largest shareholder in Mitsubishi Motors, although it cut its stake from about 34 percent to about 24 percent of shares in November 2024. Its 2026 US lineup includes the Kicks, Sentra, Altima, Rogue, Murano, Pathfinder, Armada, Frontier, Ariya, Leaf and Z.

Decode a Nissan VIN

Enter all 17 characters to see the build details NHTSA holds and the recalls for that model year.

  • 36 model pages
  • 332 recall campaigns
  • 68,940 owner complaints
  • model years 1995–2026
  • 18 WMI codes in vPIC
  • origin: Japan

Nissan at a glance

NHTSA data
Nissan: key facts from NHTSA data
Country of originJapan
RegionAsia
NHTSA recall and complaint dataYes, model years 1995–2026
WMI codes in NHTSA vPIC18
Model pages36
Other model names in NHTSA data11
Vehicle recall campaigns332
Owner complaints68,940
Complaints reporting a crash3,494 (5.1%)
Complaints reporting a fire887 (1.3%)
Complaints reporting an injury2,240 (3.2%)
Complaints reporting a death83 (0.1%)
Data updatedSeptember 25, 2026

About Nissan VINs

Nissan builds most of its US-market vehicles in North America. Nissan says the Smyrna, Tennessee plant builds the Pathfinder, Rogue and Murano along with Infiniti's SUVs, and the Canton, Mississippi plant builds the Altima and Frontier; in 2026 Nissan dropped a planned electric-vehicle program for Canton in favor of trucks and SUVs, starting with a new Xterra in late 2028. The Sentra and Kicks come from Aguascalientes in Mexico, where Nissan is consolidating production after closing its CIVAC plant in Cuernavaca. The Armada, Leaf and Z are imported from Japan.

Every Nissan from model year 1981 onward has a 17-character VIN, and Nissan files a VIN coding system with NHTSA every model year. NHTSA's vPIC database usually decodes US-market Nissans in detail.

NHTSA’s files hold 332 vehicle recall campaigns and 68,940 owner complaints for Nissan vehicles from model years 1995 to 2026, summarised here on 36 model pages. The Altima has the most complaints (15,258), followed by the Rogue (7,300) and the Pathfinder (7,057). Of those complaints, 3,494 report a crash, 887 a fire, 2,240 at least one injury and 83 at least one death; the figures count complaints, not people.

Nissan WMI codes

Source: NHTSA vPIC · 18 codes

The World Manufacturer Identifier is the first three characters of the VIN. NHTSA’s vPIC database decodes 18 WMIs to Nissan; this is the complete list, with the manufacturer name, country and vehicle type vPIC records for each.

Nissan WMIs in NHTSA vPIC (first 10 of 18)
Nissan WMIs in NHTSA vPIC (first 10 of 18)
WMIManufacturer (vPIC)CountryVehicle typeAlso decoded as
1N4NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.United StatesPassenger CarInfiniti
1N6NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.United StatesTruckInfiniti
3N1NISSAN MEXICANA, S.A. DE C.V.MexicoPassenger CarInfiniti
3N6NISSAN MEXICANA, S.A. DE C.V.MexicoTruckChevrolet, Infiniti
3N8NISSAN MEXICANA, S.A. DE C.V.MexicoMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)–
3PCNISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.MexicoMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)Infiniti
4N2FORD MOTOR COMPANYUnited StatesMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)–
4N3FORD MOTOR COMPANYUnited StatesIncomplete Vehicle–
4N4FORD MOTOR COMPANYUnited StatesTruck–
5BZNISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.United StatesBus–
Show the other 8 WMIs
Nissan WMIs in NHTSA vPIC, continued (8 more)
Nissan WMIs in NHTSA vPIC, continued (8 more)
WMIManufacturer (vPIC)CountryVehicle typeAlso decoded as
5N1NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.United StatesMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)Infiniti
JA4MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION (MMC)JapanMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)Mitsubishi
JN1NISSAN MOTOR COMPANY, LTDJapanPassenger CarInfiniti
JN3NISSAN MOTOR COMPANY, LTDJapanIncomplete VehicleInfiniti
JN6NISSAN MOTOR COMPANY, LTDJapanTruckChevrolet
JN8NISSAN MOTOR COMPANY, LTDJapanMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)Infiniti
KNMRENAULT SAMSUNG MOTORS CO., LTDSouth KoreaMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)–
SJKNISSAN MOTOR MANUFACTURING (UK) LTDUnited KingdomPassenger CarInfiniti

Some codes are shared across a manufacturer’s brands; the last column names the other brands in our catalog that vPIC links to the same code. See the WMI code guide for how the codes are assigned.

Nissan models in NHTSA data

36 model pages · by complaints

Each model page lists NHTSA’s recall campaigns and owner complaints for that model name, by model year and component. Models are sorted by complaints; the data covers model years 1995–2026.

Nissan models with the most NHTSA complaints (30 of 36)
Nissan models with the most NHTSA complaints (30 of 36)
ModelModel yearsRecall campaignsComplaints
Altima1995–20255315,258
Rogue1999–2026467,300
Pathfinder1995–2026447,057
Maxima1995–2023236,044
Murano2003–2026265,955
Sentra1995–2026525,497
Frontier1998–2026393,354
Versa2007–2025263,320
Titan2004–2024343,259
Xterra2000–2015213,099
Armada2004–2026191,845
Quest1995–2017201,834
Leaf2010–2026201,102
350Z2003–20093657
Kicks2018–202610529
Juke2011–20177478
Rogue Sport2017–20224373
370Z2009–20192360
Versa Note2014–20198265
D211995–19973230
Cube2009–20144217
Titan XD2016–20235198
200SX1995–20012124
Altima Hybrid2007–20111113
Crew2004187
NV2002013–2021678
240SX1995–1998175
NV2012–2021870
Ariya2023–2025456
GT-R2009–2021433
Show 6 more Nissan models
Other Nissan models in NHTSA data, by complaints (6)
Other Nissan models in NHTSA data, by complaints (6)
ModelModel yearsRecall campaignsComplaints
Pathfinder Hybrid2014–2016312
Z2023–202424
NV200 Taxi2014–201941
Murano Hybrid2015–201631
Altra2000–200211
Rogue Hybrid2017–20191–

– means NHTSA has no records of that kind under the model name.

Other Nissan models in NHTSA data

NHTSA also lists these Nissan model names, but with no recall campaign and fewer than 25 complaints each, so they have no page of their own: 300ZX, 720, Crew Cab, King Cab, NV1500, NV2500, NV3500, Pickup XE, Serena, Standard E, Stanza.

How to read a Nissan VIN

VIN notes

Which WMI codes appear on Nissan VINs?

Nissan's WMIs are registered to Nissan North America (US), Nissan Mexicana (Mexico) and Nissan Motor Company (Japan). Several are shared with Infiniti: in the 2027 filing, Infiniti's SUVs use 5N1 and JN8, the same codes as Nissan's own SUVs.

Common Nissan WMIs. Manufacturer, country and vehicle type as listed by NHTSA vPIC.
Common Nissan WMIs. Manufacturer, country and vehicle type as listed by NHTSA vPIC.
WMIManufacturer (NHTSA vPIC)CountryVehicle type
1N4NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.United StatesPassenger car
1N6NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.United StatesTruck
5N1NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.United StatesMPV
3N1NISSAN MEXICANA, S.A. DE C.V.MexicoPassenger car
3N8NISSAN MEXICANA, S.A. DE C.V.MexicoMPV
JN1NISSAN MOTOR COMPANY, LTDJapanPassenger car
JN8NISSAN MOTOR COMPANY, LTDJapanMPV

What do positions 4 to 11 mean on a Nissan VIN?

Nissan North America's model-year 2027 VIN coding system, filed with NHTSA in September 2026 (NHTSA Manufacturer Information Database file ORG26966), uses a layout that differs from most brands: position 4 is the engine type, 5 the line and series, 6 the model change number, 7 the body type and 8 the restraint system. Position 9 is the check digit, 10 the model year and 11 the plant.

Model-year 2027 Nissan plant codes (position 11) from the same filing.
Model-year 2027 Nissan plant codes (position 11) from the same filing.
ModelWMIPosition 11Plant
Altima1N4NCanton, Mississippi
Frontier1N6NCanton, Mississippi
Murano, Pathfinder, Rogue5N1CSmyrna, Tennessee
RogueJN8WKyushu, Japan
Sentra3N1YAguascalientes 2 plant, Mexico
Kicks3N8LAguascalientes, Mexico
Leaf, ZJN1MTochigi, Japan
ArmadaJN89Nissan Shatai Kyushu, Japan

Nissan VIN questions

4 questions

Where was my Nissan Rogue built?

Check the WMI and position 11. In Nissan's 2027 VIN filing, a Rogue with WMI 5N1 and plant code C comes from Smyrna, Tennessee, while one with WMI JN8 and plant code W comes from Kyushu, Japan.

Why is Nissan's position 4 the engine code?

Each manufacturer decides how to use positions 4 to 8 within the limits of 49 CFR Part 565. Nissan's filing puts the engine type first, in position 4, and the body type later, in position 7. That is why reading a Nissan VIN with another brand's layout gives wrong results.

Can I check Nissan recalls with this decoder?

The decoder lists recalls NHTSA has issued for your Nissan's make, model and model year, from NHTSA's public data for US-market vehicles. For one VIN's open-recall status, use NHTSA's VIN search or a Nissan dealer. See recalls.

Does a Nissan VIN decode show accidents or previous owners?

No. It shows factory data such as engine, series, body, restraints, model year and plant. Accident, title and ownership records come from state agencies and licensed history providers, which this site does not connect to.

(n) = model pages · (—) = no U.S. data

Brands mentioned in the notes above, then other Asian brands, each with its own VIN notes and WMI list.

  • Infiniti (36) Japan · 104 recall campaigns
  • Mitsubishi (26) Japan · 144 recall campaigns
  • Acura (22) Japan · 117 recall campaigns
  • Genesis (12) South Korea · 34 recall campaigns
  • Honda (127) Japan · 363 recall campaigns
  • Hyundai (49) South Korea · 285 recall campaigns

All 59 brands »

Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files and NHTSA vPIC, updated September 25, 2026.