NISSAN 200SX · model year

1997 NISSAN 200SX

18 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1997NISSAN200SX carries 18 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1997 200SX is visibility:windshield wiper/washer:linkages with 4 filings, followed by air bags:frontal (2) and air bags (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 54 investigation files overlapping the 1997 200SX, and 5 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

18
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

18 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES4
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL2
AIR BAGS2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1

Recent Complaints

20150413ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 NISSAN 200SX. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START WITHOUT HAVING THE BATTERY RECHARGED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FORMALLY DIAGNOSED. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

Mileage: 150,000

20121002AIR BAGS

AFTER MAKING A RIGHT TURN, ABOUT 20 FEET AFTER TURN BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. I WAS STRUCK IN THE FACE, CHIN, THROAT AND CHEST. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT, NO POT HOLES IN THE ROAD, NO OTHER CAR EVEN ON THE ROAD. I CANNOT FIND ONE REASON WHY THE AIR BAGS WOULD DEPLOY. IT HAS BEEN 48 HOURS AND I AM STILL SORE INCLUDING MY NECK AND BRUISING ON MY NECK AND CHEST. *TR

Mileage: 142,653

20091005VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 NISSAN 200SX. WHILE DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF A RAIN STORM, HER WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED FUNCTIONING. THE VEHICLE TOWED SINCE SHE HAD NO VISIBILITY. THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP STATED THAT THE WIPER LINKAGE SEPARATED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED IN REFERENCE TO RECALL 98V093000; HOWEVER, THEY CONFIRMED THAT HER VIN WAS NOT RELATED TO THE RECALL. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 156,036 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 156,000.

Mileage: 156,000

20041201EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

HEADLIGHT LENSES PRODUCED A THICK FOG OVER THEM. AS A RESULT, THE LIGHTS WERE NOT AS BRIGHT AT NIGHT. *AK THE HEADLIGHT LENSES WERE DAMAGED DUE TO THE SUNS ULTRA-VIOLET RAYS. *SC

Mileage: 135,000

20040419VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

I HAD TO PAY $235 FOR A REPAIR THAT WAS PART OF A RECALL IN 1998. I WAS NEVER SENT RECALL INFO. REGARDING MY VEHICLE. I HAPPENED UPON THE NISSAN WEBSITE LOOKING FOR OTHER INFORMATION. FIRST NISSAN REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THE REPAIR HAD TAKEN PLACE IN SEPTEMBER OF 1998 AT THE DEALERSHIP, WHEN I PROVED THAT TO BE WRONG I WAS THEN TOLD THAT MY VIN # WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. NISSAN WEBSITE CLEARLY SHOWS A RANGE OF VIN'S AND MINE FELL WITHIN THAT RANGE, NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN I WAS TOLD THE RANGE IS NOT SPECIFIC. IF THAT IS THE CASE THEN I SHOULD BE ABLE TO KNOW WHAT VIN'S ARE INCLUDED.*AK

Mileage: 79,001

20040226VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPERS IN MY 1997 NISSAN 200SX JUST STOPPED WORKING WHILE IN USE. I WAS DRIVING THE CAR GOING TO MY MOTHER'S HOME FROM WORK AND THE WIPER JUST STOPPED. IT WAS VERY SCARY AND I COULD HARDLY SEE BECAUSE IT WAS RAINING SO HARD. I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN IN A TERRIBLE WRECK. I QUICKLY PUT ON MY BLINKERS AND WITH ONLY VIEW OF MY REAR VIEW MIRROR MOVED TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF I-75. *AK

20030904ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

ELECTRICAL PROBLEM: ALTERNATOR IN 2000 THERE WAS A BULLETIN IN MY LOCAL NEWSPAPER OF A DEFECTIVE ALTERNATOR IN A 1997 NISSAN 200 SX. I REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR PRIOR TO THIS PRESS RELEASE. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED AND NEVER RECEIVED THIS RECALL OR REPAIR NOTICE I WASN'T SURE IF THIS WAS COVERED SEEING IT WAS A USED VEHICLE. I NEVER RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION FROM NISSAN OR THE DEALERSHIP SO I GAVE UP UNTIL I SEEN YOUR ORGANIZATION ON LOCAL TV. IS THERE ANY FORM OF REIMBURSEMENT I CAN RECEIVE? *AK

20020220ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

IN 03/01 THE ENGINE WENT AT 69,000 MILES, THEN 2 WEEKS AFTER THAT THE FRONT DRIVER AXLE WENT, 06/01 THE FRONT CRANK SEAL WENT, 02/02 THE TRANSMISSION AND THE CLUTCH WENT ALONG WITH THE EGR SYSTEM CODE HOSE NOT BEING ATTACHED TO THE DASH.

20020220POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY

IN 03/01 THE ENGINE WENT AT 69,000 MILES, THEN 2 WEEKS AFTER THAT THE FRONT DRIVER AXLE WENT, 06/01 THE FRONT CRANK SEAL WENT, 02/02 THE TRANSMISSION AND THE CLUTCH WENT ALONG WITH THE EGR SYSTEM CODE HOSE NOT BEING ATTACHED TO THE DASH.

20020220POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

IN 03/01 THE ENGINE WENT AT 69,000 MILES, THEN 2 WEEKS AFTER THAT THE FRONT DRIVER AXLE WENT, 06/01 THE FRONT CRANK SEAL WENT, 02/02 THE TRANSMISSION AND THE CLUTCH WENT ALONG WITH THE EGR SYSTEM CODE HOSE NOT BEING ATTACHED TO THE DASH.

20010323ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

ALTERNATOR KEEPS OVERHEATING, CAUSING IT TO DRAIN. ALTERNATOR HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE, BUT IT HAS DRAINED AGAIN. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK

20000612VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

CONSUMER MADE APPOINTMENT TO HAVE RECALL 998-093 SERVICE PERFORMED AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD ONLY TAKE AN HOUR, UPON RETURNING TO PICK IT UP CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN SERVICED. NLM

20000124CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL

DRIVING DOWN ROAD AND BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED CAUSING DRIVER TO STEER INTO CURB. ONLY DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE WAS DEEP SCRAPES ON FRONT PASSENGER SIDE RIM AND MINOR SCRAPES ON REAR PASSENGER SIDE RIM. NO OTHER BODY OR SHEET METAL DAMAGE. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DID ANYTHING HAPPEN WHICH WOULD HAVE OR SHOULD HAVE CAUSE THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY. WINDSHIELD BROKE AS A RESULT OF PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AIRBAG. *AK

19990623VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

1) TAPPED ON BRAKE TO TAKE OUT OF GEAR AND STOP. CAME OUT OF GEAR, BUT CRUISE REMAINED ON AND ACCELERATOR STUCK. HAD TO STEP ON BRAKE HARD TO GET CRUISE OFF. 2) YESTERDAY, MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED, EXCEPT THIS TIME TACHOMETER WENT UP TO AROUND 6. WAS VERY FRIGHTENING FOR HER. IT HAS HAPPENED TO ME A FEW TIMES SINCE THE FIRST INCIDENT AROUND 6-1-99. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED WHEN WE HAVE BEEN TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAYS, ONLY IN TOWN. THE FAILED COMPONENT/PART SECTION INDICATES THAT THERE WAS 22,000 INJURIES, THE SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED ON 6-1-99 AND THAT THERE WERE 35 FATALITIES. THIS IS NOT TRUE. I ENTERED THE INFORMATION CORRECTLY TWICE AND IT STILL KEEPS COMING UP INCORRECT IN THE CONFIRMATION AREA.

19981005AIR BAGS

AIR BAGS DID NOT INFLATE DURING COLLISION.

19980806SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

WHEN BRAKES GET WET THEY WILL LOCK UP, AND THE VEHICLE WILL SLIDE ALL ACROSS THE ROAD. *AK

19980526AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN INTO A PARKING LOT, HIT CURB AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH WHEN DUAL AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, CAUSING 2 BROKEN FINGERS AND BRUISES. CONSUMER HAD TO HAVE HAND SURGERY DUE TO INJURY.

19971106AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE

THE AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON AND THIS IS THIS SECOND TIME THAT THE LIGHT CAME ON IN THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER STATES THAT THIS MEANS THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE AIR BAG SYSTEM. *AK

Compare 1997NISSAN200SX to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 5 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1997 NISSAN 200SX have?
The 1997 NISSAN 200SX has 18 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 NISSAN 200SX?
The most-complained component for the 1997 NISSAN 200SX is VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS:FRONTAL and AIR BAGS.
Is the 1997 NISSAN 200SX safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.