1996 Nissan 200SX: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 37 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (31% of complaints); the 1997 and 1998 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall May 2006
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 37 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Tl*the contact owns a 1996 nissan 200sx. The vehicle would not shift gears or exceed 20 mph. The dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle is currently being repaired by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 92,000.”Owner report · Power Train · Jan 2008
“Wiper arm linkage pops off as described in the recall section, both wipers become non-functional. Local nissan dealer will not honor the recall, stating that my car does not have the defective part - no record of this recall being performed linked to this VIN. *tr”Owner report · Visibility · Nov 2007
“Dt*: the contact stated the wiper arm linkage disengaged without warning, while the windshield washer/wipers were activated. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer. There was a NHTSA recall, # 98v093000, regarding the windshield washer/wiper arm linkage. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. The manufacturer was contacted.”Owner report · Visibility · Aug 2006
Show 7 more owner reports
“Dt: the contact stated driver's side windshield wiper does not work. The passenger side windshield wiper will work intermittently. There was no forewarning prior to the wipers not working. There was recall 98v093000. He contacted the dealer, they stated it was too old of a recall in their database. *ak”Owner report · Visibility · Oct 2005
“Driver side windshield wiper arm ball joint failed resulting in the inoperability of the driver side windshield wiper. According to the NHTSA website, there is a recall for this specific problem. Nissan says this problem is VIN number specific and my VIN number is not included in the recall. My car has this very specific problem and we believe that it should be covered under the recall. The recall covers several years (1995 to 1998) of the manufacture of the car and mine is a 1996. About 500,000 of these cars were covered under the recall, why not mine? We almost lost control of the car in a rainstorm which could have killed us at the legal speed of 65 mph at the time of failure.”Owner report · Visibility · Jun 2005
“Manual transmission clutch cable failed, unable to change gears while driving. This condition was intermittent and happened three times before dealer was able to diagnose and repair. As a result of failure, car was unable to downshift which led to vehicular lack of control. Local nissan dealer finally was able to diagnose the problem and replace the entire clutch cable assembly. Unkown of old part is available for inspection.”Owner report · Power Train · Apr 2005
“Vehicle was parked for 4 or 5 hours. Owner heard a loud pop but ignored it because he resided close to the interstate. Minutes later, the owner heard another pop sound and went to investigate. Owner found the vehicle engulfed in flames . The fire department said that the fire started under the driver's side underneath the hood. *ak *tt *nm”Owner report · Electrical System · Mar 2005
“Air bag light flashes constantly. Dlr says srs computer has failed and will cost $600.00 to repair. Dlr should pay for this item as it is safety and has been reported several times by different owners. On some the airbag has deployed for no reason. *jb”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2004
“Rearend collision with 2000 dodge p/u. Injuries include concussion, facial and chest bruises, three broken bones on right foot. Air bags did not deploy. *ak”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2002
“Air bag light flashes. Dealer says air bag will not deploy and computer module is bad with a replacement cost to us (the owner) of $600. There is no explanation why this would go bad. Dealer says they sometimes go bad. This is a safety issue and we believe that it should be repaired at no cost to the consumer.*ak”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2001
When filing, owners marked a crash in 3 of these complaints and injuries in 4 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Remedy: CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. WATER CAN ENTER AND DISPLACE THE GREASE IN THE WIPER ARM LINKAGE BALL JOINT WHERE THE WIPER LINKAGE ATTACHES TO THE WIPER MOTOR LINKAGE.
Remedy: TO PREVENT GREASE FROM BEING WASHED OUT OF THE JOINT, THE DEALERS WILL MODIFY BY ADDING A WATER DIVERSION SEAL THAT WILL PREVENT WATER FROM ENTERING THE WINDSHIELD WIPER LINKAGE BALL JOINT AREA.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 1996 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact 200SX by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1996 Nissan 200SX reliable?
NHTSA has 37 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 1996 Nissan 200SX. The most complained-about area is air bags (31% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1996 Nissan 200SX problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 104,250 miles or less.
Does the 1996 Nissan 200SX have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning exterior lighting. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.