2018 Nissan Titan: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 90 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine (43% of complaints); the 2019 and 2020 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 1 new complaint in the last 90 days · latest recall Mar 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 90 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH and accelerating, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that there was an abnormal pop before the vehicle lost motive power and was pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a fractured crankshaft, rod bearings, and engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,000.”Owner report · Engine · Feb 2026
“The vehicle has recurring starting issues. The battery frequently becomes weak or completely unable to start, sometimes without warning. The issue occurs intermittently and appears electrical in nature. The vehicle may require jump starts or fails to start after sitting or after driving. This raises concern for an electrical or charging system defect. Battery has been replaced 4 times in the past 5 years. Jumped and charged numerous times in between.”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2025
“Don't really know the truck was running fine doing great and then all of a sudden started acting up they run a diagnostic on it and said it was the EMC was bad and I don't understand why because everything was fine on it”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2025
Show 7 more owner reports
“Imminent catastrophic engine failure on 2018 Nissan Titan. The engine has developed severe cylinder wall scuffing and loss of compression (150psi vs 264psi spec) on multiple cylinders. This defect can cause loss of power and potential stalling at highway speeds, presenting a safety risk. The failure matches Nissan TSB NTB19-057 (knock/scuffing). Despite a perfect maintenance history, Nissan is denying warranty coverage by claiming there was no oil change service record because the maintenance was not done at a Nissan dealership. The local Nissan dealership confirmed the issue matches the TSB and an independent inspection confirmed the defect is mechanical (piston/cylinder clearance).”Owner report · Engine · Nov 2025
“I was in need of medical attention and could not move. The vehicle vehicles, SOS system was unresponsive and ineffective due to the microphone, not working while trying to communicate with the emergency services they were unable to hear me subsequently ending the call under the impression the call was made accidentally. In other cases, this malfunction could mean the difference between life or death.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2025
“Erratic shifting. As an example, while attempting to pass at highway speeds, the transmission will not downshift responsively (or downshift to low gears/high rpm) leading driver to abandon the pass due to time lag, lack of confidence and power gain loss/stress. Other examples, this 7speed transmission will rev spike at low gears like it was slipping or confused, then it corrects itself. If you have cruise control enabled, the transmission seems to downshift on minor hill climbs, which is not something a normal driver would do. Overall, this transmission and TCM have had issues and recalls in the year prior to this model and in my opinion the flaws continue to exist and need a recall.”Owner report · Power Train · Sep 2025
“Transmission failed while driving. Placing my family and others in an unsafe predicament. This seems to be a common problem with Nissan transmission. A quick search on the internet show almost all cvt models do this from this company. How is there only a partial recall on some models?”Owner report · Power Train · Aug 2025
“Engine failure. On rural highway with recreational traffic, engine started rattling, within 5 seconds the engine shut off, luckily I was able to get on the shoulder. My truck is currently at a repair facility 300 miles from my home. Waiting on information from shop and extended warranty company. No warning lights whatsoever.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2025
“Truck died driving at highway speed, towed vehicle to Nissan dealership, and was quoted at or above 30 thousand dollars in repairs related the dreaded CP4 fuel pump system that has failed on the truck that only had 134,000 miles.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jun 2025
“While driving my car would almost stall on the highway, if I gave it gas while merging onto the highway it doesn't respond and then almost stall, but then respond after 2 seconds when it was not as clear to merge on the highway. I have had to replace the battery twice and been stranded in the last 3 years, the engine would pretend to start but not kick over. I have seen that this is a common problem when looking into Nissan TItan Forums”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2025
When filing, owners marked a crash in 3 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Altima and 2018-2021 Titan vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC798.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2017-2019 gasoline, light duty, Titan vehicles. The alternator harness may have been damaged during the engine installation process, possibly resulting in an electrical short.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the alternator harness for the proper routing and any damage. The harness will be clipped into the correct position or replaced as necessary, free of charge. The recall began August 8, 2019. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Nissan Titan, 2016 and 2018 Nissan Titan XD vehicles. Accessories installed on these vehicles reduced the load carrying capacity, however, a Load Carrying Capacity modification label was not installed, possibly allowing the vehicle to be overloaded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners and provide a new modification label, with installation instructions, free of charge. The recall began on June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2018 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Titan 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 2018 Nissan Titan reliable?
NHTSA has 90 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2018 Nissan Titan. The most complained-about area is engine (43% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2018 Nissan Titan problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 16,281 miles or less.
Does the 2018 Nissan Titan have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning back over prevention: sensing system: camera. 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.