RoadVitals

2021 Nissan NV

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
3
+1 complaint in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
2

Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Nissan NV, most frequently naming the electrical and powertrain (other) categories. 38 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Electrical150.0%
  • Powertrain (other)150.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Electrical
Filed Aug 6, 2026
Fire reported

On June 2, 2026, a spontaneous fire ignited in my 2021 Nissan NV 3500 HD Van w/ approx 65,741 miles near the instrument panel while the vehicle was parked in my driveway at about 11:00am. It had last been driven at about 7:45am when we observed the turn signal blinkers were acting erratically, blinking rapidly. The fire burst a hole in the drivers side of the windshield . Nobody was injured and the fire was contained to just the van thanks to swift action by my wife and neighbor to use fire extinguishers followed by prompt response by local police and fire department. This incident could’ve been catastrophic with fatalities had someone been driving or if the fire had spread to other cars or our house. A similar incident was noted in September 2020 yet no apparent resolution or recall was provided by Nissan Corporation for this issue below: Safety Issue Type: Complaints September 11 2020 NHTSA ID Number: 11354394 Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER NHTSA ID Number 11354394 Incident Date September 06 2020 Consumer Location NEW IBERIA, LA Vehicle Identification Number 5BZAF0AA7KN****** Summary CRASH No INJURIES 0 DEATHS 0 FIRE Yes IN APRIL OF 2020 WE STARTED HAVING ELECTRICAL ISSUES- THE BLINKERS WERE GOING CRAZY, HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT TURN OFF, A STRANGE SMELL EMITTING FROM THE AIR VENTS, ETC SO WE DECIDED TO BRING IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE EVALUATED AS WE HAD JUST AT 600 MILES ON IT. IT WAS FOUND TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE COMPUTER MODULE AND AFTER BEING REPAIRED WAS GIVEN BACK. FAST FORWARD TO SEPTEMBER 6 AT 3,202 MILES WE NOTICED THE SAME SMELL AND THE BLINKERS WERE GOING VERY FAST AGAIN SO WE HEADED HOME AND ONCE AGAIN CALLED OUR DEALERSHIP. SHORTLY AFTER GETTING OFF OF THE PHONE WITH THEM WE NOTICED WE COULD SMELL THE SAME SMELL FROM OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND SOON THEREAFTER SOMETHING UNDER THE HOOD NEAR THE STEERING COLUMN CAUGHT FIRE CAUSING THE FRONT WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE TO EXPLODE AND COMPLETELY DESTROY OUR VEHICLE

NHTSA ID
11755230
Incident
Jun 2, 2026
Filed Nov 1, 2023

On April 1, 2023, my husband was weed-eating on our farm and a rock flew and hit the window directly behind the driver and shattered it. I immediately called the dealership the same day to get a new window ordered. They said it would be in in a couple of days. That turned into weeks. Then months. I posted in a Facebook group which has over 30K members to see if anyone else had this issue. Others told me they had been waiting almost a year then (now it's been 16 months for them). So my husband used cardboard at first -- then after months of cardboard got a piece of plexi glass from Lowe's cut to size and taped in with gorilla tape. (See pic) Once I heard from members in the group they had been waiting over a year -- and many many other issues with this window like spontaneously shattering Nissan has refused to address, I knew there was no way I was getting a window any time soon so started calling Nissan Corporate directly for answers. I opened multiple cases with Consumer Affairs over the past 7 months. They claim to have talked to their corporate parts department - but no one knows when this window will ever be in it's just back-ordered indefinitely. So here I am 8 months in with a plexiglass window that if we get into an accident won't shatter and therefore is very unsafe. Instead of shattering as a standard auto window is designed for safety - this one would instead break into large sharp pieces that would then be projectiles stabbing through the hearts of my 5 children seated in the back seats. And knowing that, I have to make that conscious choice as a mother every time we drive it because there is no other safe solution being offered to me. And I am afraid Nissan won't do anything about this issue UNTIL that happens to my family or another. I have 150 other comments from Nissan NV owners with similar issues with this window that have been waiting months with unsafe solutions. Backordered is one thing. But 2 yrs is unacceptable and unsafe. Please help.

NHTSA ID
11553054
Incident
Apr 1, 2023
Powertrain (other)
Filed Nov 5, 2022
Crash reported

When braking, the transmission downshifts and lurches the car forward just before coming to a stop. This problem artificially increases the stopping distance and time needed when braking. This caused me to have an accident rear ending another car. My vehicle did not stop in time when braking due to the vehicle surging forward when stopping, causing significant damage to both vehicles and injuries to passengers. A related but separate problem happens when driving steady at 25mph, slightly coming off the gas the vehicle seems downshift hard, slowing the vehicle quickly as if braking. It jerks the vehicle forward and back when trying to maintain a steady speed specifically in the 25-30 mph range. This issue was first noticed right around the time of the accident and has continued since then. Both problems usually happen consistently after the vehicle has warmed up, after about 10-15 miles. I took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection but they did not see a problem. This vehicle uses the same transmission as the 2021 Nissan Titan, for which there are the same transmission problems, which were addressed by a service bulletin. NTB22074. However, this service bulletin has not been applied to our model, the NV3500 SL.

NHTSA ID
11492454
Incident
Jul 14, 2021

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

NTB09-131C

STRUCTURE:BODY

CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides an application form for such replacements. · The “VIN Plate/Label” (metal plate or vinyl label) is attached to the instrument panel or body on the driver side at the base of the windshield (see Figure 1). · The “Certification Label” (vinyl adhesive label) is located on the lower area of the driver side B-Pillar (see Figure 1).

NTB09-131C

STRUCTURE:BODY

CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides an application form for such replacements. · The “VIN Plate/Label” (metal plate or vinyl label) is attached to the instrument panel or body on the driver side at the base of the windshield (see Figure 1). · The “Certification Label” (vinyl adhesive label) is located on the lower area of the driver side B-Pillar (see Figure 1).

NTB10-066C

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CAN COMMUNICATION CODES – DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

NTB13-107G

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

NTB13-027D

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CAN COMMUNICATION – NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

NTB17-019H

VISIBILITY/WIPER

WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Nissan NV by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2021Viewing300
2020100
2019610
2018111048.0
2017020
2016171036.9
2015610
2014102045.0
2013930
2012740

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.