Selling an old or dead Nissan Quest minivan

Four generations, four sets of problems

Complaint counts below are complaints filed with NHTSA for those model years, as they stood in the agency's complaint file on October 10, 2026.

1993-1998: built by Ford (V40)

Under a joint venture with Nissan, Ford built the first Quest at its Ohio Assembly plant in Avon Lake, next to its twin, the Mercury Villager. It used Nissan's 3.0-liter VG30E V6, rated at 151 horsepower, and a four-speed automatic.

NHTSA holds 714 complaints on these six model years. The engine and its cooling system come up most (119), then the fuel system (83). The fuel system is also where the biggest recall sits. Recall 00V419 covers vent hoses on the fuel tank that crack; under some refueling conditions fuel can leak from them, and leaking fuel near an ignition source can start a fire. An earlier recall on 1993 vans (92V172) covered fuel filler hoses that may have been cut by the utility knife used to open their shipping box. On the 1997, recall 97V184 covers batteries with a faulty negative post that can leak acid.

1999-2002: a bigger V6, same plant (V41)

The second Quest got a 3.3-liter VG33E V6, still with a four-speed automatic, still built in Avon Lake. In 2000 Ford and Nissan decided to wind the arrangement down. These four years have 276 complaints. On the 1999, vehicle speed control is the top category, in 35 of 118. Recalls cover fuel tank straps that can break at their spot welds (99V205, 1999) and steering rack bolts that may not have been tightened properly (00V292, 1999-2000). There was no 2003 model.

2004-2009: Nissan's Mississippi van (V42)

The 2004 Quest was the first of four new vehicles scheduled for Nissan's new $1.43 billion plant in Canton, Mississippi. Its 3.5-liter VQ-series V6 came from Nissan's engine plant in Decherd, Tennessee, rated at 240 horsepower, with a four- or five-speed automatic. By 2008 the five-speed was standard and the V6 was rated at 235 horsepower.

The 2004 has 445 complaints, more than any other Quest year. The electrical system (53) and the power train (51) lead. Four recalls cover it:

• 04V186: below about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the power sliding door actuator can bind, and the door can come open under hard acceleration.
• 05V474: an exposed seat adjuster on the second row (2004-2006) can pinch a finger.
• 05V480: the weld on the third-row seat striker (2004-2005) can fail.
• 04V103: the passenger air bag did not meet the federal advanced air bag rules for small occupants.

The 2007 is the other spike: 228 complaints, 70 of them naming the fuel and propulsion system. Canton stopped building the Quest after the 2009 model year to make room for a commercial van.

2011-2017: built in Japan, with a CVT (RE52)

The last Quest came from Kyushu, Japan, with a 260-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 and an Xtronic CVT. Retail model years ran 2011-2016, and the 2017 went to fleets before sales ended. It is the quietest Quest in the files: 226 complaints over its whole run and one recall. That recall, 12V076, covers 2011-2012 vans whose software could starve the engine of fuel at low speed or idling downhill on a quarter tank or less, and stall it.

Complaints and recalls by model year

Recalls are the campaigns NHTSA lists for each model year; one campaign can cover several. The last five years are grouped because so few complaints were filed. Three complaints filed under a 1992 model year are not shown.

Is it worth fixing?

Our sources give no repair prices for the Quest, so price the job on your own van. Have a shop write up the estimate. Next, look at asking prices for running Quests close to yours in year and miles. If the estimate is near that number, or above it, the van has stopped paying its way.

• CVT trouble on a 2011-2017: we found no Nissan extension covering the Quest. Ask a Nissan dealer to run the VIN before you pay for the repair.
• Fuel smell on a 1993-1998: check the VIN for recall 00V419 before anything else. NHTSA's recall file says dealers will replace the vent hose.
• Parked for a year or more: a long-sitting van has its own checklist; read our guide to long-parked cars.
• Won't start at all: selling a car that doesn't run covers what a buyer needs to know.

Getting a dead Quest picked up

Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008 if you'd rather talk. Have the year or the VIN, the rough mileage and what stopped working. Tell us if it starts, if it rolls, and if it's in a driveway, a carport or a back lot. Empty the cargo well and the seat-back pockets before the truck comes. Leave the wheels, battery and seats in it. The truck leaves with the van, its keys and the title, signed over. Each state handles plates differently, and after you sell explains yours.