Nissan GT-R Reliability — Best and Worst Years by the Data

Quick answer

Half of all complaints arrive by 6 years of age, so 88.5% land after the 3-year basic warranty ends. The system owners report most is Exterior Lighting, with 9 complaints, typically at 6.1 years.

Nissan GT-R years to avoid — and the best ones

FIG.01·Nissan GT-R — complaint rate by model year
Model year	Per run	Complaints	Runs	Enough history?
2010	1.43	10	7	yes
2009	1.56	14	9	yes

ROWS 2·SOURCE NHTSA complaints, grouped by VIN production run

Among the 2 Nissan GT-R years with enough history, the three to walk away from are 2009, 2010; the three worth hunting are 2010, 2009.

When it starts to break

FIG.02·Nissan GT-R — age at failure
Age at failure	Complaints	Running total	Warranty
0 years	1	3.8%	covered
2 years	2	11.5%	covered
3 years	3	23.1%	you pay
4 years	2	30.8%	you pay
5 years	1	34.6%	you pay
6 years	6	57.7%	you pay
7 years	5	76.9%	you pay
8 years	2	84.6%	you pay
9 years	2	92.3%	you pay
10 years	1	96.2%	you pay
14 years	1	100%	you pay

ROWS 11·SOURCE NHTSA complaints with incident dates

Basic warranty on this car is 3 years / 36,000 miles. Only 11.5% of reported failures happen inside it — the remaining 88.5% come out of the owner's pocket. Powertrain cover (5 years / 60,000 miles) reaches further, but it only covers the engine and transmission, which account for about 19% of the complaints here.

What actually fails — and at what age

On the Nissan GT-R, the early trouble is Fuel System and Gasoline — reported at around 1.5 years, so a car still under warranty is the one to check for it. What waits further out is Exterior Lighting at 6.1 years — past every basic warranty, and the bill lands on whoever owns the car then.

FIG.03·Nissan GT-R — what fails and when
System	Complaints	Typical age	Crash	Fire
Exterior Lighting	9	6.1 yrs	—	—
Electrical System	8	6.5 yrs	—	—
Fuel/propulsion System	5	5.6 yrs	—	1
Power Train	3	5 yrs	—	—
Fuel System	2	1.5 yrs	—	1
Gasoline	2	1.5 yrs	—	1
Engine	2	3 yrs	—	—
Vehicle Speed Control	2	6 yrs	—	—

ROWS 8·SOURCE NHTSA complaints

What else in this class

6 models share the GT-R's vehicle class.

FIG.05·Nissan GT-R — rivals in the same class
Same class as the GT-R	Complaints on record	Recall campaigns	Years built
Honda Civic	15,962	413	1981–2026
Ford Mustang	10,680	315	1981–2026
Chevrolet Camaro	3,457	204	1981–2026
Toyota Supra	109	35	1981–2026
Nissan Sentra	6,185	158	1982–2026
Honda Prelude	406	63	1981–2026

ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA complaints and recall campaigns

The table shows totals on record; the rates per production run are in the sentence above.

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Everything on the Nissan GT-R

Recalls9 campaigns Fuel economy19 mpg best Common problems33 complaints Check a VINAgainst this exact build DimensionsSize, weight, generations Cargo space9 cu ft Used prices78 listings What yours is worthValue by year & mileage Insurance costEstimated per year Window stickerOriginal Monroney label Decode a VINWhat each character means About this car2009–2026

Frequently asked questions

Is the Nissan GT-R reliable?

By complaints per production run it is better than typical: 1.42 against 3.73 for the average car.

When do GT-R problems usually start?

Half of all complaints arrive by 6 years of age. The most reported system is Exterior Lighting, typically at 6.1 years, followed by Electrical System.

Will the warranty cover GT-R problems?

Mostly not: basic cover is 3 years / 36,000 miles, and only 11.5% of reported failures fall inside it. Powertrain cover lasts longer, but engine and transmission make up about 19% of the complaints here.

Complaint records from NHTSA, grouped by VIN production run (characters 1–11). Rates, age-at-failure and warranty coverage computed by ForCar. Model years newer than 6 years are excluded from rankings — complaints accumulate for a decade (how we measure). Last updated Nov 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.

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