CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2011 Nissan Quest is great in terms of low complaints, but it also has an abysmal crash test rating for one very common type of impact.

The IIHS' "small overlap" crash test rates the vehicle's ability to protect front seat passengers when the car is impacted across 1/4th of the front bumper.

This mimics hitting a pole, or an off-center crash into another car — more common in the real world than a full frontal head-on crash.

See our crash test page for the detailed results — As you can see from the IIHS' crash test video, the Nissan Quest does not protect intrusion into the passenger space & major injury to the front seat passengers is likely.

1.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
84,129 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Nissan Quest drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2011 Nissan Quest:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2011 Nissan Quest Owner Comments

problem #10

Aug 172023

Quest

  • 165,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Quest. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started jerking and became inoperable. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle had been diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty transmission. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #9

Jul 032023

Quest

  • miles
Van became sluggish when coming to the busy intersection. When I tried to accelerate when light changed, engine light came on and van would not go over 5mph. I was almost hit. Codes were run by a mechanic. Four internal transmission codes are present. Was told that the Quest has a transmission known for these problems. We could've been killed from the vehicle not moving with traffic.

- Marcellus , NY, USA

problem #8

Apr 192022

Quest

  • miles
On April 19, 2022, I was driving home after picking up my son. The traffic was bumper to bumper. And as I sat in traffic, when I moved my foot from the brake to the accelerator, the vehicle would not move. So while sitting in traffic, and the traffic began to move, I could not move. So I turned the car off, and turned it back on, and I was able to move enough to get the vehicle on to the shoulder of traffic. My father came and changed the battery, and I was able to start the car and drive home, which was 30 minutes away. Two days later, same thing happened again. After driving the vehicle for a delivery, I was on my way to get some gas. And as I turned from one street to another, the vehicle stalled on me as I was turning slow. The vehicle would not start up at all. So I had to call a towing service to tow the vehicle home. According to some people online, the problem could be in the CVT transmission overheating, or it could possibly be a software issue. The 2011 Nissan Quest were a part of a recall, but when I put my VIN number in, it doesn't show my vehicle being one, but its doing what the recall was calling for. Our safety was put at risk, because the vehicle stalled in the middle of 2 busy highways, causing a safety risk for me and my son, but also causing a risk for others behind me in traffic, not knowing that my vehicle was stalled. There were no warning signs that popped up at all. The car just quit driving. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer. Right now it is just sitting in front of my house, until we figure out what to do next. I have had to pay 2 towing fees for the problem, and don't want to come out paying a whole lot for this issue. We just bought this vehicle from a private owner 2 weeks ago, and this is the first week it is doing this.

- La Place, LA, USA

problem #7

Sep 272020

Quest

  • 130,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Acceleration from a full stop is unreliable. The issue is most prominent when going up a slight incline and will continue until the vehicle is able to level off, when acceleration resumes to normal response. Even on level road surfaces, the acceleration is inconsistent once accelerator is pressed. This has been a consistent issue for well over a year.

- Enfield, CT, USA

problem #6

Jun 012020

Quest 6-cyl

  • 98,000 miles
Vehicle acceleration drops off when accelerating from a stop for the past couple months. Vehicle accelerates normally after a couple seconds of unresponsive acceleration. Dealership advised on service visits, they claim they can not duplicate the issue, but I can while leaving the dealership.

- River Grove, IL, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #5

Sep 252019

Quest

  • 82,287 miles
The vehicle was stalling multiple times on the freeway on my way to work this morning (9/25/19) and there is a sudden thump on the engine as it was trying to accelerate and would stall again after a few yards. So I decided to pullover safely and started the vehicle again until I reached my destination but with emergency lights on. This is absolutely a safety issue as it increases the risk of a crash or being hit from behind, with the vehicle stalling. This is the 2nd Nissan Quest I owned and it is having the same problem. The 1st one had issues at 50,000+ miles. The manufacture should look into this safety issue.

- Lakewood, CA, USA

problem #4

Jan 042018

Quest

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When at a stop, or a very slow speed (less than 2 or 3 mph), and then attempting to accelerate, the car does not respond right away. There is a 2 or 3 second delay then the car jerks forward and accelerates. The dealership has changed the transmission twice, but issue not resolved. When dropping vehicle off to dealer, the dealer shuttle van, which is also a Nissan Quest, was exhibiting the same issue, which I felt and the driver also acknowledged.

- West Hempstead, NY, USA

problem #3

Nov 012016

Quest

  • 120,000 miles
I just paid my van off when I started having engine issues.at 120,000 codes read P1701 tcm wiring, P0746 pressure control solenoid, P1778 step motor, P0868 pressure control module.is it the transmission the mechanic doesnt want to touch it just wants to change the tranny. I can not afford this. I am single mom is there not someone that can rebuild them properly "??? I bought a Nissan because I thought it would last longer. I have not driven the van in 6 months its a total loss if I spend the money and it happens again then I am putting good money after bad. It's not worth anything as a down payment if I have to tow it in. Has anyone got to the bottom of this??" how I found out is that I turned onto a busy street pushed the gas it wouldnt go. The car behind me had to drive upon the curve accident narrowly avoided. This sucks

- Georgetown, TX, USA

problem #2

Jun 222016

Quest

  • 76,000 miles
My 2011 Nissan Quest is having issues with the transmission. On two separate trips this summer my Quest has seemingly been incapable of down shifting to gain power during passing or climbs. This only happens during several hours of extended driving time but during normal around town driving it operates without incident. I have now had my Quest serviced at two separate dealers, one in Florida and the other in Ohio, both found nothing at all wrong. Incident one occurred in late June 2016 while in the appalachian's during both the destination and return trip (return trip after a dealer transmission service). The vehicle would not travel faster than 50-60 mph while climbing even with the acceleration pedal completely pressed. No engine lights come on and the engine temperature was normal. Driving conditions were six passengers with luggage and 95+ outdoor temps. Incident two occurred in late July 2016 while traveling in fairly flat Michigan and Ohio. In this case I was able to maintain 80mph but unable to accelerate to pass. But one very dangerous incident and in fact almost causing me to be rear-ended was while in stop and go traffic I tried to accelerate and change lanes but had zero power pressing the peddle completely down. Driving conditions were five passengers with luggage and low 70S outdoor temp. I currently have a Nissan corporate engineer scheduled to evaluate my vehicle.

- Springfield, OH, USA

problem #1

Jul 202015

Quest

  • 95,000 miles
Our 2011 Nissan Quest is having issues with the transmission. At high rates of speed, such as on the freeway, especially when the car has been running for awhile, the transmission begins to make a ringing type sound when accelerating. It also struggles to downshift properly, taking several seconds to engage in the downshift for more power and then jerking roughly. It has left us vulnerable to a situation in which we could crash by not being able to get out of the way of another vehicle quickly. According to our mechanic at our service station, this is an ongoing issue with Nissan's gearless transmission system and has been recalled on several other Nissan vehicle models.

- Suwanee, GA, USA

Not what you are looking for?