2016 Nissan Quest — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $11,000–$17,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue you need to know before handing over a check.
Kestrel Take
The forgotten minivan — the Quest is comfortable and distinctive, with Nissan's strong 3.5L V6, but it's saddled with the family CVT, which is the whole risk. A well-maintained Quest with documented CVT service can be a comfortable, low-cost van; an unknown one is a transmission gamble. Rare and cheap, but test-drive the CVT carefully and price for the risk. Prefer one with fluid records.
What we checked
Checked against public records, 2026-09-25
NHTSA holds 13 owner complaints for the 2016 Nissan Quest, and no recall campaigns.
That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under the transmission and drivetrain (6), the suspension (2), electrics and electronics (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.
Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.
Known Issues for the 2016 Nissan Quest
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.
The CVT behind the V6 can overheat and fail; feel for shudder/hesitation and listen for whine. Replacement is costly relative to the van's value.
Repair cost (estimate): $3,500-$4,500 — about 32% of what this car is typically worth
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (6).
The Quest was discontinued and sold in small numbers; some body/trim parts are scarce.
Repair cost: Not yet priced
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗CVT shudder, whine, or overheating
- ✗No CVT fluid records
- ✗Power doors that fault
- ✗Price too good to be true
Good Signs
- ✓Smooth CVT with documented fluid service
- ✓Working power doors
- ✓Clean, well-kept van
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Found a specific Nissan Quest?
This page covers what goes wrong on the 2016 Nissan Quest in general. A free read looks at the one you're considering— it checks that seller's asking price against the market and names the issues that matter most for this exact year.
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Known issues on this page are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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