Nissan preliminary evaluation PE23020
Loss of motive power due to broken crankshaft with no ability to restart.. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the diesel on 4 model years (2016–2019). Opened Nov 15, 2023, closed Jun 27, 2025 after 19 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn November 15, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE23020 to investigate allegations of loss of motive power in model year (MY) 2016 through 2019 Nissan Titan XD trucks equipped with 5.0L Cummins diesel engines. The complaints allege the condition was due to a failure of the engine crankshaft. The purpose of the investigation was to understand the scope, frequency, and safety related consequence of the alleged defect. During the investigation, it was found that the subject vehicles can experience a loss of motive power due to a failure of the crankshaft main bearings which can lead to a fractured crankshaft. This resulted in a loss of motive power and an inability to restart. An analysis of all complaint sources shows many vehicles exhibit knocking, vibration, malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) warnings, and/or poor engine performance prior to a total failure. Some consumers report driving their truck in for repairs only to be diagnosed with a failed crankshaft. ODI has not identified any injuries or fires attributable to this failure. ODI is aware of one complaint alleging a non-injury crash involving a curb strike. ODI is also aware of complaints of overheating starter motors and melted starter motor wiring occurring after prolonged attempts to start engines that have suffered a broken crankshaft. In its response to ODI's January 26, 2024 information request letter, Nissan provided information detailing several material and process changes involved in the production of the subject vehicle’s engine.These changes appear to coincide with incremental improvements in failure rates but there is no indication that a single factor was the primary cause of the failures. Analysis of ODI consumer complaints and manufacturer provided data found that failure rates decreased progressively for each model year. Review of failure mileage found that 50% of the failures occurred by 60,000 miles with a significant decrease in failures after 80,000 miles. Assuming average yearly mileage driven, the newest model year trucks (2019) would be near or past peak failure mileage. Given the low failure rate, the observable warnings available to the driver, and much of the fleet being past peak failure mileage, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation with no further action. The closing of the investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a defect does not exist, and NHTSA will take further action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one closed without a recall. That means NHTSA found no defect trend it chose to act on at the time, or the manufacturer addressed the condition another way (a service campaign or a bulletin, which have their own pages). A closed file can be reopened if new reports arrive.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themA vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE23020 a recall?
No. A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA asking questions, not a recall. A safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number and a duty to repair for free; this one closed without one. Whether one particular vehicle has an open recall is a VIN question at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Is PE23020 still open?
No. It closed on Jun 27, 2025 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE23020 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 4 model years: 2019 Nissan Titan, 2018 Nissan Titan, 2017 Nissan Titan, 2016 Nissan Titan XD. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.