Defect
THE SOLDERED JOINT WHERE INLET PIPE ATTACHES TO THE FUEL TANK MAY BE CRACKED.
Consequence
FUEL MAY SEEP THROUGH THE JOINT AND POSE A FIRE HAZARD.
Remedy
REPLACE FUEL TANK IF THERE IS SEEPAGE OR CRACK.
1988 Nissan Pulsar Recalls
Recalls on record Updated July 2026
The 1988 Nissan Pulsar has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 61,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
1crashes1injuries
STEERING:RACK AND PINION:RACK
SUSPENSION:MULTIPLE AXLE
Total complaints8
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Brake system failure. Private mechanic looked at vehicle and could not determine a reason for failure. Consumer driving at approximately 30 mph when she rearended another vehicle in front of her at a stop light. Brakes were functional 2 months after accident, then failed again. Erratic operation…”
“Fuel injectors leak similarly to 300zx,200sx,and maxima that were voluntarily repaired by nissan. There is a great fire danger and mileage and drivability problem. Nissan refuses to repair the problem, stating that there is no evidence of a defect in the injectors of the '88 pulsar with multi-port…”
“Cracked head gasket, causing oil leak.”
“Power steering rack failed. *dsh”
“Right axle failed.”
“At the time of incident I was unaware of anyone whome could help me. I have papers proving that in 1988 nissan pulsars , after 30,000 miles, platinum parks plugs are to be used during a tune up. In the bosh manual for spark plugs it states that this is unneccesary. Nissan agrees that is is,…”
“Experiencing fuel leak in engine compartment, recall that relates, but not inlcuded (87v-191). *ak”
“When we were waiting before a red light or a stop sign, it became dead suddenly. This situation happened five times within one week. For these five times,we restarted it after a while for three times, jumped it one time and the other time we could not restart it at the accident scene(without…”
Sources & methodology
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1988 Nissan Pulsar as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.