1981 Nissan 210 problems

Common 1981 Nissan 210 problems

The Nissan 210, also known as the Datsun 210, was a compact car produced by Nissan in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While the car was generally well-regarded for its reliability and affordability, there were a few common problems that owners reported.

One issue that some owners reported was problems with the timing belt. This could lead to engine failure, as in the case of the 1982 Datsun 210 described in the article on Curbside Classic. The owner of the car suspects that either the timing belt slipped off the pulley teeth or the timing belt tensioner failed, causing the engine to overheat and eventually fail.

Another issue that some owners reported was problems with the engine. The 210 was available with a variety of engines, including a 1.2 liter engine in the 1980 210 coupe. Some owners have reported swapping out the original engine for a more powerful engine, such as an LS1 or an RB25 Skyline motor. This suggests that some owners found the original engine to be underpowered or unreliable.

In addition to these specific issues, some owners reported more general problems with the car. For example, the author of the article on Curbside Classic describes the car as having a black interior, which would be uncomfortable in hot weather without air conditioning

Overall, while the Nissan 210 was generally well-regarded for its reliability and affordability, there were a few common problems that owners reported. These included problems with the timing belt, engine issues, and more general reliability problems. However, it's worth noting that many of these issues were reported by owners who had modified or heavily used their cars, so they may not be representative of the overall reliability of the car.

What year was the Datsun 210?

1973–1978 — The third generation Nissan Sunny subcompact carried the B210 chassis code and was sold as the Datsun B210 in North America. 1978–1982 — For model years 1979 through 1982, the fourth generation Sunny (B310) was sold as the Datsun 210 in North America.

Is Datsun 210 RWD?

Nissan began building the B210's successor, the B310 Sunny, in its homeland in 1977; the North American-market version went on sale as a 1979 model. This was the Datsun 210, the last rear-wheel-drive member of the Sunny family, and I found this '81 sedan in a Colorado self-service car graveyard last fall.

What is the rarest Datsun?

The 2000GT is arguably the rarest with only 351 units built from 1967 to 1970, but the Z car is the one that survived the longest and kickstarted a series that soldiered on to this day.

What is the difference between B210 and B211?

B211 is the chassis code for the minor facelift of the B210, introduced in February 1976. It included a changed grille and other minor changes, such as new wing mirrors and hubcaps. The most important differences were under the hood, where the engines had been upgraded to meet Japan's 1976 emissions standards.

1981 Nissan 210 car problems categorized by type of issue

After analyzing all complaints sent to the NHTSA and researching popular Nissan 210 problems, we found that the most common problems with these 2023 model year vehicles are:

• Seat belts problems

The graph below shows statistics for all 1981 Nissan 210 vehicle components and the number of complaints received.