The Nissan VK56DE V8 engine powers key models such as Armada, Titan, Pathfinder,NV2500, NV3500 and QX56.
With strong market penetration in North America since 2005, these vehicles represent a significant installed base now entering critical maintenance cycles.
Nissan VK56DE V8 U.S. Sales & Vehicle Population
NISSAN NV2500 2012-2017
NISSAN NV3500 2012-2017
NISSAN PATHFINDER 2004-2012
NISSAN TITAN 2004-2015
| Year | INFINITI QX56 | NISSAN ARMADA | NISSAN NV (all trims) | NISSAN PATHFINDER | NISSAN TITAN |
| 2004 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2005 | 14,711 | 39,508 | – | 76,149 | 86,945 |
| 2006 | 11,694 | 32,864 | – | 73,124 | 72,192 |
| 2007 | 12,288 | 31,632 | – | 63,056 | 65,743 |
| 2008 | 7,657 | 15,685 | – | 33,555 | 34,053 |
| 2009 | 6,440 | 9,903 | – | 18,341 | 19,042 |
| 2010 | 11,918 | 19,344 | – | 21,438 | 23,416 |
| 2011 | – | 18,331 | – | 25,935 | 21,994 |
| 2012 | – | 19,880 | 10,986 | 45,477 | 23,152 |
| 2013 | – | 14,383 | 13,177 | – | 15,691 |
| 2014 | – | 12,863 | 14,890 | – | 12,527 |
| 2015 | – | 12,737 | 16,958 | – | 12,140 |
| 2016 | – | – | 17,873 | – | – |
| 2017 | – | – | 17,858 | – | – |
| Total: | 64,708 | 227,130 | 91,742 | 357,075 | 386,895 |
Over 1.2 million Nissan SUVs & vans with VK56DE engines are still running in the U.S. aftermarket.
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Note:
* “–” indicates data not publicly available or the model was not yet released.
* Model, year sales (based on the US calendar year): GoodCarBadCar (GCBC) model page (annual and monthly sales tables for Titan, Armada, and Pathfinder) for annual sales base.
https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/nissan-titan-sales-figures/
https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/nissan-armada-sales-figures/
https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/nissan-pathfinder-sales-figures/
* Survival/Scrappage Curves and Lifespan References: Long-term academic and government studies (e.g., UTK/Academic Review, NHTSA’s Survival/Scrappage Analysis, etc.) indicate that, until recently, the median lifespan of SUVs/vans was approximately 20 years, while the median lifespan of pickups was even longer (nearly 25 years), and that overall vehicle lifespans have been on an upward trend (particularly evident in the past decade).
* Pathfinder V8 share estimate: approximately 12–15% of sales are equipped with VK56DE, the rest are V6.
* “Cumulative sales“ refers to the cumulative delivery of new cars of each model in the specified coverage year.