Differential Unit problems of the 2004 Nissan Titan - part 1

I was diagnosing a metal on metal sound coming from my 4 wheel drive Nissan Titan and found that the half shaft was coming out of the front differential. I called a Nissan dealership in utah and was informed that this was a huge problem with early model Titans. The tech said he had repaired many Titans with the same problem. He said it was due to a c clip that fails and allows the gears to get chewed up in the differential. I looked online to see if there had been any recalls on this and found there had not been. I then called Nissan Titan and they informed me of the same and guided me to this website. This seem like a huge issue that either not been reported. This seems like it would leave people who bought this for snowy areas or offroading in an unsafe situation when their 4 wheel drive fails or locks up. In certain areas in utah, we are required to have chains or 4 wheel drive in certain areas. With the failure of a c clip and the gears getting chewed to pieces this seems like it would cause huge safety issues, not to mention costs to consumers over a unsound design.

Front right axle pops out of the differential, bad c-clip. Numerous complaints noted here and at various Titan forums.

From differential failure and c clip failure ejecting front drive axle. Leaking rear axle seals as well.

2004 Nissan Titan passengers side axel shaft is sliding out of differential and my 4wd will not work. Differential fluid is leaking everywhere. Have read many complaints about the same problem by other Titan owners. This is unsafe especially if the shaft works its way all the way out. Do the right thing Nissan!! issue a recall!!.

While changing the rear differential fluid, the magnet/drain plug had a broken piece of metal attached to it. I can only assume it's part of the gears inside. I have no idea when the piece broke but I have read that other Titan owners have had similar issues. Those gears are a big part of the truck and should not break easy. My truck is 4x4 so I'd assume the gears would be reliable. I bought my truck used with aprox 275k miles so not sure when part broke.

Front left axle slid out from differential. The retaining c-clip on the axle was intact but did not retain the axle. This has the potential to cause a catastrophic failure of the front differential. This was found when the vehicle was stationary. The vehicle leaked fluid on the garage floor, upon investigating the leak the failure was identified. Otherwise the vehicle was operating normally with no indication of the failure.

Rear differential failure.

I had just pulled out of the driveway at work into traffic. I heard a loud pop and my rear end started having large bangs and I lost almost all power. I was almost hit by multiple cars. I managed to get off the road and call to have it towed. Thankfully I had 400 miles left on my warranty covered the entire new rear axle that was required. . The dealer said they wouldn't have even though this is a known safety issue!!! my front differential is also slowly going out but isn't bad enough for the warranty to cover it.

The front driver side axle is popping out of the front differential housing. This should not be happening especially after it has already been fixed once. There is an obvious defect in the Nissan Titan front final drive assembly starting from 2004 as there are many similar complaints on the internet on many of the Nissan Titan forums. I will be bringing the vehicle in for servers to the dealer and hopefully they will assist in cost of this major malfunction. Again, this should not be happening to this vehicle as it does not get much heavy use. No towing and hardly ever uses the 4 wheel drive.

Front differential failed. Many reports online suggest a common failure. Cost over $2100 to fix. Parts have been redesigned so manufacturer is aware of the problem and will only guarantee a full differential replacement.

Rear axel seals leak causing rear differential oil on wheels, rotors and brake pads. Could lead to a complete brake failure on rear two wheels due to oil.

I was driving up an icy incline on a side road with the 4 wheel drive engaged and the front differential failed. The vehicle lost traction and almost hit other cars and pedestrians. This is the second failure to occur on the front differential on this vehicle.

Driving the truck on snow covered road, four wheel drive system failed to work. Only rear tires were driving, causing unsafe condition on a road that required four wheel drive. Investigation found the front differential failed, which is a common problem with Nissan four wheel drive vehicles of this vintage. Nissan has refused to fix the problem, citing 'out of warranty'.

While using 4wd my front axle popped out of the front differential. Luckily I was offroad and going slow. After researching the issue I see it is a common complaint and can lead to catastrophic front differential failure ( if retaining clip is ejected and gets between gears) causing the front end to temporarily lock up. Again luckily I was going slow. But this is to common an issue and something that can cause a lapse in control of the vehicle, this needs to be adressed.

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the rear differential failed. The contact shifted the vehicle into neutral and the vehicle rolled away in reverse and into the street. The vehicle was then shifted into 4x4 mode in order for the contact to be able to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was later taken to an authorized dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear differential had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure was 83,200.

Right rear axle seal leaks and if not repaired immediately, fluid leaks onto brake rotor. Has the potential of losing all differential fluid from rear end causing a complete drivetrain failure.

The rear differential has been whining since 63,000 miles and last weekend the whining became howling and then clunking. My mechanic says something inside the differential is broken.

Driving about 40 mph, I heard a loud pop coming from the rear end of the truck. Now whenever I decelerate, a whining noise is heard from the differential. Took the truck to the Nissan dealer in irvine, CA and they want to replace the rear differential at a cost of $2500. 00.

I was using my four wheel drive when I noticed a loud clunk and found that my axle had popped out of the front differential. I am among over 1000s of Titan owners with this same issue that Nissan knows about and has caused multiple failures in our trucks. It also caused a failure in mine. The have known about this issue for years now and changed there part in 07 from the original number 38500-8s102 to the new product number 38500-8s11b truck is a Nissan Titan 2004 se king cab 4wd.

I engaged my front differential (4x4) and proceeded to put drivetrain in reverse and while backing up the passenger side front axle popped out of the differential, I was not pulling anything so I was not under any load whatsoever.

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, he heard a thumping sound followed by grinding noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated that there were metal flakes in the rear differential compartment causing the noise. The mechanic stated the rear differential would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

While replacing lifetime warrantied suspension which was not honored by Nissan or tenneco, I found the rear pinion seal to be leaking severely, and rear axle seal leaking in wheel assembly. Possible source of "ticking" noise from differential, which until then I thought were exhaust heat shields. This condition could cause catastrophic drivetrain failure while vehicle is in motion. The fluid leaking from axle seal can reduce effectiveness of braking components. Other owners have described inadequate engineering & possible use of substandard differential materials & components along with axle vent assemblies which could create internal pressure conditions that could cause seals to fail.

Both rear wheel axle seals have failed at 67,906 miles. Leaking both sides. Caught in time so that rear brakes are not destroyed and rear end/differential not destroyed. This is a known defect affecting this truck prior to 2008. A definite design defect. Someday someone is going to get hurt due to rear brake failure or loss of control when catastrophic rear end failure occurs.

Just had both manifolds replaced under Nissan warranty. As I was driving away from the dealership I heard a loud pop turning right from the rear of the truck. Turned around back into the dealerships parking lot I heard another pop? the service tech drove it around their service area and said my rear differential was going out. Nissan has known this has been an issue for years especially in the early trucks years but refuses to fix it under a recall. This is a $3500. 00 fix which the consumer has to pay and Nissan profits from a poorly designed component. There needs to be a recall on all Nissan Titans from '04 - '07.

Rear differential went out.

Rear differential spider gear failure. When accelerating noticed a pop and vehicle drive train slipped and disengaged. Vehicle rolled to stop. When restarted vehicle moved but with significant grinding and popping. Mechanic found spider gears in rear differential destroyed.

After front differential had failed and would not engage 4wd. Took to dealer and replaced under warranty. After 1 1/2 years started to whine and grind again dealership said sorry was out of warranty. 3 differentials in 3 years woohoo a real winner here.

The seal on the drivers side rear failed, began to leak oil all over the inside of the rim and the brakes. This was within a few miles after having had a dealership press a new bearing onto the axle and occurred within an hour of the vehicle having been picked up from the shop. Dealership admits to having seen an issue with the rear differential and knowing that it would leak but having decided to not inform the customer about the issue.

I bought a brand new 2004 Nissan Titan from a dealership in ohio in September of 2004. Had a few other issues about the truck during all this time of ownership but Nissan had issued recalls to take care of those issues and I was pleased with them and their service. I am at present experiencing rear differential problems related to leaking rear seals and faulty components in the entire rear differential assembly. I have read thousands of reported differential problems on the 2004 through 2010 Titans and Nissan north America refuses to take responsibility to eliminate this safty defect and recall all the Titans for new differential replacements at Nissans expense. I hope to god people driving the Titans are not killed because of this obvious problem and defect in workmanship and material. I will never deal with Nissan ever again for anything and everyone I come in contact with for the rest of my life will be told by me how unreliable and honest the Nissan company is I just spent 2900. 00 dollars to replace my differential with a newly engineered and designed differential made by designed by and install on my truck by Nissan employeees. Never again.

During a turn onto another street, the rear differential broke apart and seized, stopping the truck in the middle of the intersection.

Within a 5 mile range the vehicle started to whine, then clank, then lock-up. Emergency brakes failed and rear differential failed. . . Vehicle was undriveable. This vehicle just hit 100,000 miles. Repair is > 1/5th of vehicle value. This is a very common failure in 2004 Nissan Titans. Very dangerous - especially if towing a trailer (which is what this vehicle is advertised to do).

My 2004 Nissan Titan rear differential went out today, I have never hauled anything and am pretty light on the pedal. The vehicle just hit 58,000 miles and I'm the original owner. The clanking was unbearable my ride home.

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Titan. The contact was driving 60 mph when the vehicle started to make a loud noise and became hard to drive. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the rear differential was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 83,000. The VIN was not available.

I just purchased a 2004 Nissan Titan le 4x4 about a month and a half ago. I am the 2nd owner and bought it from a guy who bought it brand new in 2004 and took very good care of it. The truck only has 55k miles. Just last weekend, 6/19/2011, it started making banging and grinding noises in the back wheel. At first, I thought I ran over something and it was stuck in the back wheels. After examining the rear wheel area and the brake pads, everything looked normal. However, the noise got louder and louder. It sounded like I was dragging a refrigerator. I felt a stutter in the vehicle and it started to struggle to go when I would put the truck into drive. I assumed the brake calipers may have been jammed and brought it into an auto service center to be examined. About 2 hours later, I went back to the shop and the technician took me to go see the problem. They examined the rear brakes and differential and found numerous large chunks of broken metal inside, which she said were pieces of shoes, hardware, and gears. They confirmed that the problem was in the rear differential and that the gear damage had likely caused a chain reaction damaging the entire left rear axle assembly and e-brakes. The rear axle seals were leaking too onto the wheels. All these parts needed to be replaced along with the rear axle. The service shop quoted me $3800 to get this fixed! I was in shock as I just bought the truck. Of course, I could no longer drive the truck either as it was in pieces and not drivable. What am I supposed to do? I don't have this money. I had no choice but to tell the service shop to go ahead with the repairs and I will just have to put it on a credit card. I decided to do some research and went on to several internet sites for Nissan Titan owners to see if others were experiencing similar problems or if there was a recall for this. After reading pages of entries posted by other Titan owners, I found out I was not alone. Nissan needs to help pay for these repairs!.

Front right tire was wearing irregularly and was informed at tire store that wheel hub may be worn and causing the problem. Took the vehicle to the Nissan dealership and not only was wheel bearing assembly identified as an issue but was informed that front differential needed replacement (front axel pulling out from front differential) at cost of $1755 (additional to the $373 to replace the front wheel hub assembly). The rear differential on this vehicle had already been replaced under warranty in April'08 (based on clicking noise while driving) which triggered me to research this defect on the internet and NHTSA web site and ask the dealer about other similar failures seen. I have found numerous issues with the front and rear differentials reported on both 2004 and 2005 Titans due to what appears to be a faulty design that was later changed on the 2006 model year. I called Nissan customer affairs to open a request for support and was informed based on years of service and mileage they would denied supporting this complaint, I escalated to the next level of management and was again denied any support. Clearly there is an issue with the differentials on the 2004 Titan that needs to be investigated since this should not be considered normal wear and tear to replace both differentials on the same vehicle given normal highway passenger driving (no off road, no towing).