Two problems related to clutch broken have been reported for the 2008 Nissan Xterra. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2008 Nissan Xterra based on all problems reported for the 2008 Xterra.
2008 Nissan Xterra clutch failure. 2008 Nissan Xterra, never taken off road and experienced manual transmission driver behind the wheel. The 6spd manual clutch of this vehicle has failed at 29,000 miles and 2 years of on the road driving. This happened going up a snowy hill and I was stranded almost sliding down off a ravine. After research it is very apparent that this is a major issue with this model all drivers reporting exact same problems. Nissan will not assume responsibility for a defective or under designed component of the major drive train. Nissan will not recall or warranty this common and dangerous failure.
Premature clutch failure at 21k miles which stranded my family. Web search shows many Nissan Xterra and pickup owners with 6 speed manual trans experiencing same failure at an avg of 18k to 25k miles. Clutch/trans is adapted from the 350z and clearly under-designed for the much heavier Xterra and p/u. Dealer and Nissan won't cover replacement or offer upgrade. Have been driving other manual trans cars and trucks for many years with zero clutch failures after 150k miles and more. We are close to 40k miles and expect another clutch failure soon, and cannot risk taking a trip and being stranded or afford $3k to fix it again.