Nissan Xterra owners have reported 35 unknown or other related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common unknown or other problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's unknown or other (35 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other problems |
Radiator broke down which causes the transmission fluid to be mixed with radiator fluid. This kills both the transmission and radiator. This was a well known and defined problem by Nissan and they never did anything about it. Total bill is well over $5k for transmission, radiator, labor.
I was driving 35 mph on a busy street when my vehicle would not accelerate. I towed my car to Nissan dealer and was told my trans was no good and it would cost 6,000 to 10,000 to fix. I contacted Nissans consumer affairs and they said I did not qualify for any warranties. Nissan told me there was no radiator fluid in my transmission which seems to be a common complaint. I towed my car for a second opinion and was told my trans does have radiator fluid in it and it also flooded my computer in the trans. Why did Nissan lie to me? I found that Nissan did extend the warranty on the radiators and that an e-mail did go out to Nissan owners stating they would also cover the trans if caused by radiator leakage to 80,000 miles but Nissan told me I don't qualify because I am a second owner? still waiting on a response from Nissan. This has caused a great hardship on me.
While driving down a busy los angeles street during rush hour, my car suddenly lost drivability. The engine rpm's increased, but the car would not engage. Nearly got into multiple accidents trying to get to the side of the road. Car was towed to a mechanic where a strawberry milk color liquid was found in the transmission. Was told coolant and transmission fluid mixing was the cause. Required to rebuild transmission, replace radiator and transmission control valve. Repair cost estimated at $5050 plus tax.
Vehicle failed during operation without warning secondary to faulty original radiator which leaked coolant into the transmission. Transmission and radiator destroyed and require replacing. Despite extensive documentation of this problem on consumer websites and a class action lawsuit, Nissan America and dealership denied any knowledge of this problem and did not accept any financial responsibility. Total repairs estimated at $5,000. Notifying consumer of and/or replacing faulty radiator could prevent a costly destroyed transmission.
I recently had my recalled ecm relay replaced after it failed, the very next day my service engine light came on. I found a p0430 code saying that the catalyst efficiency was below threshold on bank 2 (failed catalytic converter). I called the dealer to tell them what trouble code I had found and to see if the ecm failure was related. He said he would look into it and call me back. During that time, I did some research and found sites where people had discussed having the same issue. When the dealer called me back I told him what I had found, it was at this time, he told me that it was a common issue & that he would look into trying to get it covered under warranty even though my mileage was just over the 80,000 mile limit. When he called me back, he said that he was getting resistance from his end and that I should contact Nissan directly. I called Nissan, explained my issue, and then waited for them to get back to me with their decision. When they called they said that they would cover $300 of the $1300 cost to replace the catalytic converter. I said, ?only $300?? I feel that Nissan should be covering 100% because it was the failure of the ecm that caused the catalytic converter to fail?. Nissan said, ?our engineers have not determined that the failure of the ecm caused the failure of the catalytic converter, but if at some point they do determine that, we will refund all of your repair costs?. I know the ?cat? failure was directly related to the ecm failure and feel Nissan should cover the entire cost of replacement. I called Nissan back today (12/22/11) to see if I could get them to discuss this issue further & was told that since I did not accept their offer of $300 that the issue had been closed and that I could do nothing more. Nissan will now cover none of the cost to replace the ?cat? because I did not accept their $300 offer. This is wrong!!!.
My check engine son light came on, I went to autozone and I was told the error code stated fuel sending unit/sensor. I was told that Nissan recommends you keep a half a tank of gas in the tank. My Xterra guage is very unpredictable 90% of the time even when I fill the tank up the guage doesn't register, and it's stuck on e with the gas light on constantly, which has caused me a single mother of 3 to run out of gas twice. I have done some research and found that there was a voluntary recall, but I've been told that there wasn't. I also live in a city where there is emissions testing which I can't pass because of the check engine light, I cannot receive my vehicle tag, which means I can't work or drive. I would like this sensor replaced at no charge to me because as reading online there has been 53,000 people with the same issue. I would like to know what are my options and the next step I can take to get this resolved.
At 64765 miles, my timing chains need to be replaced, per my Nissan dealer. I was told when I purchased the vehicle, brand new, that this would never be an issue.
Recently I experienced a sudden loss of acceleration as I attempted to merge onto a highway. I was also very lucky that I didn't cause a serious accident. The problem was intermittent at first and then increased. Nissan acknowledged a radiator design flaw and extended the basic warranty to lessor of 96 months or 80k miles. I contacted Nissan consumer affairs to inform them my Xterra was affected by the same problem. While under 96 mos, my vehicle has 89k miles. I requested an exception which was denied. Nissan?s failure to stand behind their products, particularly when the problem represents a serious safety concern and attributable to a design flaw, is inexcusable. Nissan denies any safety concern. This problem (referenced by Nissan in the radiator assembly customer satisfaction program description) pertains to 2005-2010 Xterra, pathfinder and frontier vehicles equipped with auto transmissions. Corrosion within the radiator leads to a crack and contamination of engine coolant with trans fluid, damaging radiator & transmission corrosion develops over time and most vehicle owners will likely exceed the 80k limit before problem presents itself. An internet search revealed 15 dedicated web threads to this problem and they are mostly 2005 vehicles. If Nissan didn?t correct the design flaw before 2010, the # of failures will significantly increase over the coming years as model yr 2005-2010 cars age. How many accidents or fatalities need to occur during this period before Nissan is held accountable for their negligence? the dealer estimate to repair my Xterra is $6,760. This is a significant financial burden and hardship on any vehicle with just over 80,000 miles. How many Nissan owners have to experience financial hardship before Nissan is held accountable??.
I was driving my 2005 Nissan Xterra at 55 mph on a two lane highway when it began to shake violently as if I had ran over spilled lumber or rumble strips. I braked hard as I thought I had ran over something. I hadn't, so after pulling over and checking for loose tires or driveline I continue on perplexed as to what happened. A few miles later it did it again. Come to find out there is a known defect on 2005 thru 2010 Nissan Xterra's, pathfinders, and frontier's in which the radiators internally leak water into the automatic transmissions and causes the violent shaking at high speeds. Nissan is aware of the issue and has only chosen to extend the warrantee on the radiators and not recall the vehicles. In fact the letter sent to the consumers doesn't even reference the transmission (in which it destroys). While my family and I were not hurt, it was a close call and could have easily been worse at the speed I was going and the effect the failure has on the vehicle.
I was picking up my children from school and my car just stopped driving in the middle of the intersection while I was making a left turn at a stoplight. I brought it to a trans shop and they said I have coolant in my transmission which caused it to fail. Repairs are estimated at $4326 and I am just angry and sick over this situation. Not only was it a scary situation to break down in the middle of the intersection with my kids in the car but I am very disappointed in all the reports I have been reading about in the 2005 Xterra. I can not afford to fix this problem and this is simply not fair that Nissan isn't taking responsibility for their negligience. Please help!!.
My 2006 Nissan Xterra is showing symptoms of the timing chain wear that so many other Xterra owners have filed complaints about. I called Nissan with reference to their technical service bulletin #ntb09-128 that acknowledges there is a problem with the timing chain. They told me they couldn't find it in the system and I would have to take my car to the dealer and have it replaced (at cost to me). I do not know why this is not a recall - if the timing chain snaps it will cause catastrophic engine failure that could lead to significant bodily injury if the car was driving.
Radiator corrosion leaking fluid into transmission. Replacing radiator and transmission. Replaced vaporizer selonoid and the ipdm unit (voluntary recall) which caused stalling while driving. Fuel sensor replaced. Mandatory recall on the ecm unit. No notification on voluntary or mandatory recalls.
Nissan Xterras are on recall in northern states due to snow and salt affecting the front crash sensor. I bought my Nissan intexas but work for the army and live in germany where there is plenty of ice and snow. Nissan said because I bought my car in texas, it isn't covered under the recall. They need to recall all vehicles with this safety flaw.
2005 Nissan Xterra. Highway driving and car began to shake violently. It was hard to stay in control for a bit there. Hard to figure out what it was but I have. Nissan Xterra's have a problem with the radiator failing and leaking coolant into the transmission, thereby ruining it. My car has been overheating and the transmission giving out while I'm traveling at highway speeds with my wife and two children in car seats. Nissan voluntarily extended warranty on the radiator. That is no help to the consumer as once the radiator fails you also have a bad transmission. Please make them accountable for their unethical dodging of a serious problem --- and a dangerous one! thank you.
Fuel gauge stays at empty and service engine soon light come on.
Rear differential axle seal leaks oil into the breaks creating a very unsafe driving condition. Nissan knows about the problem because they have released a technical service bulletin, and changed part numbers but they have not released a recall so all dealerships refuse to fix this problem for free. Furthermore dealers are not warning their customers of this issue. Last Monday when going to work, it was raining and when I got out of the freeway and was trying to reduce my speed thre truck skid and turn to the left. I was able to control it and fortunately I didn't hit anyone or anything. I assume this happened because of the oil on the left rear break.
*** ipdm and double catalytic converter failure in 2005 Nissan Xterra *** my 2005 Nissan Xterra engine once shut down as I am driving on a busy street; I had to let the Xterra coast a short distance without power to pull over and stop my SUV to the side of a safer section of the road. I could not immediately restart the car. After waiting about 15 minutes, I was eventually able to restart and drive the SUV. The problem, however never went away. Periodically the engine will shut off without warning. It finally got to the point where the car would not start at all. I had to have the car towed twice, including a tow to a Nissan dealership in santa monica. The incident began in April 2010. In may 2010, the Nissan dealer in santa monica checked the problem and indicated that the ipdm had to be replaced. This was an expensive repair. Shortly after the ipdm was replaced, 1 of 2 catalytic converters in the Xterra failed and had to be replaced. 6 months later (December 2010), the other catalytic converter failed. I believe the ipdm issue is severe. I believe the ipdm issue is also associated with (and likely to be the cause of) the failure of catalytic converters in the vehicle. In my case, it is double failure since both catalytic converters failed 6 months apart from each other. Failure of the catalytic converter is an environmental concern.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that the vehicle is constantly experiencing issues with the hud drums, located in the gears. While driving various speeds, the vehicle hesitates, shimmies, and makes a lot of noise in the rear. The rear end of the vehicle feels as if it will fall off or drop at any moment. The contact is not allowed to take her vehicle to a Nissan dealer for inspection because it was purchased from a private dealer. The failure mileage was 69,000.
There was a loud rumble and jerking while driving at 35mph. Fluid was leaking badly also. I took the car to Nissan on on April 21, 2008. They said they could not duplicate the problem. Again, the car started jerking and making loud rumbles. I took it back to Nissan and they said the u joints were bad and replaced them. As soon as I pulled out of their parking area, the car did the same thing. So, I took it back again. This time, they told me that the radiator was coming apart and leaking antifreeze into transmission. They charged me $1285. 89 to replace the radiator and flush the transmission. It is now 2012 and the car is doing the same thing again. The problem was never fixed properly to begin with. I need a new transmission at a high price. Anyone reading this should phone me at so that we can start a class action law suit against Nissan. Lets inform everyone who has had this problem. From what I have been reading, thousands of people have had the same problem. This is a safety issue as well as a costly problem. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
- the contact owns a 2002 Nissan Xterra. While driving at 35 mph the vehicle began to vibrate. The contact pulled into a gas station, purchased oil and put it into the vehicle, and then the vehicle would not start. The contact had triple aaa tow the vehicle to a Nissan dealership. The problem was diagnosed as diesel fuel mixed with gas. The contact was told that the vehicle needed the fuel tank and the fuel system to be flushed, and the oil changed, spark plugs replaced, and the fuel filter replaced. The dealer had the contacts vehicle for approximately three weeks and performed an oil change, flushed the fuel tank, and fuel system. The contact picked up the vehicle ,went directly across the street and purchased high octane gas. The vehicle ran long enough for him to go across the street, got the gas and then the vehicle stalled. The contact did not believe that the vehicle was working as it did before the repairs were performed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer , where another diagnostic had to be done, and the dealer told the contact that the engine needed to be rebuilt. The contact believed that the first diagnostic should have revealed that the engine had a problem, and that nothing on the dashboard ever indicated that the oil was low. The vehicle was purchased in August, and the problems began at the end of January. The contact felt that if the vehicle did not have oil it was purchased that way. The current and failure mileage were 50,000. The dealer states tag light not working and cd player not working. The consumer provided information from carfax and a repair invoice. Updated 06/08/07.
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Xterra. While driving 35 mph, the headliner fell without warning. The contact stated that Nissan has done nothing about the failure. The purchase date and failure mileage were unknown. The current mileage is 78,904.
1--air conditioner blowing hot air car is only 49000 miles old. 2-- the driver side window motor broken- had passenger side front and rear replaced under warranty. 3--the passenger brake light broken-had driver side replaced under warranty.
This is a very solid, and stable vehicle in the snow and ice, (with studded snow tires, all season radials only work in florida) it handles well, and performs nicely for a small SUV. The only complaints that I have with this vehicle, is that the ride is a bit rough. And it is a bit uncomfortable for taller people on long rides. To those that are complaining about the vehicle pulling to the left and right. Cure #1, get the car aligned. #2, check the road you are driving on, the track width on the Xterra is narrow, it may be catching a groove in the road. #3 check the tire pressures, to complaints about the braking. . . . . . . Have the brakes checked, rotors, pads, or calipers could be sticking.
No summary. Dt.
The parking lights and side mount lights do not turn on when I turn on the headlights on the car at night. You cannot see the car at night unless I step on the brake and then the brake lights light up. On the inside there is no light for any of the dashboard gauges. You have to know whether or not your car is in the proper gear. You have no idea how fast you are traveling or how many rpms you are reving. You cannot read the gas gauge to know if you need to fill up soon. It is extremely dangerous to drive at night time. Mr.
Turned on vehicle in the morning to go to work. Engine check soon light came on and wouldn't go off. Dropped vehicle off at dealership. Say it is the purge volume control valve but they cannot get the computer to reset with their computer in the service department. Stated they may need to keep the vehicle more than one day.
The car suddenly lost power on acceleration up to 60 mph upon passing another vehicle. After losing power, the car "service engine soon" light came on and stayed on. The engine ran rough with hesitation and could maintain a speed of only 30 mph. Car was towed to dealer, who diagnosed the problem as a mass airflow sensor malfunction. Dealer re-set e. C. U. And so far, problem has not repeated. Power window problem occurs on driver side, front window. The window goes down at normal speed but comes up very slowly with intermittent stops. First time problem reported to dealer, dealer lubed window track. Problem persisted, so went to another dealer, who ordered a new rubber window casing.
Engine light has been coming on since the last of January 2002. Consumer has taken vehicle to dealership 4 times, and was told they did not know what was wrong with truck. Engine shut off while going about 60 mph.
The dashboard instrument panel will just go completely blank: the odometer, gas, cruise control will either freeze where it is or will go down to zero. The cruise control will not work and had even started to affect the gas pedal. Driving down the road at 55+mph I had power everywhere except the gas pedal. I contacted my dealership and they said there was nothing they could do unless I could bring it in when it was not working, which was very hard to do because it would stop working at different times and for different lenghts of time. Sometimes for a few minutes and sometimes for hours. I finally called 1-800-nissan1 with my complaint and they had the control panel replaced and Nissan paid for it!!!! dt.
While driving home after purchasing engine check light came on. Dealer was replacing fuel tank. Weak battery caused slow cranking.
Air conditioning system had to be serviced twice in 60 days. The first issue became the upper hose on the a/c system had to be replaced. Less than 2 months later, the lower hose blew and had to be replaced also. Vehicle is a 2001 v6 2wd with 98k miles. Both hoses were replaced and freon was charged (by a licensed shop) to the tune of $800.
Consumer was under the impression, going by the epa sticker on vehicle ,that it gets 20-28 gas mileage. Consumer got vehicle plugged to computer, and it showed correct gas mileage was 17-19 for 5 speed cylinder. Nissan must have an internal document to achieve the 17-19 gas mileage on vehicle. Nissan knows this, and still shows epa mileage incorrectly on stickers.
While driving gas gauage falls below empty, regardless of actual fuel level, also the speedometer either drops to zero or jumps exactly to 75 mph, regardless of speed, the odometer first changes to non-numeric line segments, then gradually fades to blank or instantly turns blank, the tachometer either drops to zero or jumps to approximately 2850 rpm, the engine temperature guage either drops to zero or jumps to where the needle is exactly horizontal.
Nissan is not backing the warranty. No safety defect listed in summary.
Engine check light kept coming on. Everytime vehicle has to be reprogrammed. Contacted dealer, and dealer stated that parts had to be replaced to keep engine light from coming on.