I bought this truck with 18,000 miles on it in 2008. It was in excellent condition at the time. Except for the terrible gas mileage, consistently 10 mpg, there didn't appear to be any real issues, until around November 2011. From the first day I owned it, I would get a slight vibration in the front end, between 60-65 mph. It would be smooth under and over that speed, and I attributed it a wheel, being out of balance, although new tires were on the vehicle, when I bought it. In 2011, I started getting a SES (service engine soon) light, whenever I hit 70 mph. The vehicle would run fine, and there was no indication of a problem, it was even passing it's emission tests. I would reset the SES light, and it would be fine until I hit 70-75 mph again.
In Sept. 2011, I was getting a clunking sound in the front end, and I discovered my universal joint on the front drive shaft was falling apart. The needle bearings had fallen out of it. I thought this was strange, because I rarely use the front drive shaft for 4 wheel drive. After changing the u-joint, the shake in my front went away when going 60-65 mph, which could only mean it had been failing for at least 3 years. In December 2011, the SES light started coming on at lower speeds, and I brought it to my mechanic who determined it was a bad oxygen sensor, and would be about $200. He also had the truck on a lift, and discovered these other problems that I wasn't aware of.
All 4 brake rotors were shot, the rear shocks were rotting off their connection points, the front struts weren't far behind, the rear axle was leaking onto the rear left brake, the transmission seals were leaking, the muffler had a hole in the top of it causing the exhaust gas to escape and burning the underside of the truck bed. The tail pipe had completely rotted off the muffler, but was still being held in place by the hangers. If the truck had never been inspected on a lift I wouldn't have been aware of these problems as it "seemed" the truck was fine. The estimate to fix everything was about $2,000. This is from a trustworthy mechanic who I've known for many years.
What upsets me the most is that this truck was never used for towing, rarely used in four wheel drive, always garaged, and only has 44,000 miles on it. It didn't take long to make a decision, the truck was gone by the end of the week. I originally intended to keep the truck for many years, but after seeing these problems and reading about numerous others, I wasn't about to wait until the differential blew apart, or the truck caught on fire. I can't imagine the problems this Titan would have encountered, if I actually used it for it's intended purposes, as a truck. This was my first and last Nissan vehicle.
