Nissan Xterra Reviews

I have owned my Xterra for 10 years and have been broadly satisfied with the car and the dealership. However, there were various issues with the car and the service, of which a faulty fuel gauge is one example that will cause me not to buy a Nissan product again. Two examples:

Purchased '05 XTERRA as the 2nd owner in February 2013. In Feb. '15, Timing chain broke. Mechanic attributes failure to the PLASTIC tensioners Nissan installs to keep the chain tight/in place. Estimate of $5,000 to replace with used engine. No thanks. Still owed $8K on this POS and selling as is, I might get $2500. Have read countless similar stories from other X owners. Thought I was safe getting the manual transmission...thought wrong. If there is EVER a class action suit, count me IN.

Updated on 03/19/2019: I bought my Xterra from CarMax with low miles (around 60k) then at 64k the radiator leaked into the tranny and blew it. Nissan picked up half of the cost because of the lawsuit. After that the timing chain went, gas gauge went, U joints. Just as of yesterday at 146k my radiator leaked again into my tranny and now AAMCO said it needs to be completely redone. They have a way to nipple off the radiator with a secondary unit that will prevent the radiator from ever leaking into the transmission again so I’ve decided to do that now for 3k since I’m almost paid off.

Purchased a 2002 Nissan Xterra. Had it about six months was turning into a parking space in a shopping mall. Suddenly the engine started a high-pitched rev. Before I stop it the vehicle lunged forward as if the accelerator had a mind of its own. It crashed into four other cars before it stopped. Never had anything like this happen to me in decades of driving American made cars. From this experience I would never own another Nissan even if given to me for free. The officer that showed up on the scene said I was diving recklessly and issued me a $280.00 fine. Talk about turning a bad thing worse. He didn't see it happen but deemed it positively my fault and not the truck's.

My car began shuttering bad enough that I was afraid that it was going to stall or that I would get into an accident. Thankfully, I didn't. I found out that a faulty radiator had leaked into the transmission. Apparently, this is a well known problem. I am being told by Nissan that it will cost $7,000 to repair/replace the radiator, hoses, transmission etc. My mileage is just over 106,000 miles so, like everyone else, I will get no help from Nissan in making these repairs. I can't afford to fix it at this time so it will have to sit and wait while I will pray that there is a recall soon.

Re the Xterra, just say no. Bought a used 07 for my wife, coz she thought it "looked cool" - there's a brilliant buying decision right there. At 98k it did the usual Xterra thing of totally ** up the radiator coolant and transmission coolant. My local auto shop eventually found a compatible transmission from somewhere in CA, and after $5.6k the car was again usable - for one week. Then the timing chain started to rattle, another $1.5k. WTF, I thought these were high quality vehicles. No more Nissans. Anyway, because the car had less than 100k mls Nissan ponied up half the transmission repair bill, which helped. We are now in a quandary, we have so much money into this jalopy that I hate to get rid of it, but we do a lot of road trips and I don't want it going fubar half-way across Death Valley. That said, my 99 Dodge Caravan is way more reliable, but of little use as a tow vehicle.

2006 Xterra - So disappointed, replacing the catalytic converters for a second time! All four tire sensors are bad, in less than two years of being replaced....

During driving, sometime I am getting suddenly burning/smoke smell inside my xterra - 2015 model and it's critical. Two times the complain made to Nissan service, till now not able to solve this issue. The xterra was purchase before 5 months, due to this I am upset as no proper solution.

I have a Nissan Xterra and it is a great vehicle! Nissan is unable to do more with the transmission and coolant issue because of a class action law suit, which if people would do their research would know, I don't understand how people can complain about having to change the other wear items when they are over 50k or more. I have been an Automotive Master Tech in many brands for 20 years. Belts, filters, and fluids do wear and this is normal. Also the manufacturers are buying their parts from some other manufacturer and I don't see you bashing them. The Xterra is an awesome vehicle for what it was designed for. It just amazes me that everyone tries to get out of paying for everything!

I don't recommend anyone to buy a Nissan Xterra 2005. I used to be a Nissan believer but after the issues I had with Xterra, never again I will buy another Nissan. I have been the original owner since new and it has been a nightmare. First problem with 37k miles, fuel level sensor went bad, conveniently 1,000 miles right after factory warranty expired, cost $645 to replace it.

Will never buy again! Barely 52k, ball joints are bad, replaced serpentine belt, hoses just last March. Now my rec value cover gaskets are leaking, the timing belt is bad and I need cabin filters replaced. The interior is poor. The liner hangs and fabric on doors is unglued. You would think I use it daily transporting livestock, but I'm single and obviously rarely drive it. To replace anything on this vehicle isn't cheap either. Usually $600-1,500. I have owned 7 vehicles, most turned over in mileage and I didn't have to invest much of anything in them. The sad part is I love my truck and have to say goodbye.

I had a couple of 90s Nissan cars, which drove without problems to over 200K miles, so we quickly became huge fans of Nissan. I purchased a used 2005 Xterra with 70,000 miles in September of 2014. Two weeks later, the catalytic converter went. As soon as I replaced it the other cat converter broke. The dealership quoted me at $1400 for each cat converter. Obviously, I took it to my mechanic and got them both fixed for about $1000. Being such a big Nissan fan, I'm hugely disappointed that the company has taken a turn for the worse. I'm sad to say that going forward, my family and I will start looking at other manufacturers.

Another 2006 Xterra bites the dust... Happy New Year, your radiator leaked into the transmission & ruined it. 144k miles so way past the warranty. Also had to replace timing chain in 2011 for over $1000 none of which was covered by Nissan. Nissan used to make a great car / truck. No more Nissans for me EVER.

Bought my 2006 SE that was dealer demo with 6k on the engine. The fun started with replacing the fuel pump since it was tripping my check engine light. Apparently the fuel float arm warps and then the check engine light comes on. The pump is only $60 but because of its location the job takes 4-5 hours and at $125/hr labor cost it gets expensive. I've been towed twice because of this defect and replaced it 4 times so you do the math. 1st and 2nd time cost me $800 at the dealer, another $600 from a local mechanic robbing me and 3rd and 4th time from a good mechanic having mercy on me at $500 each time. Replaced the radiator once and had the mechanic check the fluid lines since the radiator can leak into the transmission cooler creating the "pink milkshake of death." So far no probs with that. Rebuilt the tranny because some computer chip that went bad tripping the check engine light. I got a break on that to the tune of $2,800. Normally a $3,500-4k job.

Just starting having issues with my xterra. Found out it's the radiator fluids going into the transmission. The nightmare begins, stay tuned.

My daughter purchased a used Xterra with 86K miles on it. At 106000 miles the radiator failed like so many others had. I contacted Nissan and they flat out refused to cover any repair on it because the mileage was too high. I changed out the radiator and flushed the transmission. Things were good for about 3 months, now the transmission has failed. Again they refuse to do anything. So I had to buy a used transmission and now I have to get it installed. Why does a company get to decide what they think should be covered and when they can say too bad? This was a known problem that should be covered regardless of mileage on such a newer car. Once again the consumer gets screwed. I wish someone could look at all these failures and demand that Nissan correct everything that failed and reimburse those who couldn't afford it and had to do it themselves. Lord knows this has created a huge financial burden on my family.

I was driving down the street and attempted to turn... My steering wheel turned, but my wheels didn’t. I came to a stop and realized… Something broke. I could have been killed if the traffic was any heavier. My 2002 Nissan Xterra was recalled in 2010. Their leads to corrosion in an extreme case. It will lead to cracking. I am the extreme case. Nissan never contacted me to inform me of the recall. Their first agent told me that since I did not purchase it from a Nissan Dealer, they are not responsible for informing me. The second agent (escalation after complaining) who called a day and a half later agent said, "The US Postal Service loses millions of letters each day. It would be too cumbersome to send certified letters or to call everyone." I questioned him, “If you know the letters are lost, why would you rely on them to deliver this notice? It’s not a cigarette lighter we are talking about.”

I have a 2007 Xterra, so far u joints and 2 recalls, 102,000 miles. Now!!! At once driving down the Ed and stopped at light. Would not accelerate hardly at all! Got home, thank God! Shut off engine and tried to crank again and it was dead completely! Had to have it towed and found out - first, the starter went out due to over amping and then come to find out the transmission line was broken in the radiator - all my fluid leaked into my radiator!!! Now we're hoping my transmission is not ruined!! Replacing it and triple flushing the system. Very unhappy with Nissan, and they won't help at all!!

My check engine light turns on and my tire sensor light is on. I take it to the dealer and they run a diagnostic for $150. One of my catalytic converters is breaking apart and my tire sensor is failing. I decide not to get it fixed there but with a mechanic (dealers too expensive) catalytic converter $1110 tire sensor $110. Not 2 days later one of my other tire sensors is out and I need a new gas pump... another $700 (all replacements are out of pocket) it's been a month since and my check engine light turns on again. Apparently my radiator broke mixing with the water and leaking into the transmission. Nissan knows about this problem but if you're past 100,000 miles they won't make themselves responsible. Need I say it's $4,690 to fix my transmission!

The only recommended SUV from Nissan. First off to those who have had issues with their xterras, at least you didn't buy the rogue/murano. I bought my Xterra 4x4 new in 2010 and have only had two problems in the 42,000 miles she has on her. The blower motor went out on Christmas eve during an unusually cold Dallas night leaving me without heat for a few days. Luckily it was under warranty. The 2nd issue is with the paint. Sadly my Artic White paint seems to chip straight to the anti corrosion protectant coat. Main area of concern was the hood and the roof along the roof rails.

Starter replaced 2x and going for a third one.

I bought my Xterra in 2012, worth a little over 24,000 miles on it, and I loved it. However shortly after purchasing it the fuel gauge sensor had snapped inside of the fuel pump and my gauge just read empty all the time. Nissan reluctantly replaced my entire fuel pump as the car was still under warranty. Then I revenge one of those BS notices from Nissan about how they knew that the radiator could leak into the transmission but that it wasn't technically recalled and so they would not pay to fix it if the problem occurred. So fine I got my mechanic to reroute to cooling system so that it wouldn't leak into the transmission if the radiator leaks.

Routine maintenance goes a long way. Nothing major: brakes - rotors - belts - fluids and lots of gas and tires bought new 2003. Lots of tires, 1 rear brake job, 5 or 6 front brake brakes and 3 rotor jobs just because I drive so much and I like to keep on stopping. 2 timing belts, misc belts and hoses, 4 CD players, 2 driver seat fabric replacement dang clothe seat, 1 starter, 1 alternator, and 1 distributor. Umm, it didn't need it. I misdiagnosed what the issue was. Turned out the timing belt was bad but I wanted the easy way first.

The 2002 Nissan Xterra is a well made clunker in my opinion. It is sluggish in movement similar to a tank, and burns through fuel like one too! I traded it in at 6000 miles. Six thousand, you feel me.

I bought a 2005 Nissan Xterra 4x4 in about 2008 with 45,000 miles. In the first year the thermostat went out, car overheated and left me stranded in Las Vegas! Less than $500 fix. Crankshaft sensor went out in 2013, $250. The BIG PROBLEM is the CROSS CONTAMINATION from Transmission and radiator. This happened in 2013 with 72,000 miles, just out of extended warranty! **! And cost the usual $2500 but at least I have a brand new Transmission now! I hope the same problem does not occur with the new parts as I expressed to the dealer!

I purchased my 2005 Nissan Xterra SE in June of 2013 with 70k miles on it. The truck had a clean carfax and seemed to be in good condition. I looked at Edmunds reviews on the vehicle and saw fairly good ratings. At the time I needed a vehicle ASAP. I purchased the truck with a 2 year 24,000 mile extended warranty from a Toyota dealer. The car ran well for about a month, then became a nightmare.

I have just bought a used 2007 nissan xtera. After a few days of Parking the battery went flat and after a few hrs of charging. It still could not turn the engine. I later bought a brand new battery. This time around the car engine was turning but the car could not start. What went wrong. Some say it has decoded, what does this mean. What module is faulty?

I've had 2 xterras, the second has been a problem since I rolled off the dealer lot, I was denied a carfax and found that it had been in a crash cutting the front door off to extricate. I'm a paramedic and know what it looks like so the door forever sounds hollow and open window. It has constantly wears oddly on the front tires and goes thru front brakes like crazy. It now has developed this front end vibration loud noise while driving at any speed that feels like the front end or wheels are gonna come off. I've never been off road. I take care of it like a baby. I'm out of work due to a work injury and drive short distance and it does it constantly now. I'm afraid that it's going to leave me stranded. NO ONE WILL LOOK AT IT WITHOUT LEAVING IT. I'm not in the position to leave it to test for days due to many rehab and dr appointments. I need help I don't have any money, no less to buy a new car either but maybe if I can get a idea to go on? I've never had such issues with my xterra as I had one traded it in on this one because I was in love and addicted but Nissan is just horrible to deal with.

We originally owned a 2005 Nissan Xterra. My wife loves the look and the size of the truck, but we had the fuel sending issue before the recall. She ran out of gas and the dealer treated her as if she were a dumb blonde who just didn't check her fuel gauge closely enough. Worse, because we didn't service our vehicle at the dealership, one of the dealers said that it was a "skinny deal" to begin with and wouldn't go to bat for us. Yes, the whole Nissan corporation is suffering from customer service poisoning, apparently. Even though it was leased, I told the dealer (Economy Wheels in Lindsay, Ontario) where to go and used Lease Busters to get the hell out.

My dad recently bought a 2006 Nissan Xterra brand new off the lot. He has had sudden transmission failure and sudden reactions with the car. We went online to see what can be done to fix these problems and became aware that there was a recall on these vehicles which we were not informed by the dealership.

My fuel sending unit failed sometime during spring of 2013 and my mechanic diagnosed the issue June 2013. As it was an expensive repair and not a recall I chose not to do it. On about December 2013, I was looking online for a possible recall and discovered that there had been a warranty extension program for this very issue. I was given an appointment to have the repair done at my local dealer but was told when I arrived that my warranty extension had expired Sept 22, 2013. Why wasn't I notified in writing of this warranty extension? I have written to Nissan requesting a repair.

I have been a service tech for 30 years, a customer of mine purchased a 2003 Xterra with a v6, with 185000 on it. I thought he was nuts. 3 weeks after he bought it, I got a phone call. He told me he had no heat, they put a new radiator in it, still no heat, then 3 thermostats still no heat. They back flushed the heater core, still no heat. So the used car lot that he got it from called me. They asked me to look at it. At first I said no. Then the owner called me directly so then I told him to come over. At this point he was pissed off at the dealer. I could not believe the shape it was in, the body was flawless, the same with the inside. It was a one owner. So I started to diagnoses it. I let it warm up, the top hose got to 97 degrees. Bottom was at 195 so the first thought was no circulation. I told him we need a water pump so I tore it apart. Remember, it never overheated. When I removed the water pump and looked at it, the impeller had no paddles to circulate the coolant. I replaced the timing belt and the water pump and problem solved. This was the 2nd time in 30 years I have come across it. I wanted to share this. It may help others (I wonder how many got ripped off?) I got it to put an oil pan and a rear main seal in it.

I had purchased my 2005 Nissan Xterra in April of 2005 brand new, with only a few miles on it. I had also purchased their extended warranty and have had either had their dealerships change my oil or my husband. The warranty had come in handy when the fuel indicator had an issue and we were told then my VIN wasn't part of their recall, I took it to the dealership anyway and they fixed it because I had the warranty. Other than that, I hadn't had any problems other than it was a gas hog. Then around 4pm on Friday, November 8, 2013 while coming back from the store, I felt an odd lurch, saw the engine light blip on and noticed that I couldn't accelerate very well as I had come to an intersection.

Thought I Was Buying a New Car. I have had the worst experience with Nissan and wanted to see if anyone has suggestions on how to deal with it? I purchased what I thought was a new car but have come to realize that before I purchased the car it was damaged in ways I was unable to detect and also had multiple mechanical defects. My car has been in and out of the shop multiple times and has spent over 25 nights in total at the shop. One week was at a collision center since the dealership was unable to take care of the leaking roof which was caused before I received my supposedly new car.

I am having a serious problem (transmission) and Nissan only wants to take care of all but 3000.00. I don’t have 3000 and don’t think I should pay anything. They knew about the problem and did nothing to help consumers. Nissan number is 800-647-7261 Ref # **. Please help. Car is at Concordville Nissan 610-459-8900. See article below....

I have a Xterra that has a bad sending unit in the fuel tank. I took the car to the dealership earlier this year for the issue and they told me I needed a new timing chain guide or my engine would stop working, the cost would be $1500, but if I could find somebody to do it cheaper they would match their price. Oh yeah, they would ONLY charge me 590.00 for the repairs on the fuel tank, that would have been covered if I had brought it in earlier (the fuel gauge had been acting up for over a year). They also replaced the ECM at that time. I called Nissan to see if they would help pay any of the cost since this was a recalled item. They said NO. I got the timing chain issue fixed first and had to wait to get the fuel tank fixed. Now I got the sending unit replaced and NOW I need to have the catalytic converters replaced. I called Nissan for a price and they quoted me ~$700 each plus ~$230 for the O2 sensors and $400 labor. I also found out that the ECM could be responsible for the catalytic converters going bad.

I have a 2004 Nissan Xterra purchased new that only has 65000 miles. There is a voluntary recall thru the NTSB for a steering defect. My Xterra has the symptoms of the defect but Nissan will not cover it. They claim that my VIN is not within the recall numbers but it was manufactured during the recall period, at the Symrna, TN plant and HAS the symptoms. They cannot say why it is not among the recalled vehicles and want me to pay and then they will decide if they will cover it. Doing a web search, they never pay for the repairs. Last Nissan for me. Ironically I was looking at a Cube for around town. Bought a Ford Transit Connect instead.

The car completely lost power. The dealer diagnosed the problem as a failed transmission fluid cooler located in the radiator assembly that allowed coolant to mix with the contaminate the automatic transmission, cost to fix deductible $3000.00!!!

I bought a Nissan Xterra 2006 brand new with less than 20 miles on it for my wife in late 2005. She has made sure it has been regularly serviced and well maintained over the years. The exterior and interior look almost new for this being the end of 2013. Over the years we have had to fix several items such as 1. fuel gauge dropped to empty at half tank. 2. the driver window quit working. 3. the air pressure sensor light for the tires stayed on. 4. rear suspension problems. 5. windshield washer tank fell apart, BUT this next problem takes the cake. 6. RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION COOLANT MIXING. And you guess it, Nissan says that since I am over the mileage of 100,000 miles (my mileage is 103,483) they can't help me!!! Why do we, THE CUSTOMERS!!!!!! have to continually put up with corporate greed, so the CEOs of these companies get richer and we get poorer????? When will we stand up and boycott the companies that refuse to honor their word??? The American people deserve better!!!!! Not that it will do much good but you can file a complaint here at 1-888-327-4236. I have learned my lesson and will only buy AMERICAN MADE from now on.

Dealer did a compression test and found coolant in transmission causing failure. Dealer said no maintenance precaution could stop this from happening. Nissan is well aware of the issue and has extended warranty to 160,000... however for 90% of people experiencing this problem, failure is occurring in the 170,000 - 190,000 range.