2002 NISSAN XTERRA Complaints

MY 2002 NISSAN XTERRA 4X2 STEERING WAS DESIGNED TO NOT RETURN TO CENTER ON ITS OWN AFTER MAKING A SHARP TURN EITHER RIGHT OR LEFT AT SLOW SPEEDS. I DISCOVERED THIS BY ALMOST RUNNING INTO A FENCE AFTER TURNING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY INTO THE RIGHT LANE. THIS OCCURS EVERY TIME...PULLING INTO A PARKING PLACE IS A REAL CHALLANGE TO KEEP FROM RAMMING THE CAR NEXT TO ME. MY DEALER ADMITS THEY ALL DO IT WITH NO CORRECTION AVALIABLE.*AK

E-MAIL FWD FM NPO-200/TIS/DOERNBERG REQUEST FOR A DEFECT PETITION ON THE 2002 NISSAN XTERRA BRAKE SYSTEM, BRAKE ROTORS USED ON THE XTERRA IS SUBJECTED TO PREMATURE HEAT WARPAGE.*MR PH *JB

THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL SEPARATED FROM THE AXLE. THE NUTS AND BOLTS HAD LOOSENED AND FALLEN OFF. *JB WHILE DRIVING DOWN AN OFF ROAD PATH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE HAD ENGAGED. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THE TIRE SHIFTED OUTSIDE OF THE TIRE WELL ABOUT 2 INCHES. AS THE CONSUMER EXAMINED UNDER THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THAT OF THE 4 BOLTS HOLDING THE WHEEL TO THE AXLE ONLY ONE REMAINED AND DIDN'T HAVE A NUT HOLDING IT. (ALL FOUR NUTS HAD LOOSENED TO THE POINT OF FALLING OFF) AT A SLOW SPEED ON A GRAVEL SURFACE IT HAD BROKEN THE BRAKE LINE, PARKING BRAKE, AND VARIOUS PARTS OF THE BRAKE DRUM. *SCC *JB

FRONT DISK BRAKES OVERHEATED AND BECAME WARPED. VEHICLE RARELY CARRIES FULL PASSENGER OR CARGO LOADS. VEHICLE HAS NEVER PULLED A TRAILER. VEHICLE HAS UNDER 18,000 MILES ON IT WITH NORMAL DRIVING, SELDOM STOP AND GO. FAILURE MAY CAUSE FAMILIES ON TRIPS WITH TRAILERS TO HAVE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM. *NLM

PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR STARTING. FIRST PROBLEM CAR DIED JUST AFTER STARTING. ODOMETER TRIP AND A @ B HAD BEEN SET BACK TO ZERO AND CAR STEREO PRESETS ALL ERASED. NEXT MORNING CAR WOULD NOT START. WAITED AN HOUR, CAR STARTED. TOOK IN THEY ADJUSTED THE IDLE. THE CAR WAS FINE OTHERWISE. THIS WAS JUST OVER ONE MONTH AGO. YESTERDAY WENT TO LEAVE WORK CAR WOULDN'T START. NO POWER THEN I GOT THE RADIO TO WORK. THEY GOT THE CAR STARTED, THEN SHUT OFF TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM WAS STILL THERE. IT WAS. WOULDN'T START. CALLED TOWING, BUT AFTER BANGING ON MY STEERING WHEEL, CAR WOULD START. I DROVE TO NISSAN WHO NOW AFTER 9 HOURS THREE TECHNICIANS CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG AND THEY SAY YOU CAN COME PICK UP YOUR VEHICLE. UNLESS THEY WITNESS THE PROBLEM THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. SAID NEXT TIME LEAVE IT ALONE AND CALL THEM AND THEY WILL HAVE IT TOWED. THIS NISSAN HAS ONLY BEEN SERVICE THROUGH THE DEALER. *JB

THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A RECALL #02V299000. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THE MECHANIC DID NOT PUT SEALANT ON THE ABS SENSOR. THE MECHANIC STATED HE DID EVERYTHING AS HE WAS TOLD. *JB

CAR PULLS TO THE RIGHT SINCE I BOUGHT IT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT 4 TO DO AN ALIGNMENT AND STILL THE SAME ITS VERY DANGEROUS. *JB

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. *NLM

I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2002 NISSAN XTERRA VEHICLE IN NOVEMBER 2001. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED AT THE PACIFIC NISSAN DEALERSHIP IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. MY WIFE AND CHILDREN WENT ON AN OUTING ON EASTER SUNDAY. WHILE AT LUNCH, 5-15 MINUTES GO BUY AND A PERSON INQUIRES ABOUT A PARKED XTERRA ON FIRE. TO MY WIFE'S HORROR IT WAS OUR XTERRA WITH THE WIDOWS UP AND FLAMES/SMOKE COMING FROM THE DASH/STEERING COLUMN AREA. MY INSURANCE AND THE FIRE MARSHAL DETERMINED THE FIRE APPEARED TO BE AN ELECTRICAL SHORT/ARCHING AND NO OTHER APPARENT SOURCES OF IGNITION WERE PRESENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A TOTAL LOSS. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO PACIFIC NISSAN WHERE I PURCHASED IT AND HAVE MAINTAINED THEIR RECOMMENDED ROUTINE SERVICE. THE SERVICE MANAGEMENT QUESTIONED WHY THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT OVER TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND NOT TO THEIR BODY SHOP. I EXPLAINED THE BODY SHOP SENT US OVER TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. HE EXPLAINED TO HE COULD NOT DO ANYTHING AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO CONTACT MY INSURANCE. I QUESTIONED HIM WHY I HAVE TO SUFFER GOING THROUGH MY INSURANCE WHEN THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND MY VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER THE BASIC WARRANTY. KNOWING I WAS NOT GETTING ANYWHERE WITH THIS GUY, I REQUESTED A PHONE NUMBER FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THEY WOULD ONLY REFER ME BACK TO HIM. I AM CONFUSED ON WHAT I SHOULD DO. SHOULD I PAY THE DEDUCTIBLE AND HOPE MY INSURANCE WILL PAY THE WHOLE AMOUNT OWED ON MY VEHICLE? SHOULD I GET A LAWYER? NO MATTER WHAT I AM STILL OUT A VEHICLE AND HAVE TO, IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, PAY FOR SOME OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES. I HAVE CONTACTED THE NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS DEPART. AND THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THEY WOULD HAVE TO LOOK INTO IT. THE CUSTOMER AFFAIRS REP. DID INFORM ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THEIR AIR BAG MODULE, BUT HE WAS NOT SURE WHAT COULD HAPPEN. I HAVE ALSO, IN THE PAST, TAKEN IN THIS VEHICLE IN TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO REPLACE A GASKET IN THE AXLE AREA BECAUSE IT WAS DRIPPING FLUID. *JB

ALL 4 ORIGINAL TIRES CRACKED PREMATURELY WHERE THE TREAD MET THE OUTSIDE TIRE WALL AND WITHIN THE TREAD ITSELF. *JB