2005 NISSAN XTERRA Complaints

I NOTICED A VIBRATING NOISE WHEN I WOULD REACH 40-50MPH. IT SOUNDED LIKE I WAS DRIVING ON A RUMBLE STRIP BUT WAS NOT. ONE DAY I PULLED OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND MY TRANSMISSION SLIPPED, HAD MY GAS PEDLE TO THE FLOOR BUT I WAS BARELY MOVING. I HAD TO SWIRVE INTO THE DITCH TO AVOID GETTING REAR ENDED! I TOOK IT TO MY NISSAN DEALSHIP TO HAVE A DIAGNOSITC TEST DONE. THEY CALLED AND TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE RADIATOR CAUSING FLUID TO LEAK INTO THE TRANSMISSION. THE ESTIMATED COST WILL BE ABOUT $1500, TO REPLACE MY RADIATOR AND FLUSH THE FLUIDS TWICE. THEY STATED THAT THIS WILL BE A 80-85% CHANCE THIS WOULD TEMPORARALY FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT WITH THEM NOT REALLY KNOWING HOW MUCH DAMAGE THERE IS TO MY TRANSMISSION THAT IF THIS DOESN'T CORRECT THE PROBLEM THAT I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE MY TRASMISSION MEANING AN ADDITIONAL $5,000. I HAVE SEARCHED ON-LINE AND FOUND OUT ON A WEBSITE (CARCOMPLAINTS.COM) THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE WITH MY SAME PROBLEM. NISSAN IS VERY AWARE OF THIS DEFECT IN THE RADIATOR AND HAS DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT. MY WARRENTY RAN OUT IN APRIL AND THE WARRENTY ON THE RADIATOR ENDED AT 80,000 MILES. I AM IN A HUGE BIND NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO. BEING A SINGLE MOM I AM VERY TIGHT ON MONEY. I WOULD HOPE THAT THERE ARE ENOUGH COMPLAINTS FOR NISSAN TO RECALL ALL NISSAN XTERRA 2005 FOR RADIATOR DEFECTS. I AM KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED AND PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE. *TT

I WAS DRIVING MY SON TO A SOCCER GAME AND COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO GO PAST 20 GETTING ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAD THE CAR IN THE DEALER A FEW MONTHS EARLIER B/C I WAS HAVING TROUBLE GETTING PAST 45MPH. THEY TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT PROPERLY DIAGNOSE AND TO CONTINUE DRIVING. MY CAR HAD 72000 AT THAT POINT. THEY DID NOT ADVISE ME OF THE POTENTIAL RADIATOR/TRANSMISSION PROBLEM OR LET ME KNOW THE WARRANTY HAD BEEN EXTENED FROM 60000 TO 80000 MILES. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN XTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE SPORADICALLY AND THE FUEL GAGE WOULD READ INACCURATELY. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL SENDING UNIT WAS DEFECTIVE AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE 98,000. UPDATED 11/29/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR HIS MAKE AND MODEL, BUT NOT THE YEAR, AS WELL AS OTHER MODELS. UPDATED 12/12/11

I PURCHASED MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA LESS THAN 2 MONTHS AGO AND NOTICED ABOUT A MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT IT THAT IT HAD A RUMBLE WHEN DRIVING IT, ESPECIALLY WHEN ACCELERATING OVER 40 MPH OR ON AN INCLINE WHEN DRIVING OVER 50 ON HIGHWAYS. I ALSO NOTICED THAT UPON STARTING THE CAR THERE WAS A VERY LOUD THUMP IN THE REAR END. ABOUT A WEEK AFTER THESE ISSUES BECAME NOTICEABE, MY SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WHEN I WENT TO ACCELERATE THE CAR DID NOT MOVE AT ALL... I HAD TO CRAWL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RE START MY CAR. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL REPAIR SHOW WHERE I WAS TOLD THE CODE WAS IN THE TRANSMISSION SECTION AND I SHOULD TAKE IT TO A TRANMISSION SHOP. THE ESTIMATED REPAIRS ARE VERY COSTLY AND IT'S OBVIOUS THAT SO MANY OTHER XTERRA OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM. IT IS MY ONLY VEHICLE AND I TRAVEL 80 MILES A DAY TO AND FROM WORK AND AM FORCED TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR OR BE WITHOUT A VEHICLE THAT I JUST PURCHASED AND STILL OWE MONEY ON. THERE HAS TO BE SOME RESPONSIBILITY ON THE PART OF NISSAN TO REIMBURSE THEIR PURCHASERS FOR THE COSTLY REPAIRS DUE TO A PROBLEM THAT IS EVIDENTLY A DESIGN FLAW IN THE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION OF THE 2005 XTERRA. IF SO MANY PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING WHY IS NOTHING BEING DONE TO AID THE VICTIMS OF NISSANS POOR DESIGN? *TT

THIS MORNING THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR ON MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA STOPPED WORKING AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS $500 TO FIX THE SENSOR WHICH WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND RECALLED ON EARLIER MODELS OF THIS TRUCK. AND IS ALSO A COMMON PROBLEM FOR OTHER XTERRA OWNERS. PLEASE RECALL THIS PART. FUEL LEVEL SENSORS LAST MUCH LONGER THAN THIS IS OTHER MAKES AND MODELS OF VEHICLES. *TR

I FIRST NOTICED A VIBRATION IN MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA LIKE DRIVING OVER SPEED BUMPS WHEN LETTING OFF THE ACCELERATOR THE VIBRATION STOPPED. I THOUGHT IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH TIRES, DRIVESHAFT OR REAR END BUT FOUND IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN IF I TURNED OFF THE OVERDRIVE. SO I GOOGLED NISSAN TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND FOUND THAT PEOPLE WERE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND SAID IT WAS DUE TO COOLANT MIXING WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND CAUSING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE NOT HAVING THE MONEY TO DO THE COSTLY REPAIR AND DEBATING WHETHER TO TRADE IN THE VEHICLE. YESTERDAY THE CAR LEFT ME BROKE DOWN ALONGSIDE THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE STARTED JUMPING LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL THE CHECK ENGINE LIKE CAME ON AND THE TEMPERATURE WENT IN THE RED I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SEEN COOLANT MIXED WITH SOME OTHER FLUID ALL OVER THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND STREET SOMETHING MUST HAVE BURST. CONTACTED NISSAN THEY TOLD ME IT WAS NOT COVERED DUE TO BEING OVER THE 80,000 MILE EXTENDED WARRANT BUT TO TAKE IT TO A DEALERSHIP TO GET A DIAGNOSTIC TO DETERMINE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO TO HELP. *TR

TEENAGE DAUGHTER RAN OUT OF GAS AT NIGHT WHILE GAUGE REGISTERED NEARLY A FULL TANK! SHE WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT HER FATHER MUST HAVE RECENTLY FILLED THE TANK, WHICH OBVIOUSLY WAS NOT THE CASE. THE GAUGE REGISTERS FULL WHEN IT'S NOT AND EMPTY WHEN IT'S NOT! RECEIVED "CODE PEWEE FUEL CENSOR A TOO HIGH" AFTER RESEARCHING, I SEE THAT THIS IS, AND HAS BEEN, AN ISSUE WITH XTERRAS! AND FOR OLDER GENERATIONS THERE WAS A RECALL. HOWEVER FOR THIS MODEL WE WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF ANY ISSUE THEREBY PUTTING MY DAUGHTER AT RISK. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN XTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE STARTED MAKING A RUMBLING SOUND AFTER HAVING THE OIL CHANGED AT THE DEALERS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING AND COOLANT WAS LEAKING FROM THE RADIATOR INTO THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WOULD NEED BOTH THE RADIATOR AND THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 85,000.

FAULTY RADIATOR LEAKED ANTIFREEZE INTO TRANSMISSION WHICH RENDERED THE TRANSMISSION USELESS. *TR

DRIVING VEHICLE WHEN TRANSMISSION DROPPED INTO LOWER GEAR AND WOULD NOT UPSHIFT. CAUSE FOUND --- RADIATOR CRACKED AND LEAKED COOLANT INTO TRANSMISSION- . WHICH RUINED THE TRANSMISSION. *TT