2002 NISSAN XTERRA Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN XTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN REGARDS TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER (10V554000-STEERING:COLUMN). AFTER TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER THEY ADVISED HER THAT THEY DO NOT MANUFACTURER THAT PART ANYMORE; THEREFORE, THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED FOR THE STEERING COLUMN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 102,000. UPDATED 03/07/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. UPDATED 05/06/11

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN XTERRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS THE FUEL SENDING HARNESS WHICH SHORTED AND CAUSED THE PLASTIC FUEL LINE TO MELT AND STARTED A SMALL FIRE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO TOOK A COMPLAINT AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD REVIEW THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 138,000.

2002 NISSAN XTERRA, OVER THE LAST YEAR, WHEEL LUG NUTS HAVE BROKEN OFF THE WHEELS, THE ACTUAL STUD BROKE OFF FOR NO APPARENT REASON, THIS HAS HAPPEN ON ALL 4 WHEELS, EACH TIME I HAD A MECHANIC REPLACE THE BAD PARTS. NOTE THESE WERE NOT CROSS THREADED,. AND WERE ALSO TIGHTEN WITH A TORQUE WRENCH. THE STUD JUST BROKE OFF. TODAY WAS THE MOST RECENT WHEN I FROM A BROKEN ONE IN THE DRIVEWAY. *TR

MY CAR WAS RECALLED FOR A PROBLEM CONNECTED TO THE FUEL SENDING UNIT IN 2006. IT HAS NOW BEEN BACK IN FOR REPAIR FOR THE FUEL SENDING UNIT OVER 14 TIMES IN THE PAST 4 YEARS. THE PAST SEVERAL REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE VIA THE GUIDANCE OF ENGINEERS AT FROM THE MAIN FACTORY AND YET MY CAR IS STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND THE DEALERSHIP NOR THE MAIN COMPANY ARE WILLING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

2002 NISSAN XTERRA: THE SPARE TIRE HOLDER WINCH MECHANISM IN NE REGIONS RUSTS (FROM WHAT I GATHER IN ON LINE RESEARCH THE PROBLEM IS RAMPANT) AND FREEZES NOT ALLOWING YOU TO LOWER THE TIRE TO REPLACE A FLAT. I HAD A FLAT ON A VERY BUSY ROAD. I COULD NOT LOWER THE SPARE AND BENT THE ROD. CALLED AAA. HAD TO HAVE FLAT TIRE TAKEN OFF AND REPAIRED BEFORE I COULD MOVE AGAIN. VERY DANGEROUS TO NOT BE ABLE TO REPAIR FLAT. AFTER I WENT TO TIRE STORE. THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO RELEASE WINCH AND INDICATED THEY SEE THE ISSUE VERY OFTEN IN NISSAN SUVS. THEY SAID MY ONLY OPTION WAS TO CUT OFF WINCH MECHANISM AND KEEP SPARE IN BACK OF VEHICLE. AFTER DECLINING, I DID RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON. THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALLS THAT I COULD FIND ON LINE AND I STILL HAVE NOT FOUND A REASONABLE FIX. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND A THERE IS AN OBVIOUS SMELL OF GASOLINE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE. DEALER TELLS ME THAT THE FUEL TANK NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THEM AS THEY RUST AROUND THE TOP OF THE TANK. THIS IS A SEPARATE ISSUE FROM THE FUEL SENDING UNIT RECALL THAT HAS BEEN DONE TO THESE VEHICLES. *TR

I WAS TRAVELING ON I-76 IN COLORADO AND USING MY CRUISE CONTROL. I HAD NOTICED ONE TIME ON THE HIGHWAY THAT WHEN I PUT ON THE BRAKE THE CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT DISENGAGE UNTIL MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS. I WAS ABOUT TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY AT JULESBURG COLORADO HEADING WEST, DISENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL BY STEPPING ON THE BRAKE AND WHEN I GOT ON THE EXIT RAMP IT RE-ENGAGED. I PUT IN THE CLUTCH, STEPPED ON THE BRAKE WITH NO RESPONSE. THE EXIT RAMP IS SHORT AND A SINGLE LANE. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RAMP WAS A SEMI-TRUCK AND I HAD TO STEER THE CAR INTO THE AREA NEXT TO THE RAMP AND I HIT A CULVERT AND THE CAR FLIPPED THREE TIMES. MY DAUGHTER AND I WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND RELEASED THAT EVENING. I REPORTED THIS TO NISSAN, THEY INSPECTED THE CAR AT THE JUNK YARD AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. I NEVER BELIEVED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG BUT NOW BELIEVE IT WAS AN ELECTRONIC FAILURE. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE CAR FROM THE ACCIDENT. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH WHEN MY ENGINE DIED. I CRUISED IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND ATTEMPTED TO START IT AGAIN, BUT IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER. I COULD SMELL GAS. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED, WE INITIALLY DETERMINED FUEL PUMP FAILURE. ONCE THE REPAIR WAS INITIATED, WE FOUND THAT THE WIRE TO THE FUEL SENDING UNIT WAS CORRODED AND HAD HEATED UP ENOUGH TO CAUSE A PEA SIZE HOLE IN THE PLUG. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT FAILURE COMPLETED ON MY VEHICLE IN 12/2004, BUT INSTEAD OF REPLACING THE UNIT, THEY ONLY SPRAYED SEALANT ON THE WIRE (BECAUSE NO CORROSION WAS FOUND) TO PREVENT CORROSION IN THE FUTURE. WE REPLACED THE SENDING UNIT, FUEL PUMP AND FUEL FILTER. THE OLD PART IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. I AM FILING A COMPLAINT WITH NISSAN. I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER. *TR

MY BRAKES WERE LOSING POWER WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL FEELING 'MUSHY' AND BRAKE LIGHT ON. THE DEALER, MAITA NISSAN, ADVISED ME THAT THE SPARE TIRE, HAD RUBBED A HOLE IN THE BRAKE LINING GOING TO THE REAR BRAKE DRUMS. NISSAN DID NOT FEEL THAT THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE, BECAUSE THE SPARE TIRE WAS OVERSIZED, COMPARED TO THE RECOMMENDED TIRE SIZE (SEARS HAD INSTALLED A WRANGLER P26570S17 TO SPARE TIRE COMPARTMENT ON 9/21/2004). PER NISSAN, THE RECOMMENDED TIRE WAS P266565,17. FORTUNATELY, THE LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID AND LOSS OF BRAKING FLUID DID NOT LEAD TO A CRASH OR INJURY. AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, AS THE OWNER, I DID NOT AUTHORIZE SEARS TO INSTALL THE WRONG SIZE TIRE TO MY VEHICLE AND AM CERTAIN THAT THEY HAVE NO IDEA THAT THE CONSEQUENCE OF THIS ERROR COULD LEAD TO RUBBING A HOLE IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM 4 YEARS LATER. I REQUESTED THAT THE DEALER NOTIFY NISSAN OF THE INCIDENT, AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE AND HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE THAT OTHER NISSAN XTERRA SE OWNERS WILL BENEFIT FROM MY EXPERIENCE (THE SE SERIES CAME FROM THE FACTORY WITH A 17 INCH CUSTOM TIRE AND RIM WHICH IS A SET-UP FOR THIS TYPE OF ERROR AND SENTINEL EVENT). *TR

BOTH OF THE VEHICLES EXHAUST MANIFOLDS HAVE DEVELOPED CRACKS AND HAD TO BE REPLACES BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL EXHAUST FUMES ENTERING THE DRIVERS CABIN. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN AND COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH 00-02 NISSAN XTERRAS . NISSAN CHANGED THE MANIFOLD DESIGN IN 03 WHICH ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY RECOGNIZED THE ISSUE BUT HAVE DONE NOTHING TO RECALL OR COMPENSATE CONSUMERS FOR THE ISSUE IN PRIOR MODELS. *TR