Nissan Xterra Reliability

4,192 NHTSA complaints (2000–2015). Complaint rate: 781.2 per 1,000 vehicles.

Severity Score
1742.6
Complaints
4,192
Crash Rate
4.1%
Fire Rate
1.4%
Injuries
184
Fatalities
50

Which Years to Buy & Avoid

Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.

Bottom line: Avoid the 2005–2008 Nissan Xterra. The 2009–2015 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: POWER TRAIN.

Avoid These Years

2005–2008
~788/yr complaints · 43 crashes
2000–2002
~223/yr complaints · 81 crashes

Average

2003–2004
~104/yr complaints

Better Years

2009–2015
~23/yr complaints
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Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA complaint count per model year

Nissan Xterra — Complaints by Model YearPeak: 2005 (1,175)
03386761,0131,35120002002200420062008201020122014

Common Nissan Xterra Problems

Most reported component complaints to NHTSA

ComponentComplaintsCrash %
POWER TRAIN8941.0%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE6120.5%
ENGINE3751.3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING2951.4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM2310.9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1552.6%
AIR BAGS13028.5%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1210.8%
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER1070.0%
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1004.0%

Year-by-Year Breakdown

NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.

YearGenerationComplaintsCrashesFiresDetails
2000AVOID—258304View→
2001AVOID—197188View→
2002AVOID—2143312View→
2003—97263View→
2004—110124View→
2005AVOID—1,1751111View→
2006AVOID—1,034183View→
2007AVOID—77039View→
2008AVOID—174116View→
2009GOOD—260—View→
2010GOOD—589—View→
2011GOOD—270—View→
2012GOOD—160—View→
2013GOOD—72—View→
2014GOOD—140—View→
2015GOOD—150—View→

See also: Nissan Xterraaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

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Nissan Xterra Years to Avoid (2000–2015) — Reliability, Problems & Best Years to Buy | VinItel