2002 Nissan Xterra: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 157 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine and engine cooling (13% of complaints); the 2003 and 2004 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Nov 2010
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 157 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked with the rear passenger's seat occupied, the rear passenger's seat belt thread unraveled, and the buckle detached and remained latched. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 164,000.”Owner report · Seat Belts · Dec 2024
“My 2002 nissan xterra's airbags failed to deploy in a collision with a telephone pole at apx. 45 mph. The accident was on a badly maintained city street, the steering has been problematic even though I had an alignment done apx. 6 mo.s ago.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2021
“Vehicle stalls at 100mph also ABS light keeps coming on and off randomly brakes aren't bad but it's like they're going out. The brake pedal wobbles when stopping hard or on wet roads also when acceleratating and driving the rpm gauge will jimp up for a second and make the engine sound louder while it does it and also steering wheel feels loose somewhat when driving on rough roads and bumps cruise control lights up but doesn't work happens every day”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Aug 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“I had my brake boosters replaced on 05/22/2019.I was backing up slowly on 07/24/2020 in a parking lot of a convenience store. As I was backing up, I tried to apply the brakes and they became stiff. I tried to pump harder on the brakes and they would not stop the vehicle in which it was to late and my car collided into a utility pole.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jul 2020
“Tl* the contact owned a 2002 nissan xterra. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph, the vehicle steered out of control and the vehicle overturned five times. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a laceration to the elbow and body pains while her passenger sustained several lacerations and bruises from the seat belt and air bags. Medical attention was sought. The vehicle was towed to the lot of the tow truck company. The contact mentioned that the drive shaft fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were contacted. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was unknown. *dt*jb”Owner report · Steering · May 2019
“I have had a recall on my vehicle since 2010 and I have never n=been notified of the steering issue. This is the 2nd recall I have had with no alarm from nissan”Owner report · Steering · Feb 2018
“Twice while driving vehicle, the engine cut off without warning. I was able to restart vehicle by putting it in neutral both time. Happened fairly close to each other when it stalled. Lost all control.”Owner report · Engine · Feb 2018
“Unable to control speed and battery keeps dying even though battery and alternator test good. When driving at low speed I cannot accelerate gradually, the car revs really hard and pulls hard when trying to increase speed. Once I drive for about 20 minutes and pickup speed the brakes are loose and hard to come to a stop, and the pedal does not respond when accelerating or reducing speed. I recently was going home on the freeway at about 45 mph trying to reduce speed to prepare to exit, and my car just shut off, all dash lard light came on and I had to coast and then get a push from someone to get into the exit lane and coast to the gas station.”Owner report · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · Mar 2017
“Upon slowing down for a red traffic light brake pedal got hard not allowing vehicle to stop and vehicle also starting rapidly accelerating without pressing the gas pedal.resulted in a crash with a stopped vehicle at the traffic light.no serious injuries thankfully.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jun 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan xterra. While driving 30 mph, another driver crashed into the passenger side of the contact's vehicle. The front driver's air bag failed to deploy. The driver suffered injuries to the head that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2016
When filing, owners marked a crash in 21 of these complaints and injuries in 28 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2004 FRONTIER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 9, 2001 THROUGH OCTOBER 20, 2004, AND MODEL YEAR 2002-2004, XTERRA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 9, 2001, THROUGH JANUARY 6, 2005. OVER TIME CORROSION MAY FORM IN THE LOWER STEERING COLUMN JOINT AND LIMIT MOVEMENT OF THE JOINT. THE LIMITED MOVEMENT OF THIS JOINT MAY CREATE EXCESSIVE LOAD ON THE LOWER STEERING COLUMN SHAFT. IF THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO BE DRIVEN IN THIS CONDITION, IT MAY LEAD TO CRACKING OF THE SHAFT DURING LOW SPEED MANEUVERS THAT REQUIRE LARGE STEERING INPUTS.
Remedy: THE STEERING COLUMN SHAFT AND JOINT WILL BE REPLACED WITH A SHAFT OF A DIFFERENT DESIGN. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 13, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A SUPERCHARGER, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, SUCH AS FULL THROTTLE IN LOW GEAR WHEN THE ENGINE IS NOT FULLY WARMED UP AND AT COLD AMBIENT TEMPERATURE, THE AMOUNT OF INTAKE AIR FLOW THROUGH THE AIR FLOW METER MAY EXCEED THE MAXIMUM PRESET DIAGNOSIS LIMIT VALUE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JANUARY 15, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, WATER MAY ENTER THE REAR AXLE HOUSING DUE TO INADEQUATE SEALING OF THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS) SENSOR.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR AXLE FOR WATER INTRUSION AND ANY AFFECTED COMPONENTS WILL BE REPLACED. THE ABS SENSOR WILL BE RESEALED TO PREVENT WATER INTRUSION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 10, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH SIX CYLINDER ENGINES AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH FOUR OR SIX CYLINDER ENGINES, THE FUEL PUMP TERMINAL ON THE FUEL-SENDING UNIT CAN DEVELOP A CRACK IN THE PLASTIC MOLDING. THIS CAN CAUSE THE TERMINAL STRIP TO CORRODE UNDER SOME ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS.
Remedy: IN THE FOLLOWING STATES, DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL-SENDING UNIT. THESE STATES ARE CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, TENNESSEE, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN THE OTHER STATES, THE DEALER WILL INSPECT THE FUEL PUMP TERMINAL ON THE SENDING UNIT FOR CORROSION. IF CORROSION IS PRESENT, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE UNIT. IF THERE IS NOT CORROSION, THE DEALER WILL APPLY SEALANT TO THE TERMINAL HOUSING TO HELP PREVENT CORROSION IN THE FUTURE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 28, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Remedy: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR THE DRIVER AIR BAG MAY COME LOOSE. IF THE CONNECTOR COMES LOOSE, THE SUPPLEMENTAL AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT FLASHES INTERMITTENTLY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RETAINING CLIP ON THE CLOCK SPRING ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 21, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2002 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Xterra by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2002 Nissan Xterra reliable?
NHTSA has 157 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2002 Nissan Xterra. The most complained-about area is engine and engine cooling (13% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2002 Nissan Xterra problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 80,900 miles or less.
Does the 2002 Nissan Xterra have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning steering:column. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.