2005 Nissan Xterra: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 845 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (35% of complaints); the 2003 and 2004 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Oct 2010
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 845 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. No information on parts availability was provided. The contact stated that the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2023
“The plastic on my sun visor broke and with the use of it the wires inside the mirror light become exposed and almost caused a fire”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Jan 2023
“The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated she was able to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle stalled after driving 50 feet. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was also informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000.”Owner report · Power Train · Dec 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“Airbag light stays on then about a month ago it started stalling and didn't want to take off almost got me killed. And now the o2 sensors blink is on and shift solenoid what's next I love my nissan but it's almost gotten me killed 4 times.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2021
“According to your recalls and my VIN# my new used vehicle has not been maintenance for the recall. There is distinct play in the steering and the vehicle is bouncy. I need to know where to take my xterra to have it fixed asap if possible. Recall campaign numbers are 10e019000 & 10v208000”Owner report · Steering · Jun 2019
“My daughter had just purchased a 2005 nissan xterra, the day before her accident. She was traveling on a roadway approaching a curve in the road when the front right tire locked up causing the vehicle to pull slightly right and fail to respond to counter steer. The vehicle left the roadway and went into the grass began to spin sideways and struck a hydrant and flip 2.5 times resting on its roof. I saw where there was several recalls, but when I enter the VIN its had no open recalls on the specific VIN. Although, this same exact problem has occurred in the same models.”Owner report · Steering · Feb 2019
“In 2019 got an incident with my nissan xterra's transmission. Something failed in the transmission that when I was driving it all of the sudden started to slowdown so I park and it got towed and took it to the mechanic. They charged me 2000 to fix it. And since then the engine light comes on. So after months I took it to a mechanic again and the guy said the radiation is sending water into the transmission that's why the transmission was failing”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jan 2019
“My vehicle lost all power. First started to shake and rattle, then all power was lost. Upon further investigation, my engine coolant looked like a milk shake. Call nissan, and they said it happens quite often that they have a name for it, "the milk shake". Appearently the inner tube, that cools the trans, broke causing fluids to mix, resulting in failure of transmission.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2018
“Radiator cracks allowed transmission fluid and engine coolant to mix as a direct cause for transmission destruction! Car will no longer move and no warning signs or recalls. This is a known problem by nissan for years and no recall? Who got paid at here to allow nissan to get away with that for so many model vehicles for years! Car stalled and died while in motion almost causing a major accident with my 2 kids aboard!”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2018
“The silver paint for this model year appears to be faulty. The paint clear coat bubbles and peels off. When I've called auto body shops about getting it repainted they are all well aware of the issue as it is common among silver 2005 nissan xterras. I've had them guess and tell me what year and color my car is because they are so familiar with the problem. I don't have an exact date, but it started to peel off in about 2018.”Owner report · Structure · Jun 2018
When filing, owners marked a crash in 7 of these complaints and injuries in 8 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
CERTAIN VALLEY INDUSTRIES HITCH-CLASS III RECEIVER TRAILER HITCHES P/N 82850 MANUFACTURED BETWEEN MARCH AND SEPTEMBER 2005 SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR 2005 NISSAN XTERRA PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INSUFFICIENT WELD STRENGTH, UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE HITCHES MAY BREAK WHILE IN USE.
Remedy: VALLEY INDUSTRIES WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE TRAILER HITCHES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 3, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VALLEY INDUSTRIES AT 209-368-8881.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 ARMADA, TITAN, INFINITI QX56 AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER AND XTERRA VEHICLES. THE INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (IPDM) ASSEMBLY CONTAINS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) RELAY THAT HAS A DIODE FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT NOISE REDUCTION. THE ECM RELAY MAY ALLOW SILICON VAPOR TO FORM AND, OVER TIME, THE SILICON EVAPORATES FROM THE DIODE MOLDING WHICH CAUSES SILICON OXIDE TO DEVELOP ON THE ECM RELAY CONTACT DUE TO ARCING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ECM RELAY INSIDE THE IPDM ASSEMBLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A NISSAN ACCESSORY TOW HITCH, INADEQUATE QUALITY OF SOME WELDED JOINTS IN THE HITCH ASSEMBLY MAY RESULT IN SEPARATION OF THE HITCH FROM THE VEHICLE WHEN BEING USED TO TOW.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TOW HITCHES. ON OCTOBER 17, 2005, OWNERS WERE SENT AN INTERIM LETTER ADVISING THEM NOT TO USE THE TOW HITCH UNTIL IT CAN BE REPAIRED. ANOTHER LETTER WAS SENT OUT ON NOVEMBER 21, 2005, NOTIFYING THEM TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES IN FOR REPAIR. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN FRONT AND REAR LOWER LINKS, P/NOS. 54501ZQ00A, 54500ZQ00A, 551A1ZQ00A, 551A0ZQ00A , 54501EA00A, 54500EA00A, 551A1EA500, 551A0EA500, 54501ZR00A, AND 54500ZR00A, SOLD BETWEEN NOVEMBER 25, 2009 AND MAY 14, 2010 AS REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR MODEL YEAR 2004 THROUGH 2010 TITAN, ARMADA, AND QX56, AND MODEL YEARS 2005 THROUGH 2010 FRONTIER, XTERRA, AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE LOWER CONTROL LINK ASSEMBLY HAS TWO CYLINDRICAL COLLARS FORMING THE INBOARD ATTACHMENT POINTS TO THE CHASSIS. DUE TO AN IMPROPER WELDING PROCESS SOME COLLARS MAY CONTAIN WELDS THAT DO NOT MEET STRENGTH SPECIFICATIONS.
Remedy: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY AFFECTED LOWER LINK FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
CERTAIN HOPKINS AFTERMARKET TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL CONNECTION HARNESSES SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN MODELS OF NISSAN VEHICLES WHICH ARE LISTED ABOVE. THE INTERNAL PART NUMBERS WITHIN HOPKINS ARE: 1010476025, 1040376025, 1110476025, 1170376025, 1290376025, 1010476035, 1040376035, 1110476035, 1170376035, AND 1290376035. A WIRE MAY HAVE BEEN PLACED IN AN INCORRECT POSITION IN THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HOUSING. THIS RESULTS IN AN INCORRECT ROUTING OF WIRES BETWEEN THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER AND THE TOWING VEHICLE WIRING SYSTEM.
Remedy: HOPKINS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE ORIGINAL HARNESS WITH A REVISED HARNESS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 17, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT HOPKINS AT 800-835-0129.
NISSAN IS RECALLING 242,720 MY 2005-2009 PATHFINDER, FRONTIER AND XTERRA VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN THOSE AREAS OF THE COUNTRY WHICH USE HEAVY CONCENTRATIONS OF ROAD SALT IN THE WINTER, A MIXTURE OF SNOW/WATER AND SALT CAN ENTER INTO THE FRONT CRASH ZONE SENSOR (CZS) HOUSING. IF THIS OCCURS, THE CZS MAY INTERNALLY RUST RESULTING IN A SIGNAL INTERRUPTION. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE RED AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE TO ALERT THE VEHICLE OPERATOR.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT CZS WITH A REDESIGNED SENSOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 26, 2009. OWNERS IN THE OTHER STATES WILL RECEIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE SENSOR TO 10 YEARS. THESE OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION BY MAIL AND WILL RECEIVE A STICKER TO PLACE IN THEIR WARRANTY BOOKLET EXPLAINING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE. OWNERS MAY 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 2005 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 2005 Nissan Xterra reliable?
NHTSA has 845 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2005 Nissan Xterra. The most complained-about area is power train (35% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2005 Nissan Xterra problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 89,000 miles or less.
Does the 2005 Nissan Xterra have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning trailer hitches. 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.