2009 Nissan Xterra: problems, recalls and reliability

“Purchased this vehicle for my wife, while she was driving down the freeway in rush-hour in august in phoenix, the vehicle started smoking and lost all power to the transmission, I noticed the transmission cooler had failed and sprayed fluid all over the engine,-this all happened with zero warning and no service indicator lights were activated. I towed the vehicle to my house and inspected further, called the dealership and they said at 120k I no longer qualify for a warranty covered repair even though the service department is very much aware of this problem. I'm now facing a repair by myself or pay a mechanic to fix an obvious design flaw.”Owner report · Power Train · Aug 2016

“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan xterra. While driving at any speed, the vehicle made an abnormal loud noise without warning. The failure recurred continuously. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear differential disengaged and damaged the ring and pinion; overhaul rear differential. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The approximate failure mileage was 41,485.”Owner report · Suspension · Sep 2015

“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan xterra. The contact stated that while driving at 15 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated and the brake lights failed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the stop lamp needed to be replaced. In addition, the ac failed and the blower amp needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2015

“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan xterra. While driving at an unknown speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that a sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was aware of NHTSA campaign number: 08v690000 (air bags); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 95,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2014

“Air bag sensor light starts blinking after engine startup and continues to blink until engine is turned off. Sent email to nissan in dec 2013 regarding this issue and they indicated "a review of our system indicates that the above-referenced vehicle is not currently involved in any recalls or service campaigns." I find it hard to believe this is not a nissan issue when there have been air bag sensor recalls in 2005, 2006, 2007 ,2008 ,2009, and 2010. *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2013

“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan xterra. The contact stated that he started the engine and the air bag light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and the technician stated that the side air bag satellite sensor had corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 78,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2013

“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan xterra. The contact stated that she noticed that the rear hatch and rear bumper were completely corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician verified the failure and stated that the rear bumper and hatch door needed to be pulled off in order to be sanded and re-painted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 45,000 and the current mileage was 51,000. *tr”Owner report · Structure · Dec 2012