Nissan Xterra

[CJohnson]

My wife has had an 08 pathfinder since 2010. We are pushing 200k miles on it and the only major issue we’ve ever had is the ecu failed at 80-90k miles and it cost about $1000 to get it replaced at the dealership. I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s probably the most reliable vehicle we’ve ever owned and it’s the main reason we hang onto it despite having newer vehicles now. I drive it out west every fall to hunt because it fits my stuff, has decent off road capabilities with a stock setup, and it cranks every time you turn the key.

Not sure what the common parts are between them and xterras are though.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Don’t walk away from the Xterra, run away from it!!!

Only half joking but….

We have a 2011, it won’t defrost or blow hot air unless your foot is on the gas. I replaced the radiator, water pump, heater core, thermostat…no improvement.

The alternator just went out, the whole car turned off while my wife was driving and she went into a ditch, I guess that could happen in any car, thank god she wasn’t hurt and neither was the Xterra….that being said the new alternator was 500.00 dollars.

I really hate that thing but I’m also not interested in dropping 30-50k on a new vehicle, even though we could afford it, I just can’t bring myself to spend big money on vehicles.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Had an 09 Xterra and, over the course of 4 or 5 years, lost 2 ECM modules in it to the tune of $1400 or so each.

It was a tertiary vehicle and wasn't run as much as maybe it should have been, but I won't buy another Nissan because of it.

 

[Carlin59]

I’ve had an ‘05 SE since ‘11, about to turn 200k. Over all reliability has been great, with the glaring exception of the SMOD cooking the trans. Bit the bullet and had the trans rebuilt and radiator replaced at 130k. Definitely sucked, but I feel good that those two components are newer/less likely to break down at this point. It has been great off road in stock form and 33s. I unbolted the back seat years ago, has tons of space as a dedicated 2-seater. One thing I like is the cargo area is a lot taller than most SUVs. I’ve hauled some pretty big/bulky loads in it over the years (3 cubic yards of mulch is its max ). It’s been a third vehicle/dedicated hunting rig/hauler for about 5 years now, hoping to get another 5 out of in they capacity.

 

[Ferrulewax]

Had a 2002 that was fantastic, but thats a completely different model. Bought it in high-school with 170k and drove it to 250k before I totaled it.

 

[stv117]

my 2012 xterra with 105k miles runs great and doesn't overheat.
My transmission and engine oil look clean as they can get. it's a 2012 so no need to bypass the transmission coolant but i did and installed a cooler for my transmission.
I have not had any issue with it and it drives fine.

 

[Lee_R]

I've got a 2013 Pro X4 I bought 2 yrs ago with 58,000 on it. 2 years in driving as a daily driver and hunting rig in MT with no issues. I've driven several 4Runners and had hopes of getting one prior but am glad I didn't. I find the xterra has more pep and it seemed the 4 Runners had more roll when turning. As others have said, it's very capable off road.

 

[LostArra]

In 2010 I went from Xterra to 4Runner Trail (it's called something different now). I still own the 4Runner and it's amazing how many offers I've had for it. College kids at a gas station and of course anyone at a dealer.

The Xterra was not terrible at anything but not great at anything. It's profile is tall and took a beating in the wind. I did not like the suspension. I bottomed out on an east Texas ranch road going extremely slow which may have caused a leak. Leak was fixed and I sold it, got the 4Runner new. Still going strong except the headlight lenses are terribly fogged and the horn quit working which is probably a good thing because the Toyota horn sounds like my granddaughters pedal car.

 

[deerhunt1988]

I bought a 2011 Pro4x in 2020 with 65k miles. Its now sitting at 115k miles. Absolutely love it. It is pretty capable for reasonable off-roading with a decent set of tires. I missed the SMOD issues by one year. I also have the mid-row seats taken out and have slept in that thing probably 100 nights on hunting trips. Gets 19mpg on highway with 33" tires.

As for as maintenance/issues:
A camshaft sensor went out at 86k miles, so I went ahead and had them both replaced. Just $200.

Then at 101k miles the air bag light came on and it ended up being the spiral cable/switch assembly in the steering wheel. No one could give me an answer if it'd affect anything or not so I just went ahead and paid dealer to replace it (nearly $900- if i had a local mechanic do it, woulda been way cheaper).

Just this week I replaced driver side window regulator. Bought the part for $37 off Amazon.

The cam shaft sensor is a common issue thats easily resolved and the spiral cable seems to go out on a lot too. Theres two good Xterra forums that really helpful. For a 13 year old vehicle, I expect a few small things such as these. Thing still drives GREAT and I plan on keeping it til it can go no more.

 

[woods89]

Thanks for the comments, gentlemen!

I had a chance to drive it last night. It does have a coolant leak that they are going to take a look at, so my decision is on hold until they get that checked out. At this point I think they'd have to come down in price a fair but before I'm going to pull the trigger.

If I dont buy it, I'm definitely going to keep Xterras open as an option, though.

 

[deerhunt1988]

We have a 2011, it won’t defrost or blow hot air unless your foot is on the gas. I replaced the radiator, water pump, heater core, thermostat…no improvement.

So I had a similar problem when I first got mine.. It wouldn't blow warm while idling and had to be driven around some to start blowing warm. Got on Xterra forums and saw it was a common issue. It was just slightly low on coolant (barely noticeable), I added a little and it fixed it. I had to top it off a couple years ago again once I noticed the heater/defrost not wanting to work until it warmed up after I drove it around.

Buddy had a ~2015-2016 frontier and we were on a hunting trip and his wouldn't blow warm at idle. We stopped and bought some coolant and sure enough, just adding a few ounces had it back to working normal.

Sounds like you have bigger issues, but wanted to post this in case anyone else in thread ran into the problem.

 

[ELKhunter60]

Full disclosure - I am en engineer at Nissan (employee number 110634) and worked at the Nissan Canton Mississippi plant from 2013-2021 - watched the last Xterra roll off the line. Xterra after 2006 was and is a very solid vehicle. There were a couple of design issues during the first years that Nissan eventually fixed. The Xterra and Frontier are basically the same powertrain. The engine and the transmission have an excellent track record - excellent. I currently drive a 2007 with 175000 miles. Drove it to Newfoundland for my moose hunt last fall with no issues. It was a 24 hour ride each way. I will say it rides like a truck, has more road noise than I'd like, and the gas mileage isn't great - but other than that - I change the oil every 5000 miles, replace the tires every 35000 - and just drive it. Oh yea - I did replace the original exhaust a couple of months ago too.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

So I had a similar problem when I first got mine.. It wouldn't blow warm while idling and had to be driven around some to start blowing warm. Got on Xterra forums and saw it was a common issue. It was just slightly low on coolant (barely noticeable), I added a little and it fixed it. I had to top it off a couple years ago again once I noticed the heater/defrost not wanting to work until it warmed up after I drove it around.

Buddy had a ~2015-2016 frontier and we were on a hunting trip and his wouldn't blow warm at idle. We stopped and bought some coolant and sure enough, just adding a few ounces had it back to working normal.

Sounds like you have bigger issues, but wanted to post this in case anyone else in thread ran into the problem.

The coolant was the first thing I checked and it didn’t fix the issue. I think there’s probably a leak somewhere in the system that creates an air bubble. I tried to burp it with some device my buddy had and that didn’t seem to work either.

Also, on those Xterras, you better hope you never have to swap a water pump out. That was a massive job that took me an entire weekend.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Full disclosure - I am en engineer at Nissan (employee number 110634) and worked at the Nissan Canton Mississippi plant from 2013-2021 - watched the last Xterra roll off the line. Xterra after 2006 was and is a very solid vehicle. There were a couple of design issues during the first years that Nissan eventually fixed. The Xterra and Frontier are basically the same powertrain. The engine and the transmission have an excellent track record - excellent. I currently drive a 2007 with 175000 miles. Drove it to Newfoundland for my moose hunt last fall with no issues. It was a 24 hour ride each way. I will say it rides like a truck, has more road noise than I'd like, and the gas mileage isn't great - but other than that - I change the oil every 5000 miles, replace the tires every 35000 - and just drive it. Oh yea - I did replace the original exhaust a couple of months ago too.

Any idea about my hearing issues with my 2011 Xterra? It won’t defrost in the winter, only circulates warm air when it’s being driven. A few years ago it got so bad that when you were driving it, as soon as you took your foot off the gas cold air would start blowing in.

I replaced the thermostat, heater core, and water pump (and the radiator too after blowing it up from a crappy aftermarket thermostat). Now it works better but still won’t defrost on its own.

 

[Dirtbag]

XTerras are always driven by chicks.

 

[EJFS]

Yeah, as everyone is saying, Xterra's are great. You won't be quite as cool as the yota crowd though. I owned several 4runners (1st gen) and was in the market for a gen 3 or 4 a few years ago. Could just get so much more for the price with a Nissan. Did have the camshaft sensor issue, which is pretty scary until you figure out what it is. Easy to replace, now I carry one with me at all times. Other than that it's been great for the 30k I've driven it.

 

[Rich M]

My dad has an Xterra - good rig. Plenty of room, sits high, good power. Nissan makes a decent vehicle too.

Downside is that they don't make them anymore.

 

[cornstalker]

My 2006 is coming up on 300k. Still the original engine, six-speed manual, T/Case and diffs.
I have always been a Toyota guy, but this has been a great vehicle. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another if the deal was right.

 

[cornstalker]

Of course, there has been plenty of maintenance and repair. Two clutch replacements. Two rounds of catalytic converters. Cam and crank sensors, coils, updated timing cover, O2 sensors.

 

[Yoder]

The Pathfinder is exactly the same vehicle up to 2012 and they are cheaper. 2013 they turned to garbage.