2000 Nissan Xterra

X-TERRA STOPPED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE 4 TIMES IN TWO DAYS. FINALLY HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO NISSAN DEALER AFTER 5TH TIME IT STOPPED, THIS TIME IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. MECHANIC COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG EVEN ON COMPUTER, THEN ON SECOND DAY DECIDED IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP, AND REPLACED IT, AND THEN DETERMINED THAT IT WAS NOT THE FUEL PUMP, BUT A WIRING PROBLEM THAT BURNT OUT THE FUEL SENDING UNIT. COST WAS OVER $700.00, PLUS TOW BILL, AND RENTAL CAR. ALSO MANIFOLD IS CRACKED, AND WAS BEFORE WARANTY EXPIRED, BUT DEALER WHERE IT WAS BOUGHT SAID THAT THE WARANTY DID NOT COVER IT AND ADVISED US TO HAVE A LOCAL MECAHNIC TO FIX IT BECAUSE IT WOULD BE CHEAPER. HAVE NOW LEARNED THAT BOTH FUELD SNEDING UNIT, AND MANIFOLD ARE A PROBLEM ON MANY XTERRAS. *AK

I AM SURPRISED TO SEE ONLY A FEW COMPLAINTS ON THIS SIGHT, THERE'S PROBABLY THOUSANDS THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO. I WAS DRIVING HOME ONE NIGHT AND THE TRUCK STALLED OUT, LUCKILY THERE WAS A PLACE TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER I GOT TOWED AND SPOKE TO NISSAN THEY WERE READY WITH THE ANSWER - IT'S THE FUEL SENDING UNIT! A BUILD UP OF CORROSION IN THE WIRE OF THE SENDING HAD SHORTED OUT THE SIGNAL TO SUPPLY GAS. NICE JOB NISSAN! PIECE OF CRAP! RECALL!!!!!!!!!!!

FUEL SENDING UNIT SHORT/***EXCESSIVE HEAT PRODUCED*** PROBLEM STARTED W/MY WIFE, WHICH DRIVES THE 200 NISSAN XTERRA EXCLUSIVELY. IT STALLED ON HER WHILE DRIVING. WOULD RESTART OFTEN THROUGHOUT THE TRIP SHE WAS ON. THE NEXT DAY I DROVE IT TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND DECIDED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT W/GERMAIN NISSAN OF COLUMBUS, OHIO. WHILE ON MY WAY THERE IT STALLED FOR GOOD. LEFT ME HIGH AND DRY. I DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A MALFUNCTIONING FUEL PUMP. I REPLACED THE PUMP, FUEL FILTER AND FUEL PUMP RELAY AT THE SAME TIME IN A LOCAL SCHOOL PARKING LOT. NO SUCCESS. STILL NOT STARTING. I THEN HAD MY WIFE TRY TO START THE VEHICLE WHILE I LISTENED FOR THE SOUND OF THE FUEL PUMP RUNNING. I HEARD THE PUMP OPERATE SPORADICALLY. I THEN NOTICED, TO MY SHOCKING SURPRISE, THAT THE FUEL PUMP POWER CONNECTION ON THE FUEL SENDING UNIT WAS GLOWING FROM THE EXCESSIVE HEAT CREATED BY A CORRODED CRACK IN THE INLET CONNECTION SIDE OF THE PUMP POWER SOURCE. I IMMEDIATELY DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS AS I FELT THIS WOULD BE A DEFINITE SAFETY RECALL. TO MY SURPRISE IT IS NOT. I ASKED THIS AFTER ALLOWING THE SERVICE MAN TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM OF HIS OWN. I WAS TOLD OF THE SAME GLOWING AFFECT SEEN FROM HEAT CREATED AT THE ELECTRICAL SHORT. I INQUIRED IF THIS WAS SEEN BEFORE AND THE TECH SAID IT IS COMMON. HE ALSO WRAPPED THE PART FOR ME TO KEEP AS "I MAY NEED THIS FOR FUTURE RECALL REIMBURSEMENT". I WONDER HOW LONG IT MAY BE BEFORE SOMEONE'S' CHILD IS BURNED IN A CAR FIRE AS THIS MALFUNCTIONING AND DANGEROUS COMPONENT IS LOCATED LESS THAN 4 INCHES DIRECTLY BELOW THE REAR PASSENGER SEAT! I AM OUT OVER$400 PLUS TOWING FOR WHAT I HAVE DISCOVERED TO BE A COMMON DEFECT RESULTING IN THE MOST SEVERE OF SAFETY ISSUES. I JUST HOPE I CAN SELL THIS TRUCK BEFORE THE NEW PART. WHICH I AM SURE IS OF THE DEFECTIVE DESIGN, FAILS. *NLM

WIRING ON FUEL SENDING UNIT CORRODES, FUEL PUMP TURNS OFF, ENGINE SHUTS OFF -- NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE NOR HOW FAST YOU'RE DRIVING! OBVIOUSLY, A UNIT THAT CORRODES SO EASILY ON NEWISH VEHICLES IS A DEFECT IN MANUFACTURING. IT'S A NO BRAINER THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE TOO. I LIKE THE IDEA OF YOUR WEBSITE: "PEOPLE SAVING PEOPLE". I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WITH ALL THE COMPLAINTS ON THIS PROBLEM, WITH THE BACKORDER ON REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR IT, ALL THE TALK ABOUT IT, THAT THERE HASN'T BEEN A DEFECT INVESTIGATION ON IT. I LOOKED IN YOUR DATABASE AND IT SHOWS ZERO DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS ON ANY NISSAN MADE IN 2000 -- DOESN'T MATTER WHAT MAKE OR MODEL, NISSAN IS RUBBER-STAMPED FOR APPROVAL??? I OWN A 2000 XTERRA. THIS PROBLEM HASN'T HAPPENED TO MINE YET, BUT I'M SURE IT WILL SINCE I'M APPROACHING 47K MILES. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM AS A PASSENGER IN ANOTHER VEHICLE. AND I SWEAR, IT IS SCARY! SINCE NISSAN WON'T INITIATE A RECALL, AND YOU SAY ON THE WEBSITE YOU DON'T NEED A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE, DON'T YOU THINK THIS IS ONE THAT SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO??? THANKS. *NLM

APRIL 11TH MY 2000 XTERRA STALLED WHILE DRIVING. I RESTARTED IT AND 5 MINUTES LATER IT STALLED AGAIN. THE THIRD TIME IT DIED AND WOULDN'T START AGAIN. I HAD IT TOWED TO MY HOUSE AND SINCE IT WAS RAINING I FIGURED I WOULD TRY IT AGAIN IN THE MORNING (HOPEFULLY WHATEVER WAS WET WOULD DRY OUT AND IT WOULD BE FINE). THE NEXT MORNING IT DID START AND I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE HIGHWAY WHERE IT DIED AGAIN (MIDDLE LANE OF A 5 FOUR LANE HIGHWAY!). THIS TIME I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER. I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED TO HEAR THE MECHANIC TELL ME WHAT WAS WRONG BEFORE HE EVEN LOOKED AT IT (HE HAD A FUEL SENDER UNIT SITTING ON HIS WORKSTATION THAT HE HAD JUST PULLED OUT OF ANOTHER X WITH THE SAME PROBLEM). APPARENTLY WHEN THE X-TERRA HITS 50K TO 70K MILES THE FUEL SENDER UNITS GO BAD AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONNECTION FOR THE FUEL PUMP CORRODES (GREEN OXIDE) AND ALSO CRACKS CREATING AN OPEN. THE GUY WORKING IN THE PARTS DEPARTMENT SAID I WAS LUCKY BECAUSE THEY HAD JUST HAD A RUN ON FUEL SENDERS BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM AND WERE OUT FOR A WHILE BUT THEY HAD JUST GOT A NEW SHIPMENT IN. I STARTED TO FEEL LIKE THIS WAS A KNOWN MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT NISSAN IS NOT LETTING ON TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. THE CLINCHER WAS, WHILE I WAS WAITING ANOTHER FLAT BED TOW TRUCK PULLED UP WITH ANOTHER X-TERRA...THAT'S RIGHT, BAD FUEL SENDER!! I PAID $211.00 FOR THE FUEL SENDER PLUS $65 FOR TOWING. I CHECKED IF OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM ON AN X-TERRA FORUM WEB SITE AND IT APPEARS TO BE ALL TOO COMMON. HAVING YOUR MOTOR CUT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY IS A VERY DANGEROUS THING! *NLM