Power Train. Review the 412 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 242 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 167 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

7 crash reports6 fire reports6 injury reports

Fuel System, Gasoline complaints

242 reports

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78,772 miles · Dec 8, 2009

Fuel System, Gasoline

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NISSAN'S X-TERRA OFF-ROAD EDITION MODEL IS EXPERIENCING FUEL GAUGE FAILURES AT OR AFTER 45,000 MILES. I HAVE OWNED TWO IDENTICAL VEHICLES, SOLD ONE, HAVE ONE REMAINING THAT MY MOTHER DRIVES. BOTH SUV'S HAVE EXPERIENCED IDENTICAL FUEL GAUGE FAILURES. AN INTERNET SEARCH REVEALS THAT I AM FAR FROM BEING ALONE IN EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUES AS THE PATHFINDER MODEL IS ALSO SEEING THE SAME FAILURES INDICATING THERE'S A DEEPER PROBLEM HERE. THE FAILURES ARE STARTING TO OCCUR AS EARLY AS 45,000 MILES WHICH IS SLIGHTLY OUTSIDE THE STANDARD 36,000 MILE WARRANTY PERIOD. THIS IN TURN ENDS UP PUTTING THE COST FOR REPAIRING THIS DEFECT BACK ON THE CUSTOMER TO THE TUNE OF $500 TO $700. MUCH OF THIS COST IS DUE TO THE LABOR CHARGE INCURRED IN PULLING OFF THE FUEL TANK TO ACCESS THE SENDING UNIT. IT IS UNREASONABLE TO EXPECT A FUEL SENDER GAUGE FAILURE AT 45,000 MILES AS THERE ARE MILLIONS OF VEHICLES ON THE ROAD THAT DO NOT EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM AT ALL DURING THEIR OPERATIONAL LIFETIMES. IT IS MY SINCERE HOPE THAT THE NHTSA WILL INVESTIGATE AND FORCE NISSAN TO REPLACE THIS DEFECTIVE FUEL SENDING GAUGE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10294981

47,770 miles · Dec 2, 2009

Fuel System, Gasoline

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I FILLED MY GAS TANK WHEN IT WAS AT 1/2 FULL FOR A TRIP OUT OF TOWN. I GOT ABOUT 1 MILE FROM THE GAS STATION AND MY SES LIGHT CAME ON AND I NOTICED MY FUEL GAUGE STILL READ 1/2. I PULLED OVER BECAUSE I THOUGHT I WOULD CHECK MY GAS CAP TO SEE IF THAT WAS WHAT MADE THE LIGHT COME ON. IT TOOK APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES FOR THE GAS GAUGE TO FINALLY REACH FULL WITH MY LIGHT STILL ON. THE LIGHT REMAINED ON UNTIL MY GAS WENT BACK DOWN TO 1/2 TANK. I FILLED MY TANK AGAIN TONIGHT (12-1-09) BECAUSE IT WAS AT 1/4 OF A TANK LEFT. AGAIN, MY GAUGE STILL READ THE SAME AS BEFORE I FILLED THE TANK AND I AM ASSUMING THE LIGHT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN I DRIVE IT AGAIN. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND IT IS A RECURRING PROBLEM THAT IS LEFT FOR THE VEHICLE OWNER TO PAY FOR EVEN THOUGH IT IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURE PROBLEM. MANY OWNERS, INCLUDING MYSELF, WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER NISSAN VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10294217

68,800 miles · Nov 17, 2009

Fuel System, Gasoline

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I HAVE A 2005 NISSAN XTERRA. APPROX. 2 WEEKS AGO I WENT TO FILL UP THE TANK AND THE GAS GAUGE DID NOT MOVE, AND THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD NOT HAD ANY INDICATION OF A PROBLEM UP UNTIL THAT DAY. I WENT TO THE DEALER WHO SAID IS WAS SOME FUEL SENSOR THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED THAT WOULD BE 400.00 TO FIX (WHICH I PRICED I A DIFFERENT REPAIR SHOP AND IT WAS ~ 30 DOLLARS CHEAPER). I DECLINED TO GET IT FIXED RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY. A FEW DAYS LATER, THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT WENT OFF AND THE GAUGE WAS WORKING AGAIN, BUT THEN THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AGAIN AFTER I FILLED MY CAR UP AGAIN. I HOPE THAT THIS PART WILL GET RECALLED SINCE SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THIS PART IN THEIR VEHICLE. MY CAR HAS A LITTLE UNDER 70,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10292614

61,500 miles · Nov 17, 2009

Fuel System, Gasoline

EVERY TIME I FILL UP THE GAS TANK, THE GAUGE DOES NOT SHOW THE ACTUAL NEW LEVEL. IT WILL SHOW THE PRE-FILL UP LEVEL FOR 2 DAYS. AT THE SAME TIME THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT COMES ON. THIS IS A KNOW DESIGN ERROR IN THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR. IT OCCURS EVERY TIME I FILL UP MY GAS TANK. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10292565

52,000 miles · Nov 7, 2009

Fuel System, Gasoline

NISSAN XTERRA 2005 FIRST THE CAR DIES ON THE ROAD AND WOULD NOT START. I TOOK IT INTO A SHOP AND THEY REPLACED THE IPDM, LATTER THAT DAY I PUT FUEL IN THE CAN AND THE FUEL GAGE DID NOT WORK AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10291311

43,126 miles · Oct 29, 2009

Fuel System, Gasoline

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MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA OFF ROAD ADDITION WAS RUNNING FINE, HAD NO MAJOR ISSUES. THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATOR SUDDENLY STARTED JUMPING UP AND DOWN BETWEEN FULL AND EMPTY, THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. I BROUGHT THE TRUCK TO A LOCAL AUTO PARTS STORE AND THEY READ A CODE PO463 WITH THEIR ECU READER. WITH SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THIS TO BE A FUEL SENDING UNIT/FUEL LEVEL ISSUE. THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP STATED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, SOME SORT OF CORROSION ISSUE AND IT WOULD BE AROUND $500-700 TO FIX THE ISSUE. I ENDED UP DOING REPAIRS (REPLACED THE FUEL SENDING UNIT) MYSELF TO SAVE MONEY, BUT I THINK IF THIS IS A "COMMON PROBLEM" PERHAPS A RECALL IS IN ORDER? *TR

NHTSA ODI #10290295

78,400 miles · Oct 27, 2009

Fuel System, Gasoline

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN XTERRA. THE FUEL GAUGE INACCURATELY DISPLAYS THE AMOUNT OF FUEL PRESENT IN THE FUEL TANK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE TECHNICIAN CONCLUDED THAT THE FUEL TANK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. . THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,400…

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NHTSA ODI #10290000

40,000 miles · Oct 26, 2009

Fuel System, Gasoline

2005 NISSAN XTERRA HAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH FUEL SENSOR UNIT. DISTANCE TO EMPTY FUNCTION NO LONGER WORKS AND SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT REMAINS ON DUE TO A FAILURE IN THE FUEL SENSOR UNIT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10289922

50,000 miles · Oct 24, 2009

Fuel System, Gasoline

OWN A 2005 NISSAN XTERRA, AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AROUND 50,000 MILES. I RESEARCHED CODE AND IT IS THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR IS MALFUNCTIONING. CONSEQUENCES ARE I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MY GAS LEVEL IS AT AND THERE IS NO WARRANTY ON MY VEHICLE ANYMORE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10289690

51,485 miles · Oct 20, 2009

Fuel System, Gasoline

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1. (THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE)-I WENT TO THE GAS STATION TO FILL UP BECAUSE MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA WAS LESS THAN 1/4 TANK FULL. I FILLED IT UP ALL THE WAY AND DROVE OFF. I LOOKED AT THE GAS GAUGE AND IT STILL READ UNDER 1/4 TANK. SOON AFTER THE SES (SERVICE ENGINE SOON) LIGHT CAME ON. 2. (THE FAILURE, HOW OFTEN IT OCCURS, ITS CONSEQUENCES)- I LOOKED UP ONLINE WHAT THE POSSIBLE ISSUE COULD BE. IN SEARCHING OVER SEVERAL FORUMS, AND OVER 100 COMPLAINTS, I FOUND THE ISSUE TO BE ERROR CODE: P0463 (FUEL LEVEL SENSOR). IT OCCURS EVERYDAY. THE CONSEQUENCES, I NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL IS IN MY TANK. AS A MATTER OF FACT. I RAN OUT OF GAS SUDDENLY IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH SOMEONE HELPED ME GET FUEL. THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE. 3. (WHAT WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE) I HAVE DONE NOTHING SO FAR, BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A COMMON ISSUE, THAT IT SHOULD BE RECALLED. IT IS ROUGHLY A $600 REPAIR ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED BY NISSAN. I ONLY HAVE 51,513 MILES ON MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10289047

Official recalls

10V517000 · Engine And Engine Cooling

Oct 28, 2010

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE ENGINE STALLING INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

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.

08V690000 · Air Bags:frontal

Dec 29, 2008

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS ISSUE COULD RESULT IN THE NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAGS IN A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.

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.

05V458000 · Trailer Hitches

Oct 5, 2005

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN THE TRAILER SEPARATING FROM THE VEHICLE AND CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

DP12004 · Transmission Failures

Opened Jun 11, 2012 · Closed Oct 22, 2016

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train; Power Train:automatic Transmission; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm); Power Train:automatic Transmission:cooling Unit And Lines; Power Train:automatic Transmission:torque Converter

On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.

Additional source detail variants (5)

Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Power Train:automatic Transmission:cooling Unit And Lines

Power Train:automatic Transmission

Power Train:automatic Transmission:torque Converter

Power Train