Some of the worst issues 1st generation Xterra owners have to deal with.
Timing Chain Defects
Nissan says their timing chains are just noisy, but not defective. Try telling that to the owners who have seen loose timing chains rattled their engines apart, resulting in thousands of dollars in damages.
Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.
Overall reliability rank out of 54 eligible generations.
Recent 1st Generation (2000–2004) Xterra News
There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.
Nissan is recalling about 501,000 trucks in the United States because corrosion in the lower steering column joint and shaft can cause a sudden steering failure.
The lower steering column joint on the affected Frontier and Xterra vehicles can develop corrosion that limits the movement of the joint, although they're saying that's rare.
If the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition it may, in an extreme case, lead to cracking of the steering shaft.
The affected vehicles include any of the following manufactured between August 2003 and June 2006:
2002–2004 Nissan Frontier vehicles manufactured from July 9, 2001 to October 20, 2004 in Smyrna, Tenn., for the North American markets
2002–2004 Nissan Xterras manufactured from July 9, 2001 to January 6, 2005 in Smyrna, Tenn., for the North American markets
Additionally:
Nissan Frontier vehicles manufactured from November 30, 2001 to June 26, 2008 in Curitiba, Brazil for South and Central American markets
Nissan Xterra vehicles manufactured from February 17, 2003 to June 13, 2008 in Curitiba, Brazil for South and Central American markets
Nissan Sentra vehicles manufactured from May 15, 2010 to July 8, 2010 in Aguascalientes, Mexico for global markets
Nissan plans to begin owner notification in early December once replacement parts are available. Owners will be asked to bring their vehicles to the dealer to have the new parts installed free of charge.
