2000 Nissan Xterra Engine Problems

FUEL SENDING UNIT RUSTED AND CORRODED GAS GAUGE IN ACCURATE READING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10510230

Incident

Apr 1, 2013

Mileage

152,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 NISSAN XTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT THE DISTRIBUTOR HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 12/5/12 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED A SENSOR ON THE DISTRIBUTOR WAS BAD WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STOP RUNNING. UPDATED 12/10/12

NHTSA ID

10481419

Incident

Oct 20, 2012

DRIVING APPROX. 5 MINUTES WHEN CAR WARNING LIGHTS (CHECK ENGINE) AND ALL DASH WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON IMMEDIATELY THERE AFTER, CAR ENGINE SHUTS OFF. CAR ENGINE WOULD TURN ON WHEN STARTED BUT AS SOON AS YOU ENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION BY MOVING FROM PARK TO DRIVE, AND PRESS THE GAS PEDAL, CAR ENGINE WOULD AGAIN CUT OFF. AT NO OTHER TIME PRIOR TO THIS DID CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON, OIL LIGHT, OR WATER TEMPERATURE GAGE SHOW ANY MALFUNCTION. THE PROFESSIONAL MECHANIC THAT CHECKED MY CAR AND RAN DIAGNOSTIC TESTING CAN'T FIND ANY PROBLEMS. HE SAYS HE HAS DRIVEN THE CAR BUT, CAN'T GUARANTEE THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10445086

Incident

Jan 17, 2012

Mileage

160,000 mi

OUR 2000 XTERRA HAD BEEN FAIRLY RELIABLE UNTIL IT DIED OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. REPLACED THE DISTRIBUTOR 3 MONTHS AGO, AND IT DIED OUT AGAIN WHILE DRIVING, LAST WEEK, AFTER HAVING YET ANOTHER DISTRIBUTOR PUT IN. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT THE NISSAN-ISSUED RE-BUILT DISTRIBUTORS ARE THE PROBLEM. HE'S NOW PUTTING A THIRD ONE IN, BUT HE'S GETTING IT FROM A DIFFERENT SOURCE THAN NISSAN. I WAS STUNNED TO KNOW THAT NISSAN KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT STILL SELLS INFERIOR PARTS. THIS IS NOTHING TO FOOL AROUND WITH AND I'M LUCKY THAT I DIDN'T CAUSE OR GET INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. *KB

NHTSA ID

10429464

Incident

Jun 18, 2011

Mileage

115,000 mi

THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE IDLING. WHILE IDLING CAR BEGINS TO VIBRATE, RPM DROP DOWN AND ULTIMATELY CAR STALLS. LEADING UP TO THIS INCIDENT, WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, WHEN PRESSING ON GAS PEDAL, CAR DOES NOT ENGAGE AND APPEARS TO DIE OUT; FORTUNATELY IT CATCHES AND CONTINUES ON. THOUGHT IT WAS ISOLATED INCIDENT, HOWEVER, THIS LED TO THE IDLING PROBLEM. TOOK VEHICLE TO MECHANIC, AND HE COULD NOT IDENTIFY PROBLEM AS NO ENGINE CODES REGISTERED, AND NO OBVIOUS MALFUNCTION WAS PRESENT. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, AS CAR COULD STALL OUT WHILE MOVING. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE A STALL OCCURS ON THE HIGHWAY AND SOMEONE GETS HURT. A REVIEW OF NISSAN WEBSITES HAS REFLECTED A PERSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THIS SPECIFIC VEHICLE. THE PREVALENCE OF THIS PROBLEM WOULD LOGICALLY LEAD TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED BY NISSAN AND CORRECTED; AGAIN BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT.

NHTSA ID

10423466

Incident

Aug 27, 2011

Mileage

142,000 mi

COOLANT IS LEAKING AT THE HEAD GASKET ON MY SINGLE OWNER 2000 NISSAN XTERRA XE V6 4WD. I HAD THIS CHECKED BY 3 DIFFERENT CERTIFIED TECHNICIANS AND THEY ALL POINTED OUT THE SAME ISSUE. THE CAR HAS ONLY 65K MILES ON IT. THE COST OF REPAIRING THIS IS MORE THAN $1200. SEEMS LIKE LOT OF NISSANS HAS SIMILAR ISSUE, YET NO RECALLS ON THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE OWNED CARS THAT HAD MORE THAN $100K MILES AND NEVER HAD TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET. CURRENTLY, A TEMPORARY SEAL IS PUT IN PLACE, YET, I SEE FEW DROPS OF COOLANT ON THE GARAGE FLOOR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10292633

Incident

Nov 12, 2009

Mileage

65,350 mi

DURING ROUTINE CHECK AT CAR REPAIR SHOP (FOR NISSAN XTERRA), WAS TOLD THAT HEAD GASKET WAS CRACKED. I WAS ALSO NOTIFIED THAT THIS WAS UNUSUAL DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF MILES ON THE CAR, APPROXIMATELY 45,000. CAR SUBSEQUENTLY STARTED TO OVERHEAT, IMMEDIATELY RETURNED CAR TO DEALER, HERB GORDON NISSAN, FOR EXPENSIVE REPLACEMENT OF HEAD GASKET. *TR

NHTSA ID

10195955

Incident

Mar 4, 2007

Mileage

45,612 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ACCELERATING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, A RATTLING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. ALSO, THE CONTACT NOTICED EXHAUST SMELL INSIDE THE CAB. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT AN LOOSE UNDERBODY SHIELD WAS THE CAUSE FOR THE RATTLING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT ALERTED. THE CONTACT NOTICED 14 SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE NETS WEBSITE REGARDING CRACKED RIGHT HAND EXHAUST MANIFOLD, AND EXPRESSED CONCERN BECAUSE INHALING CARBON MONOXIDE POSED A SERIOUS RISK. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE.

NHTSA ID

10171923

Incident

Sep 20, 2006

Mileage

96,650 mi

FIRST AT 80,000 MILES AND THEN AGAIN AT 108,000 I HAVE HAD FAILURES OF MY PASSENGER SIDE EXHAUST MANIFOLD IN A 2000 NISSAN X-TERRA. IT STARTED AS A QUIET TICKING DURING ACCELERATION, AND NOW IT IS A TICKING DURING IDLING. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE POLLUTION & THE POSSIBILITY OF TOXIC GASES IN THE PASSENGER DEPARTMENT. GOING TO HTTP://WWW.XTERRAOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS.HTML I HAVE FOUND THAT IT IS A MORE THAN COMMON PROBLEM WITH ALL NISSAN TRUCKS & SUVS. *NM

NHTSA ID

10167167

Incident

Aug 31, 2006

Mileage

108,000 mi

I OWN (2) 2000 NISSAN XTERRA'S BOTH HAVE CRACKED EXHAUST MANIFOLDS. ONE HAS 82,000 THE OTHER HAS 52,000 MILES. THIS IS NOT A MINOR ISSUE AND HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED IN GREAT DETAIL VIA INTERNET. BOTH VEHICLES ARE OUT OF WARRANTY BUT THIS SURELY SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER SAFETY RELATED ISSUES. *NM

NHTSA ID

10144104

Incident

Nov 30, 2005

Mileage

50,000 mi

EXHAUST MANIFOLD CRACKS AROUND BOLTS, PART WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED ON A 2000 NISSAN XTERRA. *JB

NHTSA ID

10137944

Incident

Jul 1, 2005

Mileage

90,000 mi

DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY VEHICLE LOST POWER. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED O A NISSAN DEALER IT WAS FOUND THAT THE UPPER RIGHT CAM SHAFT HAD BROKEN ALSO DAMAGING HYDRAULIC LIFTERS.

NHTSA ID

10126143

Incident

Jun 13, 2005

Mileage

102,000 mi

I HAVE ABOUT 70,000 MILES ON MY 2000 NISSAN XTERRA. I HAD TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER SIDE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AROUND 40K MILES DUE TO A CRACK. I AM NOW EXPERIENCING A CRACK OF THE DRIVER EXHAUST MANIFOLD. THIS PROBLEM HAS ME CONCERNED BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTS INVOLVED. I THINK THAT THE EXHAUST FUMES MAY ENTER THE PASSENGER AREA OF THE CAR THROUGH THE FIREWALL.

NHTSA ID

10121227

Incident

Nov 20, 2004

Mileage

40,000 mi

I WAS TRANSPORTING A MECHANIC TO A JOB SITE, WHEN THE MECHANIC NOTED A CRACKED EXHAUST MANIFOLD. AFTER TALKING WITH ANOTHER 2000 XTERRA OWNER, HE SITED THE SAME FAULT ON HIS VEHICLE. I DID RESEARCH AND FOUND THE FAULT IS WIDE SPREAD. I THEN TALKED WITH SEVERAL MECHANICS, AND THEY ALL AGREED THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD SHOULD NOT FAIL WITH THAT FREQUENCY AT THOSE MILES. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH I FOUND THAT NISSIAN HAS PROBLEMS NOT JUST WITH THE XTERRA BUT ALSO EARLIER MODELS OF THE FRONTER. STATISTICAL AND MECHANICAL EVIDENCE SUGGETS A DEFECT IN THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD.

NHTSA ID

10116036

Incident

Mar 10, 2004

Mileage

65,000 mi

TRUCK WAS FOUND TO HAVE CRACKED EXHAUST MANIFOLD, I NOTICE OTHER ONES HAVE BEEN REPORTED, ALSO TRUCK RUNS VERY ROUGH AT IDLE ALMOST STALLING OUT, I HAVE SPENT A LOT ON THIS PROBLEM, NISSAN CAN NOT SOLVE PROBLEM, THEY REPLACE MANIFOLD BUT TRUCK STILL RUNS ROUGH AFTER A WEEK OF THEM FIXING IT. *JB

NHTSA ID

10106290

Incident

Jan 3, 2005

Mileage

170,000 mi

I HAVE DRIVEN MY 2000 NISSAN XTERRA FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS NOW WITH NORMAL DRIVING, NO OFF ROAD DRIVING OR ABUSE OF MY VEHICLE. RECENTLY I DISCOVERED THAT AFTER A FEW WEEKS OF AN OVERWHELMING SMELL OF EXHAUST IN MY PASSENGER CABIN THAT THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD IS IN FACT CRACKED. NOW ON MANY OCCASIONS I HAVE A VERY YOUNG CHILD IN MY VEHICLE SO I'VE HAD TO LEAVE HIM OUTSIDE TILL THE EXHAUST SMELL HAS DISSIPATED AND I CAN ONLY ASSUME IT'S NO LONGER MAKING IT'S WAY INTO THE CABIN. I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT THIS COULD POSSIBLE BE GOOD FOR ANYBODY. IN ANY EVENT I FIGURED I WOULD JUST HAVE TO GET THE PROBLEM FIXED BUT AS I DID SOME RESEARCH I REALIZED THAT I'M NOT ALONE AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I WILL HAVE MANIFOLD REPLACED AT MY OWN COST SO I CAN AGAIN FEEL SAFE THAT I'M NOT BREATHING IN EXHAUST. I FIND IT ABSURD THAT NEITHER NISSAN NOR THE NHTSA HAS MADE THE PUBLIC AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. I HOPE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE SOON.*AK

NHTSA ID

10093646

Incident

Sep 14, 2004

Mileage

90,000 mi

MAJOR EXHAUST MANIFOLD LEAK. *AK

NHTSA ID

10088955

Incident

Sep 1, 2004

MY 2000 NISSAN XTERRA WITH LESS THAN 51,000 MILES DEVELOPED A CRACK IN THE PASSENGER SIDE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. I HAVE MAINTAINED THIS VEHICLE AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL AND EVEN THOUGH IT IS DESIGNED TO BE DRIVEN OFF ROAD MY VEHICLE'S OFF ROAD EXPERIENCE IS THE OCCASIONAL GRAVEL ROAD. THE VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVEN "HARD" OR BEYOND NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE CRACKED DEVELOPED WITHOUT ANY INDICATION OTHER THAN A STRANGE "HISSING" SOUND FROM THE ENGINE AND A SLIGHT EXHAUST ODOR INSIDE THE VEHICLE. NO ONE WAS INJURED BUT IT APPEARS THAT EXHAUST LEAKING INTO THE DRIVER/PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF THE VEHICLE COULD BE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ON LONG TRIPS OR PROLONGED STOP AND GO TRAFFIC DURING RUSH HOUR. THE PART HAS BEEN REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. *AK

NHTSA ID

10086229

Incident

Aug 3, 2004

Mileage

50,400 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON WHILE DRIVING TO TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA FROM SACRAMENTO.. I HAD THE RADIO ON AND DID NOT HEAR AN ENGINE NOISE. IT WAS 11:00 CLOCK AT NIGHT AND I WAS A WOMAN ALONE DRIVING IN A RURAL AREA. THERE WAS NO WHERE TO STOP UNTIL I GOT TO MY HOME TOWN OF TRUCKEE . WHEN I STARTED THE CAR IN THE MORNING, TO GO TO WORK I HEARD A RATHER DISTINCT NOISE IN THE ENGINE. I CALLED MY LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE TOOK THE CAR IN IMMEDIATLEY.. HE REPLACED THE TIMING BELT AND THE NOISE CONTINUED. HE RECOMMENDED TOWING IT TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP IN RENO. WHICH IS WHAT I DID. THEY LISTENED TO THE MOTOR AND SAID IT WAS THE # 5 PISTON WHICH MEANT THE I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AT A COST OF $6500.00 , I DECLINED REPAIRS. MY XTERRA ONLY HAD 68,000 MILES ON IT, AND COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY A CAR WITH SUCH A GOOD REPUTATION HAD ENGINE FAILURE WITH SO LITTLE MILEAAGE. WHEN I BOUGHT BY CAR WHICH WAS USED AT 32,000 MILES I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANCIC. HE SAID THAT THHIS CAR SHOULD LAST ME WELL INTO THE 200,000 PLUS MILES AS DID MY FORMER CAR A ISUZU RODEO (240,000). THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER PURCHASED A USED CAR AND FELT CONFIDENT IN GETTING A NISSAN PRODUCT. UNFOUTUNATELY THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. LUCKILY THE CAR MADE IT BACK TO MY HOME TOWN AND DID NOT BREAK DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN WINTER. I WAS MAKING THIS TRIP TO SACRAMENTO TWICE A WEEK FOR A CLASS IN OBTAINING MY SPECIAL EDUCAATION CREDENTIAL, AND I WILL HAVE T DO IT FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. I WAS DEPENDING ON THIS CAR FOR SAFETY AND RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION. BUYING A CAR WITH 32,000 MIOLES SEEMED LIKE A NEW CAR TO ME, CONSIDERING MY OLD CAR HAD 240,000. I TAKE CARE OF MY CARS, AND I AM NOT ABUSIVE TO THEM. THEY LAST ME A LONG TIME. *AK

NHTSA ID

10075247

Incident

Apr 28, 2004

Mileage

68,700 mi

2000 NISSAN XTERRA V6. LEFT AND RIGHT EXHAUST SYSTEM INTAKE MANIFOLD CRACKED. ACCORDING TO TWO MECHANICS AND RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET THIS WAS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN NISSAN V6 ENGINES USED IN DIFFERENT CAR MODELS. *AK

NHTSA ID

10064734

Incident

Mar 23, 2004

3 TIME PROBLEM WITH THE HIGH PRESSURE LINE IN MY 2000 NISSAN XTERRA. GOT A COPY OF THE NISSAN 5 YEAR REPAIR HISTORY FOR THE VEHICLE, AND FOUND OUT THAT AT 22,3?? THE LINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. IT HAS NOW FAILED A THIRD TIME AND BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY NISSAN SAID THEY WILL NOT FIX IT FOR ME. CLEARLY THIS IS A FAULTY PART TO BEGIN WITH AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE CHARGED FOR ITS THIRD FAILURE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10062444

Incident

Mar 11, 2004

Mileage

65,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE WOULD JERK, AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD FAIL. *AK WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLES GAUGES (TACHOMETER, ODOMETER, SPEEDOMETER AND TEMPERATURE) RANDOMLY WENT OUT. THIS PROBLEM ALSO APPEARED TO AFFECT THE CRUISE CONTROL AND OCCURED AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. WHEN THE GAUGES GO OUT THEY STAYED OUT FROM 3-20 MILES. *NLM

NHTSA ID

10042524

Incident

Jun 12, 2003

Mileage

20,000 mi

THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD ON MY 2000 XTERRA SE (V6 ENGINE) HAS CRACKED, LIKE SO MANY OTHERS. THIS LEADS TO EXHAUST SEEPING INTO THE CABIN WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY VERY DANGEROUS. ON A LONG TRIP, ESPECIALLY A LONG COMMUTE IN SLOWER TRAFFIC, CHANCES OF THE DRIVER SUCCUMBING TO CO POISONING AND FALLING ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL INCREASE.*AK

NHTSA ID

10045752

Incident

Nov 8, 2003

2000 NISSAN XTERRA V6. PASSENGER SIDE EXHAUST MANIFOLD CRACKED. ACCORDING TO BOTH MY MECHANIC AND RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN NISSAN V6 ENGINES USED IN DIFFERENT CAR MODELS. *LA

NHTSA ID

10043115

Incident

Oct 17, 2003

Mileage

76,000 mi

AT 5,000 MILES PRE WARRANTY EXPIRATION MY 2000 NISSAN XTERRA BROKE DOWN WHILE PULLING OUT FROM A STOP. AFTER AN INVESTIGATION BY NISSAN, THEY'VE CONCLUDED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT HAD BROKE AND THUS THE ENGINE WOULD BE RENDERED USELESS. THEY HAVE ALSO STATED THAT THEY WILL NOT COVER THIS UNDER THEIR WARRANTY AND WILL BILL ME FOR THE NEW ENGINE. THEY'VE SAID THAT THE ENGINE GOT SLUDGE DUE TO INFREQUENT OIL CHANGES. AFTER PROVIDING PROOF OF REGULAR OIL CHANGES NISSAN SAYS THAT THEY STILL WILL NOT COVER THE VEHICLE. THESE FRAUDULENT ACCUSATIONS ARE AN OUTRAGE AND SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER NISSAN'S WARRANTY. FURTHERMORE, MY RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER HAVE BEEN VIOLATED. AFTER CONTACTING NHTSA OVER THE PHONE I DISCOVERED THAT THEIR HAD BEEN A RECALL ON MY VEHICLE AND THAT THE RECALL COULD HAVE HAD SOME AFFECT ON THE RESULTING PROBLEMS CONCURRED, I'M NOT SURE AS I WAS NEVER CONTACTED REGARDING ANY RECALL ISSUE. ANYHOW NISSAN SAYS THAT THEY WILL NOT COVER MY ENGINE UNDER THEIR WARRANTY. THEY ARE ALSO TRYING TO CHARGE ME FOR ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATION FEES THAT THEY'VE ALREADY BILLED ME FOR TO SEE IF THIS COULD AFTER ALL BE AN ISSUE OF WARRANTY, SO FAR THE TOTAL CONCURRED WITH NO REPAIRS IS $420, WITH THE ADDED INVESTIGATION IT WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL $480, $1000 OF WORTH OF WORK WITH NO REPAIRS MADE! I'M REFUSING TO PAY ANY FEES REGARDING THIS ISSUE AS IT IS NOT MY OBLIGATION UNDER NISSAN'S WARRANTY. I WILL NOT BE A SCAPEGOAT FOR A DEFECTIVE CRANKSHAFT OR ANY OTHER PART CAUSING THIS FAILURE, AS THIS IS A BREACH IN WARRANTY. I'M PREPARED TO PURSUE THIS ISSUE TO THE FULLEST EXTANT. THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP. *NLM

NHTSA ID

10014146

Incident

Mar 26, 2003

Mileage

54,844 mi