2005 Nissan Xterra Fuel system Problems

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact that while stopped at a traffic light the vehicle stalled. The contact was immediately able to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle kept stalling. The contact restarted the vehicle however while entering a parking garage the vehicle stalled again. After several attempts the vehicle restarted. The contact emphasized that the failure was most evident while stopped or driving at slower speeds. On one occasion the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The contact connected a DTC scanner and retrieved a fault code regarding the fuel gauge sensor that was contacted to the submersible fuel pump. The contact stated that after removing the fuel tank from the vehicle and while changing the internal fuel tank submersible fuel pump, he became aware that the positive wire of the wiring harness on top of the fuel pump and the fuel pump housing above were both charred. The contact was concerned that excessive heating and sparking had caused the failure. The contact purchased a new fuel pump to replace the defective one. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11441040

Incident

Oct 15, 2021

Mileage

200,000 mi

YES IN THE 2005 NISSAN XTERRAS THERE IS NO FLOATING ARM DEVICE WITHIN THE FUEL SENDING UNIT. WHICH IS WHAT IS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO HAVE THE FUEL GAUGE ON THE FRONT DASH PANEL TO READ INCORRECTLY TO THE ELECTRONIC SCREEN. IT ALSO DOESN'T REPORT YOUR DTE ON THE DASH PANEL BECAUSE THE FUEL SENDING UNIT HAS BEEN CORRODED, OR WAS MADE OF PLASTIC, AND HAS BEEN COMPLETELY DAMAGED. SO NOW WHEN THE VEHICLE SITS WHILE STARTED FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME THE FUEL GAUGE WILL GO TO EMPTY BUT REMAIN RUNNING, OR YOU COULD FILL YOUR VEHICLE UP ALL THE WAY WITH GAS, AND THEN WHEN YOU START THE XTERRA, THE VEHICLE WILL THEN SHOW EMPTY STILL UNTIL IT WAS AT 3 QUARTERS OF THE TANK, THEN IT WILL READ IT AT 3 QUARTERS OF A TANK UNTIL HALF A TANK. UNLESS THE VEHICLE SITS TO LONG WITHOUT MOVING, THEN VEHICLE WILL SHOW THE FUEL GAUGE ON THE FRONT DASH PANEL TO BE EMPTY. THIS IS UNSAFE BECAUSE IT WILL CAUSE NISSAN XTERRAS TO RUN OUT OF GAS ON THE ROAD WHICH COULD LEAD TO FRONT, SIDE, REAR, AND ROLLOVER CRASHES.

NHTSA ID

11396894

Incident

Jan 10, 2021

Mileage

129,000 mi

CAR CUTS OFF WHEN DRIVING AND WHILE CAR IS IDLED. FUELS STOPS REPEATEDLY WHEN REFUELING.

NHTSA ID

11365644

Incident

Aug 15, 2019

Mileage

121,000 mi

I HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AS DESCRIBED IN RECALL #10V075000. THIS AFFECTED 2006 NISSAN XTERRAS, MINE IS A 2005. THE FUEL GAUGE DROPS TO EMPTY WHEN THE TANK IS FILLED, AFTER DRIVING AWHILE IT STARTS TO CLIMB BACK UP TO READ NEAR FULL, THEN IT WILL APPEARS TO DECREASE AS NORMAL, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL IS ACTUALLY IN THE TANK, SO YOU HAVE TO BASE IT ON MILES TRAVELED. THE PROBLEM IS YOU NEVER KNOW IF THE STATION ATTENDANT (I LIVE IN OR SO YOU CAN'T FILL YOUR OWN VEHICLE WITH GAS) HAS ACTUALLY FILLED THE TANK OR DID IT CLICK OFF EARLY AGAIN, WHICH IT FREQUENTLY DOES. SO YOU CAN RUN OUT OF GAS EASILY, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A FUEL GAUGE THAT DOESN'T FUNCTION CORRECTLY. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE ABOUT 2011, BUT I'M TIRED OF DEALING WITH IT. DON'T KNOW THE ACTUAL DATE WHEN THIS PROBLEM STARTED, BUT IT HAS BEEN ONGOING.

NHTSA ID

11355012

Incident

Jan 1, 2011

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME. GAS GAUGE READS EMPTY EVEN AFTER YOU FILL IT UP COMPLETELY. DIAGNOSTIC CODE P0463, FUEL LEVEL SENSOR. THE FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT ACCURATELY STATE THE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THE TANK. THIS ISSUE IS KNOWN TO NISSAN AND NHTSA. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS YOU NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH GAS IS LEFT IN THE TANK OR HOW MANY MILES YOU CAN GO. THIS WAS PREVIOUSLY RECALLED FOR CERTAIN 2006, 2007 AND 2008 XTERRAS. NOT SURE WHY IT HASN'T BEEN FOR THE 2005 MODEL YEAR AS IT IS THE SAME ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11081532

Incident

Feb 1, 2018

Mileage

81,000 mi

THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION STARTED TO LOSE POWER WHEN DRIVING THIS PAST SATURDAY. SO, BASICALLY MY CAR DOES START THEN AFTER DRIVING IT A FEW MINUTES OR MORE WILL STIFFEN AND CUT OFF. THANK YOU

NHTSA ID

11075033

Incident

Feb 24, 2018

Mileage

140,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING MY XTERRA WHICH HAS 65000 MILES APPROXIMATELY, MY GAS GAUGE DROPPED FROM 3/4 TANK TO BELOW EMPTY. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND MY CAR IMMEDIATELY STOPPED IN THE ROAD. I HAD TO BE TOWED WHERE I WAS TOLD I HAVE P0463 AND MY CAR WAS OUT OF GAS. I WAS TOLD THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH. ISSA XTERRA. I WENT TO DEALER TO GET IT REPLACED AND THEY SAID $700. I SEE THAT THIS IS TOO COMMON AN ISSUE. I THINK THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DEFECT. I'M JUST HAPP HAPPY I WASN'T DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN IT STOPPED. LUCKILY I WAS ON SIDE ROAD.

NHTSA ID

11002577

Incident

Jun 24, 2017

Mileage

65,000 mi

MY VEHICLE HAS 43,419 MILES AND AFTER FUELING THE VEHICLE THE FUEL GAUGE DROPPED TO EMPTY AND THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON DASHBOARD LIGHT ILLUMINATED. A CHECK OF THE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (P0463) DISCLOSED A FAULTY FUEL LEVEL SENSOR "A" CIRCUIT HIGH. I HAD THE REPAIR DONE AT NISSAN. THE FEE FOR LABOR AND PARTS WAS $367.88. I SEE SEVERAL HUNDRED REGISTERED NHTSA COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS ISSUE AS WELL AS HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET. I BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AS THIS IS CLEARLY A DEFECTIVE PART. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE 2006 XTERRA FOR THE SAME ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

10967599

Incident

Jan 15, 2017

Mileage

41,500 mi

TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN SLIPPING . I HEARD OF A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM AND I CALLED NISSAN AND WAS TOLD I MISSED EXTENDED WARRANTY BUY 8 DAYS ,THEY ADMITTED THAT THEY DID HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLES TRANSMISSION.BUT REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, ALSO VERY HARD TO PUT GAS IN,

NHTSA ID

10821605

Incident

Nov 27, 2015

Mileage

125 mi

TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED AT 135,000. FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT WORK.CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ILLUMINATED, THEREFORE I AM UNAWARE OF ANY ADDITIONAL ISSUES, AND CANNOT PASS EMISSIONS IN ATLANTA, GA, THEREFORE I CANNOT RENEW MY TAG.

NHTSA ID

10810892

Incident

Dec 14, 2015

Mileage

135,000 mi

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON . TOOK IT TO AUTO ZONE WHICH YIELD A CODE REFERRING TO THE FUEL SENSING UNIT.

NHTSA ID

10767567

Incident

Apr 3, 2014

Mileage

65,000 mi

NISSAN KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN FACT IT INVOLVES MULTIPLE YEARS AND MODELS. THE RADIATOR CRACKS AND LEAKS INTO THE TRANSMISSION RUINING BOTH. THEY ENTERED INTO A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT BUT SET THE BAR SO HIGH THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MEET. THIS CAR TECHNICALLY HAS LOW MILEAGE FOR A 10 YEAR OLD VEHICLE YET MISSES THE TOP PARAMETER BY 16,000 MILES. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE .

NHTSA ID

10747008

Incident

Aug 1, 2015

Mileage

116,000 mi

SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT WHEN FUEL GOES BELOW HALF TANK. THE FUEL GAUGE MAY NOT ALWAYS SHOW CORRECT READING, MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR CAR TO STOP IN MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY, IN MIDDLE OF SNOW-STORM, OR OTHER DANGEROUS SITUATION, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON WHEN FUEL LEVEL IS BELOW HALF TANK AND RESETS ITSELF WHEN FUEL TANK IS FULL.

NHTSA ID

10733815

Incident

May 1, 2015

Mileage

69,000 mi

MY NISSAN HAS THE DEFECT THAT BROUGHT A LAWSUIT AGAINST NISSAN MOTOR FOR A FAILURE IN THE OIL COOLER THAT CAUSED MY TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR TO BE COMPLETELY REBUILT/REPLACED BECAUSE COOLANT HAD LEAKED INTO MY TRANSMISSION. I ENDED UP WITH A BILL FOR $3941.46, AND NOW, I CAN'T EVEN FILE A REIMBURSEMENT FORM OR GET A HOLD OF ANY ONE AT NISSAN TO HELP BECAUSE ALL 3 NUMBERS LISTED IN LETTERS AND PAPERWORK ARE NO LONGER IN SERVICE.

NHTSA ID

10716200

Incident

Apr 28, 2015

Mileage

84,765 mi

PURCHASED MY '05 NISSAN XTERRA IN THE SPRING OF 2012 WITH ABOUT 160,000 MILES. FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS I HAD MINOR ISSUES LIKE SHUDDERING/VIBRATIONS RANDOMLY WHEN I ACCELERATED AND THE HEAT NOT WORKING WHEN I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP. IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE OTHER DAY WHEN I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP AND MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY THAT I KNEW I HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. I TOOK MY XTERRA TO 3 DIFFERENT MECHANICS AND EACH ONE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT I WOULD NEED A COMPLETELY NEW TRANSMISSION AND FROM THERE THEY WOULD SEE IF I IN FACT NEEDED TO CHANGE THE RADIATOR (WHICH THEY WERE POSITIVE WAS THE ORIGINAL ISSUE DUE TO SIMILAR ISSUES WITH OTHER NISSAN SUV OWNERS). THE REPAIRS WILL COST ME WELL OVER $4,000 AND UNFORTUNATELY AS A COLLEGE STUDENT, THERE IS NO WAY I CAN AFFORD TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR. WHAT WAS APPALLING TO ME WAS WHEN I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE ONLINE. THERE ARE HUNDREDS UPON HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE ON VARIOUS WEBSITES ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND NISSAN HAS YET TO ISSUE A RECALL. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY EXCLUDED MANY PEOPLE AND PUT MANY MORE AT AN UNFAIR DISADVANTAGE. I PERSONALLY BOUGHT MY NISSAN, BECAUSE OF THEIR REPUTATION, BUT THE FACT THAT THEY WILL NOT COME TO THE AID OF THEIR CONSUMERS SPEAKS VOLUMES OF THIS COMPANY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10619152

Incident

Jul 21, 2014

Mileage

177,700 mi

FUEL GAUGE REGISTERS EMPTY TO ARBITRARILY AMOUNTS OF REMAINING FUEL REGARDLESS HOW MUCH FUEL IS ACTUALLY IN TANK. ONGOING PROBLEM TO DATE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10574962

Incident

Sep 1, 2013

Mileage

110,000 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THEN WHEN I FILLED VEHICLE WITH FUEL GAUGE WENT TO EMPTY AND LOW FUEL LIGHT CAME ON. GAUGE DOES NOT COME BACK ON U TIL VEHICLE IS DRIVEN FROM 85 TO 125 MILES AND THEN TAKES AWHILE TO REACH UP TO AROUND 3/4 FULL. NEVER REALLY SURE HOW MUCH FUEL IS IN TANK. WAS ADVISED TO CHANGE THE FUEL TANK CAP AND DID TWICE BUT STILL NOT WORKING. HAVE TO RELY ON TRIP GAUGE TO KNOW IF I HAVE ENOUGH FUEL. THIS SEEMS RISKY FOR AN ALMOST 75 YEAR OLD WOMAN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10567957

Incident

Oct 15, 2013

Mileage

64,000 mi

GAS GAUGE WONT READ, DISPLAYS EMPTY WHEN FULL. GOES BACK AND FORTH. 2006 AND 2008 RECALLED FOR SAME PROBLEM AND PART # BUT NISSAN WONT PAY TO HAVE 2005 FIXED OR DO A RECALL. WE BUT FROM ROANOKE NISSAN DEALER USED AT 57351 MILES. THEY DIDN'T OFFER WARRANTY AND WE DIDN'T GET EXTENDED WARRANTY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10563860

Incident

Jan 1, 2013

Mileage

62,000 mi

WHEN DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS I BEGAN TO NOTICE THE ENGINE BOGGING DOWN WHEN CHANGING GEARS. UPON TAKING IT TO MY MECHANIC I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A LEAK BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE COOLANT SYSTEMS. THE FIX WOULD REQUIRE A REPLACEMENT OF BOTH SYSTEMS TOTALLY APPROX. $6000! APPARENTLY THIS IS A "KNOWN ISSUE" WITH 2005-2010 XTERRAS. UPON CONTACTING NISSAN I WAS TOLD THAT SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS OVER 100,000 MILES THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO FOR ME. IF THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE, AND A RATHER MAJOR ONE AT THAT, I'M NOT SURE WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY RECALLS OR SOME KIND OF FIX. *TR

NHTSA ID

10555784

Incident

Dec 5, 2013

Mileage

118,000 mi

ERROR CODE P0463 - APPARENTLY DUE TO A MALFUNCTIONING FUEL LEVEL SENSOR AND REQUIRING SUBSTANTIAL SHOP TIME TO DROP FUEL TANK AND REPLACE SENSOR/PUMP UNIT (NOT TO MENTION PART COST, WHICH IS NOT BEING SUPPLIED BY MANUFACTURER DESPITE THE KNOWN, WIDESPREAD FLAW). *TR

NHTSA ID

10547970

Incident

Oct 5, 2011

Mileage

32,000 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE TROUBLE SHOOTING NUMBER IS P0463. WHICH I UNDERSTAND NISSAN AUTOMOBILES HAVE A LOT OF TROUBLE WITH THIS SITUATION. I WOULD LIKE TO INFORMED WHEN THEY ARE HAVING A RECALL TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10546118

Incident

Sep 25, 2013

Mileage

49,000 mi

GAS GAUGE READS EMPTY WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS FULL OR SHOWS SOME QUANTITY OF GAS WHEN IT IS EMPTY AND VARIATIONS IN BETWEEN. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AFFECTING SEVERAL MODELS AND YEARS THAT NISSAN EXTENDED ITS WARRANTY FOR, BUT DID NOT RECALL, CLAIMING IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE (SEE HTTP://WWW.NISSANASSIST.COM/WEB/FUEL-SENDING-UNIT/INDEX.PHP?MENU=2). THE EXTENDED WARRANTY DID NOT ADVISE OWNERS TO REPLACE THE PROBLEM SENDING UNITS, IT JUST PROVIDED FOR REPAIRS IF AND WHEN, SUBJECT TO MILEAGE AND TIME LIMITS, THE VEHICLE MANIFESTED THE SENDING UNIT PROBLEM. MY LOW MILEAGE VEHICLE DEVELOPED THIS PROBLEM AT 46000 MILES, WELL UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY MILEAGE LIMIT BUT THE TIMING WAS BEYOND THE ARBITRARY EXTENDED TIME PERIOD. FOLLOWING MY OPENING A CASE WITH NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS THEY DENIED COVERAGE FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE FUEL SENDING UNIT AS IT WAS BEYOND THE ARBITRARY TIME LIMIT, ALTHOUGH WELL BELOW THE MILEAGE LIMIT. FAULTY FUEL QUANTITY READINGS ARE NOT JUST AN INCONVENIENCE. THEY CAN RESULT IN HAZARDOUS OVERFILLING OF FUEL TANKS (OR ATTEMPTS TO FILL AN ALREADY FILLED TANK) WHEN THE GAUGE ERRONEOUSLY READS EMPTY RESULTING IN FLAMMABLE GAS SPILLS, DIZZYING AND ENVIRONMENTALLY UNSOUND VAPOR EMISSIONS AT THE PUMP. ON THE FLIP SIDE WHEN THERE IS LITTLE OR NO FUEL IN THE TANK BUT THE GAUGE SHOWS SOME QUANTITY OF FUEL SUCH AS 1/4 TANK OR MORE, DRIVING OFF ON LONG COMMUTES OR TRIPS RESULTS IN RUNNING OUT OF GAS ON HIGHWAYS. IN MY CASE THIS IS IN RURAL AREAS OR BACK ROADS AND HIGHWAYS OUT OF CELL PHONE RANGE AND FAR FROM SERVICES, AND CAN OCCUR IN SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS. I BELIEVE THIS KNOWN PROBLEM IS A SAFETY PROBLEM THAT POSES UNNECESSARY RISKS TO DRIVERS AND SHOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A RECALL, NOT JUST AN ARBITRARY LIMITED EXTENSION OF WARRANTY, AND DISCLAIMER BEYOND THAT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10537228

Incident

Aug 10, 2013

Mileage

45,600 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME UP IN MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA AT 85,000 MILES. TOOK IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP WHERE I MAKE OIL CHANGES, I WAS TOLD TRANSMISSION BROKE AND RADIATOR FLUID CONTAMINATION. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY CONFIRM THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE, BUT THEY FLAT OUT REFUSED THE CONTAMINATION, INSTEAD OFFER TO REPLACE BOTH TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR FOR $5,500 TO AVOID FUTURE PROBLEMS. I WAS NOT CONVINCED. IMMEDIATELY, ANOTHER GUY IN THE DEALERSHIP OFFERS TO TRADE IN FOR A NEW CAR. I TOOK THE CAR OUT AND WENT TO ANOTHER TRANSMISSION SHOP. SURE ENOUGH, THEY NOTICED RADIATION FLUID CONTAMINATING THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. COST WAS AROUND $3,750. BECAUSE, THE DEADLINE WAS EARLY JUNE'2013 AND NOW IS EARLY JULY, THEY ARE TELLING ME I CANNOT SUBMIT THE CLAIM. I HOPE THE COURT DOES NOT APPROVE THE FINAL SETTLEMENT. NISSAN SHOULD RECALL AND PAY FOR THE REPAIRS OF DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION/ RADIATOR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10536559

Incident

Jun 24, 2013

Mileage

85,255 mi

THE GAS GAUGE GOES FROM HALF FULL TO EMPTY AND LIGHT COMES ON WHEN THE CAR IS IN IDLE. THE GAUGE DOES NOT RE-SET UNTIL THE TANK IS FILLED AND DRIVES FOR ABOUT 100 MILES. I BELIEVE IT IS AN ISSUE WITH THE SENDING UNIT. IS THERE ARE RE-CALL? *TR

NHTSA ID

10510026

Incident

Dec 14, 2012

Mileage

58,000 mi

UPON EXITING A HIGHWAY, WHERE TRAFFIC WAS CONGESTED AND SLOW MOVING, MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA SUDDENLY REFUSED TO ACCELERATE. SUDDENLY, SMOKE APPEARED TO BE EMANATING FROM THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF MY SUV. INITIALLY, IT APPEARED THAT MY VEHICLE HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE. TWO PASSING FIREMAN ASSISTED ME AND DETERMINED THAT I HAD A TRANSMISSION ISSUE BECAUSE OF THE FLUID THAT WAS LEAKED ONTO THE STREET. SINCE THE XTERRA WAS NOT DRIVABLE, IT WAS TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION REPAIR CENTER. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A MALFUNCTIONING RADIATOR. APPARENTLY, RADIATOR FLUID CONTAMINATED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND SEVERELY DAMAGED THE TRANSMISSION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10509230

Incident

Apr 18, 2013

Mileage

95,000 mi