2010 Nissan Xterra Owner Complaints

THE NISSAN WAS IN A SEVERE ACCIDENT AND THE AIR BAG NEVER DEPLOYED. THERE WERE 4 PEOPLE IN CAR WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURED. THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DID DEPLOY AND THOSE TWO PEOPLE RECEVED INJURIES BUT NOT LIFE THREATING. THE DRIVERS SIDE WHERE THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY CAUSED SIGNIFICANT INJURIES THE DRIVER HAD MAJOR SPINAL SURGERY INWHICH SHE HAD TO DO REHABILITATION TO WALK AGAIN FOR 8 MONTHS. THE BACK SEAT PASSENGER HAD TO BE AIR LIFTED TO A HOSPITAL AND 18 MONTHS LATER IS STILL PARALYZED AND UNABLE TO WALK. SHE IS CURRENTLY STILL IN A REHABILITATION HOME.

NHTSA ID

11625141

Incident

Aug 24, 2023

After getting the air bag control module reprogrammed per the recall, I was on a dirt road and the rollover airbags deployed when they shouldn’t have. The dealership I got the recall done at is claiming the airbag system registered “rollover conditions”. When I asked what the conditions were they told me they were unable to provide them. I am concerned either their reprogramming didn’t fix the issue or that they never actually reprogrammed it. Either way my airbags deployed when I was no where near a roll over situation and luckily no one was injured in this instance

NHTSA ID

11614259

Incident

Sep 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that he received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V067000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11513049

Incident

Mar 21, 2023

My air bag quit working. The light started going off. I took it to Nissan and they said I had to pay to have the light turned off before they would fix the recall. I could not afford to pay to have the light turned off. The line connecting to my transmission and radiator has failed. Transmission fluid is leaking into my radiator and coolant is leaking into my transmission. Both must be replaced. The repair shop looked up the recall and said that was why this happened. I cannot afford thousands of dollars to have this repaired. My car is 10 years old with 163k miles.

NHTSA ID

11469853

Incident

Jun 13, 2022

No warning lamps had my vehicle repeatedly looked at was told that my vehicle had no transmission warninfsigns was told by mechanic to replace the radiator I replaced the radiator and then the vehicle stopped running now I have transmission fluid mixed with my radiator fluid and the vehicle doesn't run at all I repeatedly took it back to the shop Tobe fixed was told igot a bad radiator yet I know it wasn't bad I contacted my insurance company everyone failed to inform me that this vehicle had aknown transmission problem by Nissan and failed to disclose it to me

NHTSA ID

11468804

Incident

Jun 1, 2019

THIS IS A COMPLIANT FOR THE WELL KNOWN RADIATOR ISSUE. OURS RUPTURED AND RUINED THE TRANSMISSION COSTING US ABOUT $6K IN REPAIRS.

NHTSA ID

11436618

Incident

Oct 13, 2020

The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Xterra equipped with Interco Tires, Tire line: LTB-02 SST LTB, Tire Size: 31/11.5/16LT. The contact stated that the while her son was driving approximately 65 mph, a loud noise suddenly occurred. After stopping and inspecting the vehicle, the driver discovered that the front driver’s side tire had experienced tread separation. Approximately one month later the same failure occurred to the front passenger’s side tire. The cause of the failures was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000.

NHTSA ID

11428850

Incident

May 12, 2021

Mileage

5,000 mi

The passenger side airbag sensor broke , sensor that detects a person in the seat and engages the airbag, took it to dealer to fix and was told Nissan no longer supports that part and should go to a junk yard and pull a a seat cushion and install it myself.

NHTSA ID

11426581

Incident

Jul 26, 2021

AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON

NHTSA ID

11405310

Incident

Mar 20, 2020

THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STEADILY FLASHES. I LIVE IN A COASTAL AREA WITH HIGH HUMIDITY AND AM CONCERNED THAT THIS IS A CORROSION ISSUE IN THE SENSOR

NHTSA ID

11375712

Incident

Nov 1, 2020

Mileage

80,000 mi

AT A LITTLE OVER 180,000 MILES NEED A NEW REAR DIFFERENTIAL. READ ON AN XTERRA FORUM THE SPTHIDER GEARS WERE NOT HEAT TREATED PROPERLY BY THE MANUFACTURER WHICH CAUSES REAR DIFFERENTIALS TO FAIL.THE VEHICLE WAS NEVER DRIVEN OFF ROAD OR TOWED ANYTHING. IT SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED.

NHTSA ID

11352131

Incident

Jul 3, 2020

Mileage

180,000 mi

AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHES WHEN LIGHT IS RESET IT FLASHES AGAIN AFTER A FEW MILES HORN DOESN'T WORK UNABLE TO WARN OTHER DRIVERS & PEDESTRIANS

NHTSA ID

11290793

Incident

Dec 20, 2019

Mileage

130,000 mi

DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK EITHER STAYS LOCKED AND YOU ARE UNABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, OR, THE LOCK DOES NOT LATCH SO THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN. THIS HAPPED BOTH WHILE PARKED AND WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

11289570

Incident

Dec 16, 2019

Mileage

73,000 mi

INTERMITTENT STALLING ISSUE. VEHICLE HAS 98,700 MILES ON IT AND HAS NOT HAD ANY OTHER ISSUES PRIOR TO THIS. ON THE FIRST OCCASION THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, GOING BETWEEN 5 AND 10 MPH, TURNING INTO A PARKING LOT. THE VEHICLE START TO SLOW DOWN, LOST POWER STEERING AND ALL DASHBOARD LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED (CHECK ENGINE, BATTERY, AIRBAG, SEATBELT, ETC.) BUT THE RADIO AND HEADLIGHTS REMAINED ON. PLACED THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND TURNED THE KEY IN THE OFF POSITION. RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND IT STARTED UP IMMEDIATELY WITH NO DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS. WAS DRIVABLE WITH NO OTHER ISSUES FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THE VEHICLE STALLED A SECOND TIME ABOUT A WEEK OR SO LATER, WHILE IT WAS STATIONARY, AT A STOP LIGHT ON A CITY STREET. AGAIN, ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHILE THE RADIO AND HEADLIGHTS REMAINED ON. TURNED THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE STARTED WITH NO PROBLEMS AND NO DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS. THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATIONAL AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME WITH NO ISSUES. I TOOK IT TO A TRUSTED MECHANIC AFTER BOTH INTERMITTENT STALLS. HE RAN DIAGNOSIS TESTS AFTER BOTH INCIDENTS AND NO CODES SHOWED UP. THE MECHANIC BELIEVES IT IS THE ECM RELAY THAT IS CAUSING THE ISSUE AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH. A NEW BATTERY WAS INSTALLED BETWEEN STALLS THINKING THIS WAS THE CULPRIT. THE SECOND STALL OCCURRED THE DAY AFTER THE NEW BATTERY INSTALL.

NHTSA ID

11277460

Incident

Oct 18, 2019

Mileage

98,680 mi

SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 10-15 MPH. IMMEDIATE LOSS OF BRAKES, ACCELERATION, AND POWER STEERING. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON THE 405 FWY/SEPULVEDA PASS AREA DURING MORNING RUSH HOUR IN STOP-GO TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. WAS ABLE TO PULL TO SIDE OF ROAD, AND SHUT OFF VEHICLE. WAITED 1 MINUTE AND VEHICLE RESTARTED WITH NO FURTHER ISSUES ON DRIVE TO WORK. FROM A REVIEW OF ONLINE RESOURCES THIS LOOKS EERILY SIMILAR TO ISSUE OUTLINED IN PRIOR RECALL ISSUED BY NHTSA LISTED UNDER NTB10-137. THIS IS SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS, AND COULD EASILY RESULT IN LOSS OF LIFE!

NHTSA ID

11156769

Incident

Dec 7, 2018

Mileage

173,000 mi

NISSAN XTERRA HAS FAULTY ABS ACTUATOR AND IS LESS THAN 10 YEARS OLD. THE VEHICLES ABS, BRAKE, SLIP, AND VDC LIGHTS WILL COME ON WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THE LIGHTS WILL GO OFF AND COME BACK ON PERIODICALLY. AFTER INSPECTION AT DEALERSHIP, IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE A BAD ABS ACTUATOR.

NHTSA ID

11130443

Incident

Sep 15, 2018

Mileage

129,000 mi

MY 2010 XTERRA LIGHTS FOR ABS SLIP AND VDC GO OFF AFTER THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO MOVE ONLY. IF THE AUTO IS IDLE THE LIGHTS DO NOT COME ON AT ALL. I DO HAVE A TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT THAT COMES ON AND OFF ALSO BUT IT STAYS ON ON ONCE IT FINALLY GOES ON. I BELIEVE THIS IS PART OF THE NISSAN XTERRA 2009 RECALL AND SHOULD BE HANDLED IMMEDIATELY AS SUCH.

NHTSA ID

11097122

Incident

May 18, 2018

Mileage

120,000 mi

MY AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHT CAME ON, TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD ME THAT MY AIR BAGS HAVE BEEN DISABLED BECAUSE OF A FAULT IN THE SPIRAL CABLE IN MY STEERING COLUMN. THEY TOLD ME THE PART COST $460 TO REPLACE. THEY SAID IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WHICH CAUSED THE SEAT BELTS TO BE DEACTIVATED. THEY TOLD ME TO FIX IT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY BECAUSE IT WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT A SAFETY FEATURE SUCH AS AN AIR BAG SHOULD NOT HAVE A WARRANTY EXPIRATION. WHEN I TOLD THEM I DIDN'T HAVE THE $460 THEY SAID MAKE SURE YOU WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT BECAUSE YOUR AIR BAGS WILL NOT WORK. THE IRONIC THING IS THAT I WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE OF A SAFETY RECALL BECAUSE THE AIR BAGS WOULD AUTOMATICALLY DEPLOY WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. IT SEEMS NISSAN DOESN'T CARE IF YOUR AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY IF IT IS NOT STILL COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY.

NHTSA ID

11011608

Incident

Jul 26, 2017

CRACKED RADIATOR LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN IT MIXES WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, IT RUINED TRANSMISSION AND RADIOTOR. OVER AN $4000 BILL!

NHTSA ID

10950465

Incident

Feb 2, 2017

THE VALVE ASSEMBLY AND ENGINE CONTROL COMPUTERS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START. THE REPAIR ESTIMATE IS $3761.00.

NHTSA ID

10948884

Incident

Jan 6, 2017

Mileage

71,203 mi

WHEN OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE FALLS BELOW 40 DEGREES XTERRA WILL NOT START. VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND NOT PARKED IN A GARAGE. BATTERY WAS REPLACED 11 MONTHS AGO TRYING TO FIX THE SAME PROBLEM. NO OTHER MAJOR ISSUES WITH VEHICLE EVER. VEHICLE JUST TOWED YESTERDAY DEALER WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE UNTIL MONDAY.

NHTSA ID

10936031

Incident

Dec 15, 2016

Mileage

160,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 NISSAN XTERRA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND INSPECTED, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE LOWER CONTROL ARMS WERE FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,200. UPDATED 01/25/2017*CT *TR

NHTSA ID

10913651

Incident

Oct 1, 2016

Mileage

100,200 mi

UNABLE TO FIND THE AIRBAG RECALL.

NHTSA ID

10854457

Incident

Apr 8, 2016

MY ECU ON MY NISSAN XTERRA WAS SUPPOSEDLY SHORTED DUE TO A LOOSE OR DAMAGED CABLE. WITH MY INITIAL INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE, THE CABLE WAS NOT LOOSE, YET I STILL HAD PROBLEMS. THE ISSUE HAPPENED WHEN I HAD PARKED MY VEHICLE TO RUN AN ERRAND. WHEN I RETURNED, I STARTED UP MY VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE. THERE WAS NO POWER AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 5 MPH. NOT WANTING THE VEHICLE TO BREAKDOWN ON A BUSY ROAD, I BACKED UP AND PARKED THE VEHICLE. I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT THIS TIME THE STARTER WOULD CRANK, BUT WOULD NOT TURN OVER. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO START IT A FEW TIMES, I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERIES AND RECONNECTED THE BATTERIES. STILL, THE VEHICLE WOULD CRANK AND NOT TURN OVER. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK, AND THEY BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO FIRESTONE. FIRESTONE TOLD ME THAT THE BATTERY CABLES HAD SHORTED AND DESTROYED TEH ECU/ECM. I WAS QUOTED 1500 FOR A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD. THIS SOUNDED LIKE A VERY INTENSIVE PROCESS, SO I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO NISSAN. AGAIN, THEY SAID IT WAS THE ECU/ECM. NISSAN TOLD ME THAT THE CABLES, THE BATTERY AND THE ECU NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NISSAN HAS HAD PAST ISSUES WITH 2010 VEHICLES SHORTING OUT AND DESTROYING THE ECU'S. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS NISSAN'S FAULTY ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS OR POORLY CONSTRUCTED ECU'S THAT IS CAUSING THE DAMAGE. FOR SUCH AN EXPENSIVE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT TO BE RENDERED USELESS BY HAVING AN IMPORPER BATTERY CONNECTION SEEMS PROBLEMATIC AND POTENTIALLY UNSAFE. IT IS PROBLEMATIC, DUE TO TEH HISTORY OF NISSAN'S CABLES BECOMING CORRODED DUE TO THEIR BATTERY POSITION. LIKEWISE, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CONSUMER COMPLAINTS THAT THE BATTERY TERMINALS ARE POORLY MADE, RESULTING IN VEHICLE FAILURE. THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS, FOR IF THE BATTERY TERMINALS FAIL, IT CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STOP FUNCTIONING, EVEN WHEN IT HAS BEEN STARTED.

NHTSA ID

10837486

Incident

Feb 6, 2016

Mileage

107,000 mi

TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING AND CLUNKING DURING MID-RANGE GEARS WHILE ACCELERATING. REPAIRED AT RAPID TRANSMISSIONS AT 3905 CONVOY STREET, SAN DIEGO, CA 92111. RADIATOR WAS LEAKING COOLANT INTO TRANSMISSION COOLER CONTAMINATING TRANSMISSION FLUID WITH COOLANT DAMAGING THE VALVE BODY, ELECTRONICS AND FRICTION MATERIALS. HAD TO REPLACE VALVE BODY AND FRICTION MATERIALS AND REMAN TORQUE CONVERTER AND BYPASS RADIATOR FOR TRANSMISSION COOLING. COST OUT OF POCKET: $3564.73 (DETAILED RECEIPT AVAILABLE)

NHTSA ID

10809103

Incident

Nov 19, 2015

Mileage

96,499 mi