2005 Nissan Xterra Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,175 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2005 Nissan Xterra, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 104,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2005 Nissan Xterra sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2003–2004, 2008, 2010.
Avoid
Where 2005 sits among all Xterra years
What owners report
“I have a 2005 Nissan Xterra and the transmission failed due to my transmission fluid and radiator fluid mixed”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Xterra
“Radiator has transmission fluid in it. Transmission has radiator fluid in it. Will have to replace both. App, $5000. Vehicle shifts hard then stutters, vibration”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Xterra
“Fuel gauge on nissan xterra 05, cel light on fail emission test va, cannot tell how much gas is in the tank.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Xterra
“Antifreeze leaked into transmission causing irreparable damage to transmission and radiator replacement”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Xterra
“Vehicle turns off while driving and is unable to start. With vehicle in off state there is not control over speed, braking, steering. Nissan is unable to provide an answer to the problem after diagnosis. Code p0335 crankshaft position sensor.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Xterra
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,070 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 94,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 69,706 and 114,804 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
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…
Fix: 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.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN FRONT AND REAR LOWER LINKS, P/NOS. 54501ZQ00A, 54500ZQ00A, 551A1ZQ00A, 551A0ZQ00A , 54501EA00A, 54500EA00A, 551A1EA500, 551A0EA500, 54501ZR00A, AND 54500ZR00A, SOLD BETWEEN NOVEMBER 25, 2009 AND MAY 14, 2010 AS REPLACEMENT PARTS…
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY AFFECTED LOWER LINK FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
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…
Fix: 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.…
CERTAIN HOPKINS AFTERMARKET TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL CONNECTION HARNESSES SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN MODELS OF NISSAN VEHICLES WHICH ARE LISTED ABOVE. THE INTERNAL PART NUMBERS WITHIN HOPKINS ARE: 1010476025, 1040376025, 1110476025, 1170376025, 1290376025,…
Fix: HOPKINS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE ORIGINAL HARNESS WITH A REVISED HARNESS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 17, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT HOPKINS AT 800-835-0129.
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.
Fix: 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…
CERTAIN VALLEY INDUSTRIES HITCH-CLASS III RECEIVER TRAILER HITCHES P/N 82850 MANUFACTURED BETWEEN MARCH AND SEPTEMBER 2005 SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR 2005 NISSAN XTERRA PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INSUFFICIENT WELD STRENGTH, UNDER CERTAIN…
Fix: VALLEY INDUSTRIES WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE TRAILER HITCHES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 3, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VALLEY INDUSTRIES AT 209-368-8881.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
89 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and airbags — are on file for the 2005 Nissan Xterra. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2005 Xterra TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2005 Nissan Xterra reliable?
The 2005 Nissan Xterra drew 1,175 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2005 Nissan Xterra problems?
The top reported problems for the 2005 Nissan Xterra are transmission & drivetrain (418 complaints), engine (282), and fuel system (276).
At what mileage do 2005 Nissan Xterra problems show up?
Owners most often report 2005 Nissan Xterra problems around 94,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 69,706 and 114,804 miles.
Does the 2005 Nissan Xterra have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2005 Nissan Xterra. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.