2006 Nissan Xterra Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,034 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Nissan Xterra, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 90/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Fuel system leads the reports, typically around 62,933 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2006 Nissan Xterra sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2003–2004, 2008, 2010.
Avoid
Where 2006 sits among all Xterra years
What owners report
“Vehicle gas gauge does not work. Faulty fuel tank sending unit. Ran out of gas in traffic.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Xterra
“Radiator coolant leaked into transmission fluid and ruined the transmission. Known issue.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Xterra
“Fluid leaked into the transmission from the radiator causing it to fail. Nissan estimated the repair to be $9400.00 the vehicle was in motion at the time of the failure.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Xterra
“Radiator cracked at 91,000 miles causing transmission to fail. $3800 cost to repair”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Xterra
“The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with the fuel level warning light illuminated. The fuel gauge failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was towed to a parking lot. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer nor…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Xterra
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 935 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 90,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 55,000 and 118,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
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 CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 AND MODEL YEAR 2008 FRONTIER, XTERRA AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE MOLDED FUEL TANK SHELLS CAN DEFORM, CAUSING THE FUEL SENDER FLOAT ARM TO CONTACT AN EMBOSSMENT MOLDED INTO THE TANK SHELL CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT INSIDE THE FUEL TANK WITH A NEW ONE THAT HAS A MODIFIED FLOAT ARM. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO…
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.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
85 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and airbags — are on file for the 2006 Nissan Xterra. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2006 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 2006 Nissan Xterra reliable?
The 2006 Nissan Xterra drew 1,034 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 90/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2006 Nissan Xterra problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Nissan Xterra are fuel system (337 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (272), and engine (211).
At what mileage do 2006 Nissan Xterra problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Nissan Xterra problems around 90,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 55,000 and 118,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Nissan Xterra have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 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.