2010 Nissan Xterra Problems, Recalls & Reliability
58 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2010 Nissan Xterra, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 7/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 49,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2010 Nissan Xterra has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2010 sits among all Xterra years
What owners report
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 41 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 98,680 miles. Half of those reports fall between 49,000 and 130,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2008-2011 Titan, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Armada, and 2008-2009 Quest vehicles. The resin emblem on the driver's air bag cover may develop cracks and detach during air bag deployment.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver’s airbag cover. Owner letters were mailed December 8, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are…
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES THAT WERE EQUIPPED WITH A GARMIN NUVI MODEL 750 NAVIGATION SYSTEM. THE BATTERIES CONTAINED IN THE AFFECTED GPS UNITS CAN OVERHEAT.
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY GARMIN TECHNICIANS BY REPLACING THE BATTERY AND INSERTING A SPACER ON TOP OF THE BATTERY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON…
MARATHON IS RECALLING CERTAIN SEAT COVERS, BRAND SUPERHIDES WITH PART NUMBERS 593, 594, 578, 960, 228, 228-09, 267-08, 333, 625, AND 630, SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE SEAT COVERS ARE MADE OF HEAVIER THREAD AND…
Fix: MARATHON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE SEAT COVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MARATHON AT 1-800-735-2769.
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 2010 TITAN, ARMADA, QX56, FRONTIER, XTERRA, AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 19, 2009 THROUGH MARCH 3, 2010. THE LOWER CONTROL LINK ASSEMBLY HAS TWO CYLINDRICAL COLLARS FORMING THE INBOARD ATTACHMENT…
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 20, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
NISSAN HAS NOTIFIED NHTSA OF A DEFECT IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER, AND XTERRA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 22, 2010 TO MARCH 13, 2010. ON SOME OF THE POTENTIALLY AFFECTED VEHICLES, THE FASTENERS SECURING THE PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAG…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAG FASTENERS AND ANY MISSING FASTENERS WILL BE REPLACED AND ALL LOOSE FASTENERS WILL BE RETIGHTENED TO THE PROPER TORQUE…
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
96 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and airbags — are on file for the 2010 Nissan Xterra. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2010 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 2010 Nissan Xterra reliable?
The 2010 Nissan Xterra drew 58 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 7/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2010 Nissan Xterra problems?
The top reported problems for the 2010 Nissan Xterra are transmission & drivetrain (12 complaints), airbags (11), and electrical (8).
At what mileage do 2010 Nissan Xterra problems show up?
Owners most often report 2010 Nissan Xterra problems around 98,680 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 49,000 and 130,000 miles.
Does the 2010 Nissan Xterra have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2010 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.