Reliability & cost of ownership
Nissan Xterra Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Nissan Xterra? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Nissan Xterra problems by model year
58 recall entries and 3097 owner complaints on file across 16 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Xterra | 0 | 10 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2014 Xterra | 0 | 9 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2013 Xterra | 0 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2012 Xterra | 2 | 15 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2011 Xterra | 2 | 24 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 Xterra | 6 | 38 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2009 Xterra | 5 | 19 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2008 Xterra | 8 | 119 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2007 Xterra | 2 | 557 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2006 Xterra | 5 | 780 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2005 Xterra | 6 | 845 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2004 Xterra | 3 | 84 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 Xterra | 3 | 72 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Xterra | 6 | 157 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 Xterra | 5 | 150 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 Xterra | 5 | 214 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Nissan Xterra, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- power train1032 complaints
- fuel system861 complaints
- gasoline721 complaints
- engine and engine cooling440 complaints
- engine375 complaints
- fuel/propulsion system231 complaints
- electrical system204 complaints
- air bags176 complaints