2002 Nissan Xterra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (14) · Vehicle Speed Control (10) · Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls (6)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Xterra model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
97 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Steering:column 2010-11-11 · campaign 10V554000 · 500,552 vehicles
Defect: NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2004 FRONTIER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 9, 2001 THROUGH OCTOBER 20, 2004, AND MODEL YEAR 2002-2004, XTERRA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 9, 2001, THROUGH JANUARY 6, 2005. OVER TIME CORROSION MAY FORM IN THE LOWER STEERING COLUMN JOINT AND LIMIT MOVEMENT OF THE JOINT. THE LIMITED MOVEMENT OF THIS JOINT MAY CREATE EXCESSIVE LOAD ON THE LOWER STEERING COLUMN SHAFT. IF THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO BE DRIVEN IN THIS CONDITION, IT MAY LEAD TO CRACKING
Risk: THE SHAFT MAY BREAK WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL DURING THESE LOW SPEED MANEUVERS INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: THE STEERING COLUMN SHAFT AND JOINT WILL BE REPLACED WITH A SHAFT OF A DIFFERENT DESIGN. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 13, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Service bulletins (74)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB17-019H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
window glass warranty information this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB13-028I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
removing foreign material from the window glass this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB09-081K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
windshield cracking this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 74 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-07-08 · Lane Departure: Assist · 💥 crash · 🔥 fire“the registered owner of this vehicle is registered tp the arab known as the polish polako missing a leg and is claiming to be a wanna be fake cop police. hes bald and on the thinner side and ugly. im being framed for rapes & murders that hes done along w\ everyone i know from my pass that are deseased and and still alive. i dont appreciate the trap…”
2024-12-05 · Seat Belts · 164,000 mi“the contact owns a 2002 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked with the rear passenger’s seat occupied, the rear passenger’s seat belt thread unraveled, and the buckle detached and remained latched. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 164,000. …”
2021-04-25 · Wheels · 205,000 mi“my wife's car was in need of two front tires so i took my vehicle to wheels 360- it was the only shop open and i was crunched on time. she is an emt and i am an educator so we do not have much spare time during the week. the shop over charged me for two low quantity tires. there were two workers replacing the tires on my vehicle. the worker replac…”
2021-03-06 · Steering · 155,000 mi · 💥 crash“my 2002 nissan xterra's airbags failed to deploy in a collision with a telephone pole at apx. 45 mph. the accident was on a badly maintained city street, the steering has been problematic even though i had an alignment done apx. 6 mo.s ago.…”
2021-03-01 · Service Brakes“loses pressure on the brakes, the steering wheel is moving sideways…”
2020-08-14 · Vehicle Speed Control · 188,000 mi“vehicle stalls at 100mph also abs light keeps coming on and off randomly brakes aren't bad but it's like they're going out. the brake pedal wobbles when stopping hard or on wet roads also when acceleratating and driving the rpm gauge will jimp up for a second and make the engine sound louder while it does it and also steering wheel feels loose some…”
2020-08-14 · Wheels · 188,000 mi“tires are recalled and cause the speedometer to register slower than actual speed…”
2020-08-02 · Service Brakes · 131,058 mi · 💥 crash“i had my brake boosters replaced on 05/22/2019.i was backing up slowly on 07/24/2020 in a parking lot of a convenience store. as i was backing up, i tried to apply the brakes and they became stiff. i tried to pump harder on the brakes and they would not stop the vehicle in which it was to late and my car collided into a utility pole.…”
2019-06-10 · Steering · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owned a 2002 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph, the vehicle steered out of control and the vehicle overturned five times. a police report was filed. the contact sustained a laceration to the elbow and body pains while her passenger sustained several lacerations and bruises from the seat bel…”
2019-01-18 · Service Brakes · 190,000 mi · 💥 crash“upon slowing down for a red traffic light brake pedal got hard not allowing vehicle to stop and vehicle also starting rapidly accelerating without pressing the gas pedal.resulted in a crash with a stopped vehicle at the traffic light.no serious injuries thankfully.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.