2008 Nissan Xterra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (38) · Air Bags (15) · Fuel/Propulsion System (8)
🧭 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
105 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Air Bags:frontal 2023-02-10 · campaign 23V067000 · 404,690 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A detached emblem can become a projectile during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Fix: Dealers will replace the drivers 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 PC944, PC945, and PC946.
Equipment:electrical:navigational System(Global Positioning System) 2010-09-10 · campaign 10V401000 · 7,948 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: OVERHEATED BATTERIES COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
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 SEPTEMBER 16, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GARMIN DIRECTLY AT 1-866-957-1981 OR NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm 2010-05-20 · campaign 10E019000 · 1,873 vehicles
Defect: 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 FOR MODEL YEAR 2004 THROUGH 2010 TITAN, ARMADA, AND QX56, AND MODEL YEARS 2005 THROUGH 2010 FRONTIER, XTERRA, AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE LOWER CONTROL LINK ASSEMBLY HAS TWO CYLINDRICAL COLLARS FORMING THE INBOARD ATTACHMENT POINTS TO THE CH
Risk: IF THE COLLAR WELD SEPARATES, THE VEHICLE HANDLING WILL DETERIORATE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:auxillary Tank 2010-03-03 · campaign 10V075000 · 80,689 vehicles
Defect: 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 PANEL FUEL GAUGE TO SHOW THAT THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER TANK WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS EMPTY.
Risk: THIS COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO RUN OUT OF GAS AND STALL IN TRAFFIC, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
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 BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 22, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Service bulletins (93)
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
Air Bags 2024-07-08 · NTB23-081C · Service Campaign
voluntary safety recall campaign 2005-2013 frontier, pathfinder, and xterra; driver air bag cover campaign id #: pc945 and pc948 applied vehicles: 2005-2013 frontier (d40) 2005-2012 pathfinder (r51) 2005-2013 xterra (n50) check service comm or dealer business systems (dbs) national service history t
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.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-027D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication – network diagnostic flow chart this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB10-066C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication codes – diagnostic tips and guidelines 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 93 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-08-11 · Power Train:automatic Transmission · 225,000 mi“the contact owns a 2008 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the contact shifted the vehicle into drive, and the vehicle unexpectedly went into reverse with no warning light illuminated. the contact restarted the vehicle, and the failure reoccurred. the contact stated that the instrument panel displayed that the gear s…”
2023-10-19 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2008 nissan xterra. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v067000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time…”
2023-10-12 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2008 nissan xterra. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v067000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amou…”
2023-08-22 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2008 nissan xterra. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v067000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aw…”
2023-03-20 · Air Bags · 160,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owned a 2008 nissan xterra. the contact's son was driving the vehicle at approximately 25 mph when he hydroplaned on a wet road and crashed into a wall built along the side of the road. the contact stated that her son crashed into the wall head-on. the contact stated that the driver's side air bag had not deployed, and the passenger sid…”
2022-11-23 · Power Train · 💥 crash“driving and transfer case locked up sending me in to oncoming traffic and guardrail…”
2022-04-23 · Unknown Or Other“a leak developed in the radiator that allowed engine coolant into the automatic transmission and visa versa. engine coolant in the automatic transmission can cause sudden failure of the transmission which could cause an accident. this is a known design flaw of nissan transmissions. nissan has refused to issue a recall and class actions have been su…”
2021-12-21 · Service Brakes, Air · 140,000 mi“the contact owns a 2008 nissan xterra. the contact stated while driving 30 mph and making a right turn, she heard an abnormal sound while depressing on the brake pedal. the contact stated that the anti-lock braking system (abs) & the vehicle dynamic control (vdc) warning lights were illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to the local dealer howe…”
2021-10-12 · Service Brakes“the brake master cylinder failed multiple times, leaving the system in bypass mode. the resulting delay in braking led to potential collision on multiple occasions.…”
2021-07-25 · Power Train · 💥 crash“total transmission and radiator failure. a dealership "fixed" the coolant contamination problem when nissan offered the warrantied coverage for what's known as smod. all the dealership did was flush the transmission and radiator. they did not repair or replace any components even after being berated by my husband to do so and to do it under the cov…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.