no report yet
Engine and engine cooling
Risk. THIS COULD CAUSE ENGINE STALLING INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
2005 Nissan XterraProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 845 owner complaints about the 2005 Nissan Xterra, most often about the power train. It is covered by 3 safety recalls.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through February 25, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Public domain.
Complaints by system
Where the 2005 Nissan Xterra has problems
845 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
412Power train3 crash/fire/injury
242Fuel system, gasoline1 crash/fire/injury
167Engine and engine cooling1 crash/fire/injury
114Engine2 crash/fire/injury
49Fuel system, other
39Electrical system
32Fuel/propulsion system
19Air bags
12Vehicle speed control
5414 other systems
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Power train | 412 | 3 |
| Fuel system, gasoline | 242 | 1 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 167 | 1 |
| Engine | 114 | 2 |
| Fuel system, other | 49 | 1 |
| Electrical system | 39 | 3 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 32 | 0 |
| Air bags | 19 | 4 |
| Vehicle speed control | 12 | 0 |
| 14 other systems | 54 | 8 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
3 recalls
2005 Nissan Xterra recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
no report yet
Air bags: frontal
Risk. THIS ISSUE COULD RESULT IN THE NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAGS IN A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
no report yet
Trailer hitches
Risk. THIS COULD RESULT IN THE TRAILER SEPARATING FROM THE VEHICLE AND CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Nissan.
Mileage at failure
When do power train problems start?
104kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 388 power train complaints. 43% were reported before 100,000 miles.
13under 30k miles168under 100k miles220100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Power train
72 owners mentioned a cost$4,500median
Middle half: $2,950 – $5,515
Fuel system, gasoline
49 owners mentioned a cost$600median
Middle half: $500 – $600
Engine and engine cooling
21 owners mentioned a cost$4,326median
Middle half: $1,463 – $5,000
Engine
19 owners mentioned a cost$3,865median
Middle half: $3,005 – $5,000
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2005 vs. every other Xterra year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Xterra median. How we score
'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
NHTSA crash tests
2005 Nissan Xterra safety ratings
2005 Nissan Xterra 4-DR in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
Frontal crashNot rated
Side barrierNot rated
- Stability control: Optional
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
1 investigation
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2005 Nissan Xterra, and the recalls they led to.
- Transmission FailuresNo recall
In owners' words
What Xterra owners report
Recent power train complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
I have a 2005 Nissan Xterra. I am the original owner and have been driving it over 16 years. Two years ago, in 2020 while driving my car on the road and with kids inside (with a 1 year old and a 6 year old child), the car began to shake and turned off (we were stranded in the middle of the road, at…
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated she was able to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle stalled after driving 50 feet. The vehicle was not drivable. The…
Bought vehicle from used from private owner a year ago and noticed less then two weeks later while driving including on the freeway the engine just turns off with no steering control, almost no brake control, and sometimes takes a few minutes to start up again just to get out of the way of other…
Own a 2005 Xterra?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.