VehicleVerdict

2005 Nissan Xterra engine problems

The 2005 Nissan Xterra has 282 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 24% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

282

Engine complaints

24%

Share of year

0

Crash-involved

1

Related recalls

Engine complaints by year

Xterra engine complaints by model year282 complaints2000: 37 complaints2001: 20 complaints2002: 33 complaints2003: 13 complaints2004: 14 complaints2005: 282 complaints2006: 211 complaints2007: 160 complaints2008: 31 complaints2009: 4 complaints2010: 5 complaints2011: 6 complaints2012: 4 complaints2013: 2 complaints2014: 1 complaints
Xterra engine complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

10V517000EngineOctober 28, 2010 · 747,480 units

Defect

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 ARMADA, TITAN, INFINITI QX56 AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER AND XTERRA VEHICLES. THE INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (IPDM) ASSEMBLY CONTAINS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) RELAY THAT HAS A DIODE FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT NOISE REDUCTION. THE ECM RELAY MAY ALLOW SILICON VAPOR TO FORM AND, OVER TIME, THE SILICON EVAPORATES FROM THE DIODE MOLDING WHICH CAUSES SILICON OXIDE TO DEVELOP ON THE ECM RELAY CONTACT DUE TO ARCING.

Consequence

THIS COULD CAUSE ENGINE STALLING INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ECM RELAY INSIDE THE IPDM ASSEMBLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

What owners report

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN XTERRA. WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE SEIZED AND SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION, RADIATOR, AND ANOTHER COMPONENT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · May 21, 2015 · fire

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 2005 Nissan Xterra have?

NHTSA has 282 complaints about the 2005 Nissan Xterra engine — 24% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2005 Nissan Xterra engine?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the engine: 10V517000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.