2008 Nissan Xterra problems
Owners have filed 174 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Nissan Xterra. Drivetrain & axles is the most reported problem area, at 25% of complaints. Next are engine (17%) and air bags (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 174 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 11 and 6
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 95,000 miles 154 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 24 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 10 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 17 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 12 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 23 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 25 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 13 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 8 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 13 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 7 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 154 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 95,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 108,000 miles (40 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 11 complaints mention a crash; 6 complaints mention a fire; 6 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Nissan Xterra with enough data (67 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
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 side air bag had. The contact's son had broken his left thumb and had an injury on his left leg below his knee that produced some nerve damage.
I believe that my airbag deployed on it's own for no apparent reason resulting in knocking me unconscious thereby causing an accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 nissan xterra. The contact stated that a vehicle failed to yield at the red light and proceeded to crash into the contacts drivers door. The driver frontal air bag failed to deployed; however, the drivers frontal air bag light indicated that the air bag deployed. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries to the left should, elbow, back and hip. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 60,000.
While driving at 65 MPH, the engine suddenly stopped. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the failure. Gas, temp., and oil pressure were all normal. A private garage diagnosed the problem as a failure in the intelligent power distributor module (ipdm), and also the mass air flow sensor. Both parts were replaced (at my expense) and the car now runs well.
Airbag light constantly blinking after turn on the vehicle and does not go off. Not sure if airbags installed are from takata. At least, I review if there is any recall based on VIN # and there is no apparently recall in this unit. Very concerned due to the fact last years a main cable that connect the horn and other related components was installed.