2009 Nissan Xterra problems
Owners have filed 26 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Nissan Xterra. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 23% of complaints. Next are drivetrain & axles (19%) and engine (15%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 26 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 78,000 miles 21 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 | 4 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 21 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 78,000 miles.
None of these complaints report a crash, fire, injury or death. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 100% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2009 ranks 12th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Nissan Xterra with enough data (9 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 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.
We purchased a new 2009 nissan xterra on june 5, 2009. While driving the vehicle, the following dashboard warning lights come on for no known reason: brake, ABS, slip, tire sensor & vdc. Odometer fails to operate, mileage needle returns to the start position and does not show speed, and fails to register miles covered when the odometer fails. Cruise control fails to operate. The vehicle has been brought to the service department of the dealership on 5 different occasions.
Premature clutch failure in 2nd generation nissan xterra. Clutch burnt out at under 5000 miles without warning while driving in snow in 4wd lo. I have 20 years manual driving experience, and have never burned out a clutch. Dealership refused to pay for it because it is a wear item. Many others have had same problem - some with transmission disengaging without any notice which could be very dangerous on a highway. Many have described clutch as "exploded" or "totally shredded" when taken apart.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 nissan xterra. While driving 35 MPH, the contact attempted to engage the horn but had to apply extreme force for it to sound. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the failure was due to the air bag in the steering wheel. The vehicle had not been repaired and the failure continued when the contact attempted to engage the horn. The failure mileage was approximately 500 and the current mileage was approximately 26,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan xterra. The contact stated that she noticed that the rear hatch and rear bumper were completely corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician verified the failure and stated that the rear bumper and hatch door needed to be pulled off in order to be sanded and re-painted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 45,000 and the current mileage was 51,000.
I took my xterra in because it constantly blew hot air. Upon inspection I was informed of the TSB issued by nissan that the radiator tubes can crack and mix coolant with transmission fluid and that I was low on coolant because of that. The tech informed me that the leak was minimal but needed to be replaces asap. The radiator was replaced and lines flushed and also had to take my car into a trans expert to flush and inspect the transmission