KnownCarProblems2006 Nissan Xterra Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 780 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Nissan Xterra, most often about the fuel system (47% of complaints, typically around 60,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Xterra model year since 2000 and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2006 Nissan Xterra problems
Fuel system
368 complaints · 47%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, delivery.
About 5 minutes and approximately 3 miles after refueling my 2006 Nissan x-terra, the fuel gauge dropped to empty and the "low fuel light" came on. After leaving it parked for 20 minutes, I returned to the truck and when I started it the service engine soon light came on and the fuel gauge was still at empty. When I…
I have 2006 Nissan Xterra, fuel sending unit malfunctioning. Shows empty fuel tank even after filling. Check engine light comes on had the code read it says its the sending unit.
Transmission
268 complaints · 34%Half of these problems showed up before 109,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, manual transmission, clutch assembly.
Break in transmission cooling coil inside radiator caused coolant to flow into automatic transmission. Transmission slippage at highway speeds caused vehicle to slow. Loss of coolant in radiator caused engine overheating. Result: vehicle undrivable at highway speeds, no acceleration due to slippage, costly replacement…
Transmission failure due to issue with radiator defect. Radiator fluid leaked into transmission eventually caused catastrophic damage to transmission parts. Power train failure occurred while on the freeway almost 30 miles from home. My personal safety was definitely in peril and only due to skill and luck was an…
Engine
209 complaints · 27%Half of these problems showed up before 106,500 miles. Parts named most often: cooling system, engine, exhaust system.
I have a 2006 Nissan Xterra and driving my car it started driving like in neutral so I had my car towed and the shop told me there was a crack in the radiator hose that caused fluid to go into transmission and ruined it. I had my car towed to a Nissan dealer and they said yes they knew about this and had issued an…
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and fluid was leaking from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed that there was a coolant leakage which sipped into the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Electrical
41 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 67,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, wiring, ignition, instrument panel.
The contact noticed that all of the dashboard instruments were malfunctioning. The vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealership and the contact noticed beforehand that the air conditioner had stopped functioning. The current and failure mileage was at 66812. Bml
The gas sign drops after filling up indicating e with a light on and the check engine light comes on which has stayed on ever since june 5, 2009. There are times when we would switch drivers and wouldn't know how much gas there are, that's a problem. We purchased the Nissan x-terra in 2007, but it is the model year…
Other or unspecified
26 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 103,000 miles.
Car began overheating and even when allowed cool down time continued to run hot. Inspection shows that the car has transmission leaking into the radiator. Even when flushed and refilled - immediately mixes again. Car is not operable. Dealership indicates $5k to repair. The car has just passed 100,000 and is not…
The source of the contamination is a cracked atf line that runs through an engine coolant chamber in the radiator. I had to replace the radiator and the transmission.
Steering
22 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: hydraulic power assist system, column.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that the steering wheel was extremely loose. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer advised that they could not locate a failure with the steering. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic to get a front end alignment but was advised that the…
The problem with my vehicle is as follows. The upper steering column's bearing has deteriorated so bad the amount of play in the steering is about an inch in every direction. The cost of this repair as per the my local Nissan dealer is roughly $1000.00. I don't see how this can be considered normal wear in tear in a…
Air bags
20 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 90,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
The contact owned a 2006 Nissan Xterra. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed. The vehicle rolled over several times and was destroyed; however, the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained broken ribs and abdominal/torso contusions. The driver was pregnant and the…
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that the air bag light illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer stated that the type of air bags the vehicle was equipped with were no longer produced. The manufacturer was made aware of the…
Speed control
14 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 112,000 miles.
Driving home from work my vehicle started to tremble and shudder at speeds above 30-40 MPH. Eventually after much hesitation and loud engine revving I decided to pull over and turn the vehicle off. Turned it back on and got about a few hundred feet down the road when the same problem occurred. The transmission wasn't…
I stopped at a stop sign, when I accelerated it was like my vehicle was not getting any gas. I almost got hit due to the lack of power. I took my Xterra to the dealership where they informed me that my transmission fluid and coolant mixed due to a crack in the radiator. The radiator and transmission are ruined. I was…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Nissan Xterra recalls
Engine: engine and engine cooling
Risk: This could cause engine stalling increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Fuel system: auxillary tank
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.
Full defect summary
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.
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.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front czs with a redesigned sensor. The recall began on january 26, 2009. Owners in the other states will receive extended warranty coverage for the sensor to 10 years. These owners will be notified of the warranty extension by mail and will receive a sticker to place in their warranty booklet explaining the extended warranty coverage. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan is recalling 242,720 my 2005-2009 pathfinder, frontier and xterra vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. In those areas of the country which use heavy concentrations of road salt in the winter, a mixture of snow/water and salt can enter into the front crash zone sensor (czs) housing. If this occurs, the czs may internally rust resulting in a signal interruption. If this happens, the red air bag warning light will illuminate to alert the vehicle operator.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Transmission failures
Summary
On february 29, 2012 the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into my 2005-2010 nissan pathfinder, frontier, and xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.it will also be published in the federal register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfa
Questions about the 2006 Nissan Xterra
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Nissan Xterra?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: fuel system (368 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles); transmission (268 complaints, typically around 109,000 miles); engine (209 complaints, typically around 106,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Nissan Xterra have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 28, 2010 (engine). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Nissan Xterra?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Xterra model year since 2000, with 780 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.