Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan xterra. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed and the engine stalled. The failure occurred without warning. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. The vehicle was towed to anything automotive (located at 1228 e river rd, dixon, il 61021; (815) 285-3035) where the mechanic stated that the back seat was catching fire. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the fuel sending unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted at 800‑647‑7261 and stated that the vehicle was too old and nothing could be done. Case number: 27261028 was provided. The contact also stated that the previous owner of the vehicle had a recall in 2004 for the fuel sending unit. The contact believed that the repair was not repaired correctly or the replacement part was faulty. The failure mileage was 170,000.
2002 Nissan Xterra: wrong fuel gauge reading
7 of the 157 complaints about the 2002 Nissan Xterra describe wrong fuel gauge reading.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 109,000
- recalls
- 1
Wrong fuel gauge reading by model year
What owners say
My wife was driving her nissan xterra when the vehicle engine suddenly died in traffic in a multi-lane street with heavy traffic. She had to get out of the car and, with the help of our son, push it off to the side of the road to clear the street. The failure was found later to be a bad fuel pump and bad fuel sending unit. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop that did the diagnosis and isolated the fault to those two components. They replaced the fuel pump and sending unit, as well as the fuel filter and strainer. During the conversation with the repair shop (not a nissan dealership) they mentioned that there was a nissan recall out for the sending unit, and that I ought to be reimbursed by nissan. When I contacted nissan they told me I could not be reimbursed because the recall / repair had already been done on this same vehicle in 2005. If the recall was done correctly by the dealership, this item should not have failed when my wife was driving it.
My car was recalled for a problem connected to the fuel sending unit in 2006. It has now been back in for repair for the fuel sending unit over 14 times in the past 4 years. The past several repairs have been made via the guidance of engineers at from the main factory and yet my car is still having the same problem and the dealership nor the main company are willing to take responsibility.
Check engine light is on and a there is an obvious smell of gasoline on the drivers side in the back of the vehicle. Dealer tells me that the fuel tank needs to be replaced and this is a common issue with them as they rust around the top of the tank. This is a separate issue from the fuel sending unit recall that has been done to these vehicles.
I was driving down the highway at 65 MPH when my engine died. I cruised it to the side of the road and attempted to start it again, but it would not turn over. I could smell gas. After having it towed, we initially determined fuel pump failure. Once the repair was initiated, we found that the wire to the fuel sending unit was corroded and had heated up enough to cause a pea size hole in the plug. After some research I found that there was a recall for this exact failure completed on my vehicle in 12/2004, but instead of replacing the unit, they only sprayed sealant on the wire (because no corrosion was found) to prevent corrosion in the future. We replaced the sending unit, fuel pump and fuel filter. The old part is still available for inspection. I am filing a complaint with nissan. I am not the original owner.
I was driving when suddenly the engine of my 2002 nissan xterra with approximately 50,000 miles just shut down and caused difficulty with steering and braking of the vehicle. *ak I had to have the vehicle towed to the nissan dealership. It appear the dealer know the cause of the problem just by speaking to me on the telephone. After a diagnosis, the dealership stated the the problem was with the fuel sending unit and that it would require replacement. The issue that I have is that with the extreme danger associated with this issue and after research on the internet of other xterra owners who experienced this problem that nissan is not doing a proactive role and recalling this part if it is prone to such failure.
When driving at a determined speed consumer noticed a loss of fuel on the fuel gauge. Consumer had contacted dealer about this issue, and mechanic determined that fuel tank failed.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks equipped with six cylinder engines and sport utility vehicles equipped with four or six cylinder engines, the fuel pump terminal on the fuel-sending unit can develop a crack in the plastic molding. This can cause the terminal strip to corrode under some environmental conditions.
- Risk
- If corrosion occurs, the terminal strip could eventually break causing the fuel pump to stop operation. This will result in not being able to start the engine or cause the engine to stop running without warning, which can result in a crash.
- Remedy
- In the following states, dealers will replace the fuel-sending unit. These states are connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, tennessee, vermont, virginia, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. In the other states, the dealer will inspect the fuel pump terminal on the sending unit for corrosion. If corrosion is present, the dealer will replace the unit. If there is not corrosion, the dealer will apply sealant to the terminal housing to help prevent corrosion in the future. Owner notification began on june 28, 2004. Owners should contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 04V230000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2002 Nissan Xterra fuel gauge
Is wrong fuel gauge reading a common problem on the 2002 Nissan Xterra?
7 of 157 owner complaints about the 2002 Nissan Xterra (4%) mention wrong fuel gauge reading. The model year with the most reports is 2006.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2002 Nissan Xterra?
There is 1 recall and 0 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2002 Nissan Xterra
Stalling 19ABS 11Airbag light 9Pulling 9Check engine light 8No deployment 6Jerking 5Loss of power 5Won't start 5
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