The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled inadvertently on several occasions. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road on several occasions. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted, and the contact continued driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Intelligent Power Distribution Module (IPDM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 10V517000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
2005 Nissan Xterra engine problems
280 complaints (33% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 102,000.
- owner complaints
- 280
- of this car's complaints
- 33%
- typical mileage
- 102,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Cooling system23
- Cooling system: radiator assembly16
- Exhaust system2
- Engine2
- Exhaust system: emission control1
- Engine: gasoline: belts and associated pulleys1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Nissan Xterra engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2005 Nissan Xterra engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Check engine light 143Stalling 48Overheating 28Loss of power 21Won't start 16Engine failure 8Knocking 7
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 10V517000 · Recall details
What 2005 Nissan Xterra owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle was losing motive power. The service engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle stalled with the accelerator pedal depressed. The contact stated that the vehicle moved forward and stopped suddenly intermittently. On another occasion, the A/C became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and unknown repairs were performed. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was not insured due to the several failures, and the not being able to be repaired. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23E012000 (AIR BAGS). The vehicle was not repaired for the recent failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
I have a 2005 Nissan Xterra. I am the original owner and have been driving it over 16 years. Two years ago, in 2020 while driving my car on the road and with kids inside (with a 1 year old and a 6 year old child), the car began to shake and turned off (we were stranded in the middle of the road, at a traffic light). Since it was my only means of transportation I kept driving it (no kids inside anymore--which was another HUGE inconvenience having to coordinate and at times pay for babysitters). During my continued usage, it will continue to fail to accelerate causing great danger on the freeway and or on public roads. After a while, I managed to drive it to a transmission shop, who told me they had to either hold onto the car or have it towed--as it was deemed unsafe to drive. Upon inspection, the transmission shop confirmed "coolant bypassed into transmission," among other issues (vehicle does not accelerate, chick engine light is on, etc.) I paid with credit card, $4359.34. Once paid and transmission shop fixed issue, I continued to drive the car with family inside. Now two years later July 2022--I am experiencing the same "vehicle does not accelerate" issue.
Bought vehicle from used from private owner a year ago and noticed less then two weeks later while driving including on the freeway the engine just turns off with no steering control, almost no brake control, and sometimes takes a few minutes to start up again just to get out of the way of other vehicles. Now it’s overheating and leaking coolant on front passenger side floor along with the ground now shutting off more frequently . Also shortly after I bought the vehicle I could hear squeaking noises from under vehicle while driving over the smallest bump and every turn and is so loud it’s heard from 2 small streets away and feels like any second the body might separate from the wheels. I’m not sure about the rest.
Airbag light stays on then about a month ago it started stalling and didn't want to take off almost got me killed. And now the o2 sensors blink is on and shift solenoid what's next I love my nissan but it's almost gotten me killed 4 times.
Tl* the contact called on behalf of her neighbor who owns the 2005 nissan xterra. The contact stated that while the driver was driving, the vehicle would make a whining noise as if the vehicle was out of fuel. In addition, the contact also stated that the vehicle failed to start when the driver attempted to drive and on another occasion while the driver was driving, the vehicle stalled and a unknown security warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for a diagnostic testing. The contact also mentioned the same failure occurred while she was driving the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 247,352.
Transmission failure. Started car and had no power when pulling out into street. Seemed to drive in 4th gear.
On 8/2542018 I was driving my 2005 nissan xterra down a highway in the suburbs of phoenix, az and when driving the vehicle abruptly began to jerk and go out of gear and would not accelerate. There was no warning on my dash that would tell me there was an issue and I had to wait in the car for approximately 2 hours in the 105 degree heat for a tow truck without water. I had the car towed to my mechanic and was told that the transmission fluid had been mixing with my coolant which was a common problem with the design of that year and nissan tried to wipe this under the rug. I am in need of an entire new transmission and my car has 82k miles on it and is now 13 years old. Nissan agreed to pay for the cost for a period of time but if a recall had been issued, this problem could have been fixed for under "$150. I would greatly appreciate your assistance in helping me recover the damages that should be paid for by nissan as they were aware of this problem and did nothing to assist me .
Transmission radiator and low oil pressure failure
Issue with the transmission cooler leaking after the extended warranty expired. Sluggish to run, etc. Nissan already knew this was an issue and should have recalled all vehicles and corrected the issue. Now I am out almost $3000.00 paying for an issue that nissan knew about but is not willing to correct.
Questions about the 2005 Nissan Xterra engine
Does the 2005 Nissan Xterra have engine problems?
Owners have filed 280 complaints about the engine of the 2005 Nissan Xterra, 33% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2005 Nissan Xterra engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 102,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Nissan Xterra engine?
Yes, 1 recall: 10V517000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Nissan Xterra have bad engine?
The Nissan Xterra model years with the most engine complaints are 2005 (280 complaints), 2006 (209 complaints) and 2007 (160 complaints).
Other 2005 Nissan Xterra problems
Transmission 412Fuel system 323Electrical 39Airbags 19Acceleration 12Steering 10Driver assistance 8Suspension 8Visibility 5Body 4Brakes 4Lights 3Locks 1Wheels 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2005 Nissan Xterra?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history