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.
2005 Nissan Xterra: check engine light
143 of the 845 complaints about the 2005 Nissan Xterra describe check engine light.
- owner complaints
- 143
- of this car's complaints
- 17%
- typical repair cost reported
- $600
- typical mileage
- 68,400
- recalls
- 1
Check engine light by model year
What owners say
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.
In 2019 got an incident with my nissan xterra's transmission. Something failed in the transmission that when I was driving it all of the sudden started to slowdown so I park and it got towed and took it to the mechanic. They charged me 2000 to fix it. And since then the engine light comes on. So after months I took it to a mechanic again and the guy said the radiation is sending water into the transmission that's why the transmission was failing
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle shook violently and did not shift gears. In addition, the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who performed a bypass and flushed the transmission. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic who specialized in transmission service. The transmission was flushed and the filter was changed. The technician also located failure codes 1754 and 1759. The contact called rosen nissan of madison (located at 2510 w beltline hwy, madison, wi 53713) and was informed that the mechanic who performed the bypass wrecked the vehicle. The contact was informed that nothing could be done. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
On 3/14 I went to work as I work where I live when to drive the truck and it would not accelerate. Was like being in 4th gear even though I was in first gear. I then noticed the check engine light came on. I borrowed a code reader and got the code p1769 called the mechanic and they came and towed to shop. The code wasn't what was wrong the radiator leaked into the transmission and it destroyed the transmission. The mechanic rebuilt entire tranny re ran cooling lines and added two cooling fans. He had to buy a brand new valve body and rebuild entire transmission as it was destroyed by the antifreeze. We did see this was a problem with this year nissan and no recall was ever done. The vehicle was in the shop for almost 8 weeks and the amount it cost to repair was a months worth of bring home pay for my self and wife who is disabled. The truck is repaired now thankfully but would of been nice to have nissan foot some of this bill for sure
Check engine light came. Gas gauge reads empty even after you fill it up completely. Diagnostic code p0463, fuel level sensor. The fuel gauge does not accurately state the amount of fuel in the tank. This issue is known to nissan and the federal safety agency. It is a safety issue as you never know how much gas is left in the tank or how many miles you can go. This was previously recalled for certain 2006, 2007 and 2008 xterras. Not sure why it hasn't been for the 2005 model year as it is the same issue.
While driving my xterra which has 65000 miles approximately, my gas gauge dropped from 3/4 tank to below empty. My check engine light came on and my car immediately stopped in the road. I had to be towed where I was told I have p0463 and my car was out of gas. I was told this is a major problem with. Issa xterra. I went to dealer to get it replaced and they said $700. I see that this is too common an issue. I think the manufacturer should be responsible for this defect. I'm just happ happy I wasn't driving on the highway when it stopped. Luckily I was on side road.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after some time. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The vehicle was also taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was contamination of coolant in the transmission and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle failed to shift into third gear and the vehicle decelerated. The check engine light illuminated. The dealer diagnosed that the coolant was leaking into the transmission and the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
I purchased this car used from a dealer with approx 64,000 miles. After 2 days and less than 200 miles the car started shuddering as if I was driving over rumble strips and the check engine light came on. The next morning when I went to take it to the dealer there was a horrible rattling sound coming from under the hood that softened as the car warmed up. Needless to say that both of the more common complaints about this car raised their ugly heads at the same time: transmission and timing chains!! I took it to my local nissan dealer for evaluation and repair and was told that the cost would be between $8-9,000. Thank god for aftermarket warranty. Anyway... If nissan does not intend to issue a recall, there should be a disclosure on carfax/autocheck/etc for these significant problems.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. The contact stated that the check engine soon warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the radiator fractured which caused an oil and coolant mixture, which damaged the transmission. The contact was informed that the radiator and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
Transmission has failed at 135,000. Fuel gauge does not work.check engine light stays illuminated, therefore I am unaware of any additional issues, and cannot pass emissions in atlanta, ga, therefore I cannot renew my tag.
Service bulletins that may apply
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
Questions about the 2005 Nissan Xterra check engine light
Is check engine light a common problem on the 2005 Nissan Xterra?
143 of 845 owner complaints about the 2005 Nissan Xterra (17%) mention check engine light. The model year with the most reports is 2006.
How much does it cost to fix check engine light on the 2005 Nissan Xterra?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $600 (median of 40 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2005 Nissan Xterra?
There is 1 recall and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2005 Nissan Xterra
Fuel gauge 262Transmission failure 115Stalling 48Overheating 28Slipping 28Jerking 23Loss of power 21Won't shift 17Won't start 16Fuel pump 13Shudder 13Airbag light 11Hesitation 10Grinding brakes 8Engine failure 8Knocking 7Whining noise 6Water leak 5
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