2005 Nissan Xterra: whining or grinding noise

6 of the 845 complaints about the 2005 Nissan Xterra describe whining or grinding noise.

owner complaints: 6
of this car's complaints: 1%
typical mileage: 130,000
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 8 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Whining or grinding noise by model year

2015
1
2008
2
2007
6
2006
11
2005
6
2002
2
2000
1

What owners say

Filed Aug 26, 2020 · Engine · 247,352 miles · AL

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.

Filed Feb 22, 2016 · Engine · 158,000 miles · TX

The timing chain guides are faulty and at this time I am hearing the whining noise that has been described from several other complaints. It is known that this can completely destroy the engine and fail at any given time, possibly causing an accident or death because of the accident caused by this issue

Filed Sep 29, 2015 · Transmission · 120,000 miles · CA

Transmission abruptly failed over the course of less than 10 minutes. The vehicle was moving at approximately 30 MPH, starting making a whining noise, and then motive power stopped being transmitted to the wheels. Final diagnosis is still pending, but symptoms match other widely-reported failures due to mixing of engine coolant into the transmission fluid.

Filed Aug 11, 2015 · Engine · 130,000 miles · NY

I just purchased my 2005 xterra used from a lot, and only after seeing great reviews on edmunds.com and cars.com did I realize the terrible problems these cars have. There's a terribly high-pitched whine coming from the engine bay at all speeds, which my mechanic told me over the phone is likely the timing chain/chain tensioner system and that it's well known on this model year. He said very low-quality parts were used in the construction of the chain system and that it's prone to critical failure. That kind of fix is anywhere between $1,000 and $2,000. Apparently, just like the transmission and radiator failures, nissan covered this problem up as best they could and preferred to endanger customers and hand out waivers when people asked specifically instead of owning up to the problem and fixing it outright. Appalling.

Filed Dec 4, 2013 · Engine, Transmission · 94,500 miles · PA

I began to have vibration in my vehicle when I reached speeds of 45 MPH and got worse around 65 MPH. I took my car to nissan twice in aug. 2013 and was told it was road vibration. In early nov. I took my car to my local mechanic for this problem and was told the vibration wasn't road vibration and that it was either my drive shafts or transmission. On nov. 17th I drove from altoona pa to upper marlboro md and arrived around 2 am. I went to drive my car into dc on the morning of the 18th and when I put it in reverse it backed up, but when I put it in drive it wouldn't drive forward. After shifting through the gears for a few minutes my car drove forward so I parked it in my driveway. My car hasn't been able to be driven since. When I put it in gear and press the gas the engine just revs. When I start my car I can hear the engine and transmission making a whining noise. My radiator also broke in late august of 2013 and needed to be replaced.

Filed Nov 26, 2010 · Transmission · 70,000 miles · MD

The engine in my 2005 nissan xterra (4wd) began making a slight whining noise. I was notified that the noise was a drive belt. After replacing that item, a slight knocking could be heard. As I was traveling along a major highway my vehicle shut off and forced me to avoid a collision and coast off the roadway. I learned that the noise was from a timing chain inside my engine. The mechanic advised multiple nissan vehicles had been getting the timing chain replaced, and that this was very unusual for a vehicle like mine with only 70,000 miles. The repairs for this cost over $1000 including a tow charge, rental car etc.