Grinding noise - requested help from dealer but no avail. I am wandering why the department of justice is not stepping in especially that the problems has escalated to radiator leakage and destroying transmissions and nissan bribed our lawyers in the class action. How about timing chains for gods sake. We're more hurt by nissan than vw..
Nissan Xterra pulling problems
13 of the 3,098 owner complaints about the Nissan Xterra describe pulls to one side, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 13
- worst model year
- 2002
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20062
- 20041
- 20029
- 20001
Often reported together
Grinding brakes 3Whining noise 1Loss of power 1Fuel gauge 1Check engine light 1
What owners say
I drive a 2005 xterra off-road - it seems as if my fuel level sensor is acting up - from what I read at other forums, this is a continuous problem with xterra, pathfinders, frontiers. I was wandering if nissan will have a recall for this problem.
1. After two months (4000 miles), I brought it into the dealer for service. They gave an alignment, which took two days because they said it was so far out of alignment. The car still pulled to the right, so I brought it in for service multiple times, and they always stated that they couldn't duplicate the problem. On 11/17/05, a non-dealership mechanic give an alignment. Again, they required that they keep my car for two days because the alignment was so messed up, and ultimately they said they could not align it. I took it to another independent mechanic, who claimed he aligned it, on 11/23/05. It still wasn't driving properly so I called the corporate headquarters, who told me to take it to a dealer. I paid for an alignment there on 12/1/05. However, the spec sheet they gave me showed that the sai was still out of spec. I took it to another dealer for service, and paid for yet another alignment on 12/13/05. However, the spec sheet they gave me showed that the caster and sai were out of spec. The service manager discovered the front end was raised too high, so they lowered it and gave another alignment, and the sai is still out of spec. The spec for sai ranges from 10.3 to 11.3 degrees, and my most recent alignment shows 9.64 on the left and 10.24 on the right. When I drove the vehicle brand new off the lot, it wasn't driving properly. At the time, I thought it would be easily fixable and no big deal. But the problem hasn't been resolved yet. The first alignment took two days, and it continued to pull after the alignment. It has always pulled, and the steering wheel twists when driving over bumps or when braking (even on flat surfaces.) 2. After three alignments in the past two months, my vehicle is still out of spec. No one is able to align it within spec. It is dangerous for a vehicle to be out of alignment because it does not allow the driver full control.
While driving 30 MPH steering wheel pulled to the right. Consumer managed to pull over vehicle, and had it towed to the dealership, but dealership did not resolve the problem.
Engine makes loud "whistling" sound; engine definitely lost power over the last year; will not go over 70-75 MPH; makes loud whining/grinding sound when shifting gears; pulls to the right all the while driving; using an extraordinary amount of gas. (consumer can also be emailed at [email protected])
Car pulls to the right since I bought it. I took it to the dealer several times about 4 to do an alignment and still the same its very dangerous.
This is a very solid, and stable vehicle in the snow and ice, (with studded snow tires, all season radials only work in florida) it handles well, and performs nicely for a small SUV. The only complaints that I have with this vehicle, is that the ride is a bit rough. And it is a bit uncomfortable for taller people on long rides. To those that are complaining about the vehicle pulling to the left and right. Cure #1, get the car aligned. #2, check the road you are driving on, the track width on the xterra is narrow, it may be catching a groove in the road. #3 check the tire pressures, to complaints about the braking....... Have the brakes checked, rotors, pads, or calipers could be sticking.
While driving vehicle pulls to the right or left. Also, when braking it tends to pull on either side making it hard to control.
While driving the vehicle pulls to the right, if the brakes are applied aggresively the vehicle runs of the road, as a result the dealer noticed that the tires were beginning to feather on the right side. Nlm
Vehicle pulls right. You need to keep your hands on the wheel at all times. Tires are feathering. I was driving on a three land highway. I had to hit my brakes and almost took out the car on the right side of me. This vehicle is dangerous. I also noticed that there were numerous other complaints of the same problem on your website. Dt
Related recalls
Steering: column
- What is wrong
- Nissan is recalling certain model year 2002-2004 frontier vehicles manufactured from july 9, 2001 through october 20, 2004, and model year 2002-2004, xterra vehicles manufactured from july 9, 2001, through january 6, 2005. Over time corrosion may form in the lower steering column joint and limit movement of the joint. The limited movement of this joint may create excessive load on the lower steering column shaft. If the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition, it may lead to cracking of the shaft during low speed maneuvers that require large steering inputs.
- Risk
- The shaft may break which could result in loss of steering control during these low speed maneuvers increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- The steering column shaft and joint will be replaced with a shaft of a different design. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall began on december 13, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 10V554000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Xterra pulling
Which Nissan Xterra years have pulls to one side problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (9 complaints), 2006 (2 complaints) and 2000 (1 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Nissan Xterra?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history