Selling an Xterra that's done

Two generations

Nissan built the Xterra from April 1999 to August 2015 and sold it as a 2000 through 2015 model.

First generation, 2000-2004. Engines came from Decherd, Tennessee, and final assembly was at Smyrna. Nissan's 2004 press kit lists three engines: a 143-hp 2.4 four, a 180-hp 3.3 V6 and a 210-hp supercharged 3.3 V6. The supercharger arrived with the facelift shown at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show.

Second generation, 2005-2015. A 4.0-liter V6 with 261 hp and 281 lb-ft replaced all three. Buyers chose a 5-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual. For 2015, only the S 4x4 and PRO-4X offered the manual. Smyrna built it until 2012, when production moved to Canton, Mississippi.

The radiator and the transmission

The 2005 has the most complaints of any Xterra year, 845. The 2006 has 780 and the 2007 has 557. Of those 2,182, 826 talk about the transmission and the radiator, a cooler or coolant in the same complaint. Owners reported a median of 89,000 miles on the 2005 and 89,766 on the 2007.

Nissan's 2012 bulletin to dealers names the fault: an internal crack in the oil cooler tube inside the radiator, which lets engine coolant leak internally and reach the automatic transmission. The bulletin applied to every 2005-2010 Xterra, Frontier and Pathfinder with an automatic. It lengthened an earlier radiator extension by two years and 20,000 miles, to a decade or 100,000 miles. In year 9 the owner paid $2,500, and in year 10, $3,000. The extension also paid for transmission damage the leak caused; otherwise, the bulletin notes, transmission coverage ran 5 years or 60,000 miles.

That coverage is gone now; the youngest truck it named is well past a decade old.

The fuel gauge

Fuel system is the top complaint component on the 2006 and close behind on the 2005 and 2007. Of the 2,182 complaints on 2005-2007 trucks, 800 mention the fuel gauge, the sending unit or the fuel level.

One recall accounts for some of these. Under 10V075, the molded fuel tank on 2006 and 2008 Xterras, Frontiers and Pathfinders can deform until the sender's float arm hits a bump inside the tank. The needle can then sit near a quarter full with nothing left, and the truck can run dry and stall. Nissan replaced the sending unit at no charge. The recall does not name the 2005 or 2007.

Other recalls worth checking

• 2000-2003: a cracked fuel pump terminal on the sending unit can corrode and break, so the engine won't start or quits while driving (04V230, 586,196 vehicles).
• 2005-2006: an engine-control relay inside the intelligent power distribution module can quit and stall the truck (10V517).
• 2005-2009 in salt-belt states: road salt and slush can corrode the crash zone sensor up front, so the driver and passenger air bags might not go off in a crash (08V690). Separately, Nissan reprogrammed the air bag sensor unit on 2005-2011 trucks for free in campaign P7318.
• 2010-2012: lower control link welds on 2010s (10V208), oil cooler bolts that can leak on 2011-2012s (11V592) and front hubs that may be too soft on some 2012 two-wheel-drive trucks (12V462).

Complaints and recalls by model year

Our tally of NHTSA's records for each Xterra model year, made October 10, 2026. Each recall campaign appears under every year it names. The 2009-2015 trucks are grouped because their complaint counts are small; the second generation's final seven years have 121 between them.

Should you fix it?

Ask the shop to put its price on paper, and look at local listings for running Xterras with similar year and miles. A radiator leak caught early is one repair. A transmission that has been running on coolant is usually a second one, and the bad transmission guide explains what that involves. Check open recalls on your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you spend anything, and if the truck has sat for a long time, read selling a car that's been sitting.

Selling an Xterra whole

1. Gather the basics: VIN, mileage, 2WD or 4x4, automatic or manual, and what's wrong with it.
2. Get an offer online or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Where is it, and can it roll? A truck stuck in a yard or on a trailhead shoulder is fine.
4. Keep it whole. Leave on the roof rack, the wheels and the catalytic converters. Anything already sold off changes the offer.
5. At pickup, sign over the title and show ID. Plate rules vary; after you sell explains yours, and the no-title guide helps if the title is missing.