Total Complaints
1034 filings
NISSAN XTERRA · model year
1034 NHTSA complaints, 18 crash reports, and 5 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2006NISSANXTERRA carries 1034 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 18 crashes, 3 fires, 27 injuries, and 1 fatality. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2006 XTERRA is power train with 240 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline (204) and engine (104). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 5 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 54 investigation files overlapping the 2006 XTERRA, and 5 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
1034 filings
Crashes Reported
18 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 240 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 204 |
| ENGINE | 104 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 94 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 78 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK | 38 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER | 37 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 33 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 26 |
| STEERING | 20 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 18 |
| AIR BAGS | 16 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | 16 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 14 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM | 8 |
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
NISSAN IS RECALLING 242,720 MY 2005-2009 PATHFINDER, FRONTIER AND XTERRA VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PEN
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
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 REDU
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN FRONT AND REAR LOWER LINKS, P/NOS. 54501ZQ00A, 54500ZQ00A, 551A1ZQ00A, 551A0ZQ00A , 54501EA00A, 54500EA00A, 551A1EA500, 551A0EA500, 54501ZR00A, AND 54500ZR00A, SOLD BETWEEN NOVEMBER 25, 2009 AND MAY 14, 2010 AS REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR MODEL YEAR 2004 THROUGH 2010 TITAN, ARM
EQUIPMENT
CERTAIN HOPKINS AFTERMARKET TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL CONNECTION HARNESSES SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN MODELS OF NISSAN VEHICLES WHICH ARE LISTED ABOVE. THE INTERNAL PART NUMBERS WITHIN HOPKINS ARE: 1010476025, 1040376025, 1110476025, 1170376025, 1290376025, 1010476035, 1040376035, 1110476035, 1170376035,
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 AND MODEL YEAR 2008 FRONTIER, XTERRA AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE MOLDED FUEL TANK SHELLS CAN DEFORM, CAUSING THE FUEL SENDER FLOAT ARM TO CONTACT AN EMBOSSMENT MOLDED INTO THE TANK SHELL CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FUEL GAUGE TO SHOW THAT THE VEHICLE
I have a lot of ticking and stalling lights are blinking I think itâs may be the transmission and I smell gas inside the vehicle.
I have a lot of ticking and stalling lights are blinking I think itâs may be the transmission and I smell gas inside the vehicle.
I have a lot of ticking and stalling lights are blinking I think itâs may be the transmission and I smell gas inside the vehicle.
17
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the front passenger's side air bag intermittently. The front passenger's side air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was provided a cost for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
Mileage: 145,000
THE TIMING CHAIN HAS CAUSED MY VEHICLE TO DIE ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY HIGHWAY I WAS ALMOST HIT BY A FEW CARS. i HAD TO DRIVE MY CAR GOING ONLY 40 MPH ALL THE WAY BECASUE THAT IS ALL IT WOULD DO. IT HAS A VERY LOUD NOISE AND IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE ON THE ROAD ANYMORE. I HAVE READ AND NISSAN SHOULD REPLACE THESE BECAUSE ALOT OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEM YES MY CAR IS AVAILABLE FOR IMSPECTION i HAVE REGULAR KEPT MAINTENENCE ON IT NO THERE WERE NO WARNING LAMPS AT ALL JUST LOUD NOISE AND THEN NO COMPRESSION
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Timing chains making noises and I have change my oil and it still making the noise...
Timing chains making noises and I have change my oil and it still making the noise...
Car just shut off in traffic loosing all power and braking causing me to crash into the back of a stopped car at a red-light. After inspection from a mechanic shop, they informed me that something in the computer had fried causing the car to shut off, and it had also caused the transmission control unit module to go bad making the car not drive able.
Car just shut off in traffic loosing all power and braking causing me to crash into the back of a stopped car at a red-light. After inspection from a mechanic shop, they informed me that something in the computer had fried causing the car to shut off, and it had also caused the transmission control unit module to go bad making the car not drive able.
Car just shut off in traffic loosing all power and braking causing me to crash into the back of a stopped car at a red-light. After inspection from a mechanic shop, they informed me that something in the computer had fried causing the car to shut off, and it had also caused the transmission control unit module to go bad making the car not drive able.
Engine noise: - Noise coming from time belt support - The timing chain guide wore out fast. - Timing chain guide inner plastic wore out causing chain to rely metal bracket then the metal causing noise and eventually break the the timing chain.
Check engine light is on and fuel gauge does not work Can go from full to empty Stays on empty even though I know there is gasoline in tank Has caused us to run out of gas middle of nowhere
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle was shaking. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the catalytic converter; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed back to the independent mechanic, who diagnosed that there was an engine misfire and the other catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,900.
Mileage: 136,900
On the invoice/receipt the part of automobile is Plenium Seal CK WP. The remarks/labor description on invoice indicates repairing vacuum hose at read of throttle. My car simply stalled while driving on a main busy street. Fortunately, it was on a holiday (Feb 21, 2022) and there were no school crossings on this day!. I was shaken up, anxious. There was a nearby (with in a quarter mile or so) an independent auto repair/service shop and I was able to have them fix the issue. I feel this is a safety issue, as this could have been worse, and stalled while driving on the freeway. I will be writing to the manufacturer to inform them what has happened. There were no other warning signs prior to the vehicle stalling while driving.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with the fuel level warning light illuminated. The fuel gauge failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was towed to a parking lot. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer nor independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 159,000.
Mileage: 159,000
The transmission was destroyed because a factory default with the radiator leaking antifreeze and transmission fluid into the transmission causing my transmission to self destruct. my safety was not safe since Nissan knew about the defect and I could have ceased into Anything at any time. There was no warning lights it just self destruct. Nissan has done nothing to inspect their failure. It is a well known problem.
My engine self destruct because Nissan used cheap made plastic tensioners that shredded metal into my engine causing it to self destruct. Nissan knew about this problem and continued installing these tensioners from 2005-2015. I could have crashed into anything while driving or someone could have hit me if my engine wouldâve died while driving. My safety was not prioritized by Nissan. The warning light was a whining noise coming from the engine while startup and pressing on the gas pedal. So they knew the problem existed but didnât care.
Driver Airbag Inflator Rupture
Inner Tie Rod Failures
Side curtain air bags may deploy inadvertently
Reduced Power After Engine Stall
Loss of motive power due to broken crankshaft with no ability to restart.
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.