2005 Nissan XTERRA - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2005 Nissan Xterra 4-DR has received a mixed safety rating according to the available data. While it scored a 4 out of 5 for both the front crash driver side and front crash passenger side ratings, it received a top score of 5 out of 5 for both the side crash driver side and side crash passenger side ratings. However, other categories such as overall rating, rollover rating, and side pole crash rating were not rated for this vehicle.

In terms of safety features, the Xterra comes with optional electronic stability control but does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems. Additionally, there have been 842 complaints reported for this model and 6 recalls, indicating potential issues that owners should be aware of and address promptly.

Overall, while the Xterra performed well in certain crash tests and offers optional stability control, potential buyers should consider the incomplete safety ratings and the high number of complaints and recalls when evaluating the overall safety of this vehicle.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

842

Recall Count

6

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

Not Rated

Search Vehicle Details

Advanced Search

The advanced search lets you search by safety ratings and features. This will return a list of vehicles that match your search criteria.

Safety Features

2005 Nissan Xterra 4-DR Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2005 Nissan Xterra 4-DR

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Optional
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2005 Nissan Xterra 4-DR Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2005 Nissan Xterra 4-DR Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2015 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2015 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 Not Rated
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2015 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 3
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated

Complaints for the 2005 Nissan XTERRA

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"gas gauge wont read, displays empty when full. goes back and forth. 2006 and 2008 recalled for same problem and part # but nissan wont pay to have 2005 fixed or do a recall. we but from roanoke nissan dealer used at 57351 miles. they didn't offer warranty and we didn't get extended warranty. *tr"
Components Involved: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Date of incident: 2013-01-01
Complaint:
"error code p0463 - apparently due to a malfunctioning fuel level sensor and requiring substantial shop time to drop fuel tank and replace sensor/pump unit (not to mention part cost, which is not being supplied by manufacturer despite the known, widespread flaw). *tr"
Components Involved: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Date of incident: 2011-05-10
Complaint:
"gas gauge reads empty when the fuel tank is full or shows some quantity of gas when it is empty and variations in between. this is a known problem affecting several models and years that nissan extended its warranty for, but did not recall, claiming it is not a safety issue (see http://www.nissanassist.com/web/fuel-sending-unit/index.php?menu=2). the extended warranty did not advise owners to replace the problem sending units, it just provided for repairs if and when, subject to mileage and time limits, the vehicle manifested the sending unit problem. my low mileage vehicle developed this problem at 46000 miles, well under the extended warranty mileage limit but the timing was beyond the arbitrary extended time period. following my opening a case with nissan consumer affairs they denied coverage for replacement of the fuel sending unit as it was beyond the arbitrary time limit, although well below the mileage limit. faulty fuel quantity readings are not just an inconvenience. they can result in hazardous overfilling of fuel tanks (or attempts to fill an already filled tank) when the gauge erroneously reads empty resulting in flammable gas spills, dizzying and environmentally unsound vapor emissions at the pump. on the flip side when there is little or no fuel in the tank but the gauge shows some quantity of fuel such as 1/4 tank or more, driving off on long commutes or trips results in running out of gas on highways. in my case this is in rural areas or back roads and highways out of cell phone range and far from services, and can occur in severe weather conditions. i believe this known problem is a safety problem that poses unnecessary risks to drivers and should have resulted in a recall, not just an arbitrary limited extension of warranty, and disclaimer beyond that. *tr"
Components Involved: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Date of incident: 2013-10-08
Complaint:
"the gas gauge goes from half full to empty and light comes on when the car is in idle. the gauge does not re-set until the tank is filled and drives for about 100 miles. i believe it is an issue with the sending unit. is there are re-call? *tr"
Components Involved: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Date of incident: 2013-02-12
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that the fuel gauge was displaying an incorrect fuel level reading. the check engine was also illuminated on the instrumental panel . the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was advised that the fuel sensor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 110,000."
Components Involved: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Date of incident: 2011-04-06
Complaint:
"i had 1/4 of a tank of gas and went to fill up. after filling up my gas tank, i turned on the car, at which point the needle did not register the full tank. after driving a couple miles, the check engine light came on. i went directly to the dealer and was told that it was a fuel sending unit/sensor and that it was no longer covered after 30k miles. after returning home and doing research, i went online to x.nissanhelp.com after performing a search, i came across many others who have experienced the same problem. apparently it has something to do with the fuel sending unit. a similar problem was found on the 2000-2004 xterra models and a recall was performed when the vehicle would stop after not getting any fuel, posing a great danger. it seems that something in the unit is faulty and will corrode over time. there is a general consensus that everyone who is having the problem is experiencing the same thing after having the vehicle for over 2 yrs and with around 39k-49k. if this problem existed in previous models, and it was recalled, the 2005-2007 xterras, frontiers, and pathfinders should get this fixed at no charge to the customer!! why wait for accidents and possible deaths, especially since the problem lies in an integral part of the vehicle. cost of repair ranges from $300-600." *tr"
Components Involved: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Date of incident: 2012-02-04
Complaint:
"fuel gauge is not working, service engine soon is on all the time. *tr"
Components Involved: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Date of incident: 2011-01-03
Complaint:
"fuel gauge reads empty when not. also digital mileage is incorrect. check engine light is on due to this problem. fuel sensor?? *tr"
Components Involved: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Date of incident: 2011-11-12
Complaint:
"the check engine light went on and per inspection by the nissan dealer it was due to the fuel lever sender (code p0463). estimated labor/material will cost me $500.00. *tr"
Components Involved: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Date of incident: 2014-03-03
Complaint:
"fuel sending unit has failed. service engine light has turned on; fuel gauge shows empty; received extended warranty for fuel unit for 72k miles or 6 years. i am at 70k miles but i bought it in 2005 so its past the 6 years. this is such a common failure and should be replaced by the manufacturer via a recall. *tr"
Components Involved: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Date of incident: 2012-12-01

Recalls for the 2005 Nissan XTERRA

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"on certain sport utility vehicles equipped with a nissan accessory tow hitch, inadequate quality of some welded joints in the hitch assembly may result in separation of the hitch from the vehicle when being used to tow."
Consequence:
THIS COULD RESULT IN THE TRAILER SEPARATING FROM THE VEHICLE AND CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy:

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TOW HITCHES. ON OCTOBER 17, 2005, OWNERS WERE SENT AN INTERIM LETTER ADVISING THEM NOT TO USE THE TOW HITCH UNTIL IT CAN BE REPAIRED. ANOTHER LETTER WAS SENT OUT ON NOVEMBER 21, 2005, NOTIFYING THEM TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES IN FOR REPAIR. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

Component(s) Involved: TRAILER HITCHES
Date of incident: 2005-10-05
Recall:
"certain valley industries hitch-class iii receiver trailer hitches p/n 82850 manufactured between march and september 2005 sold for use as replacement equipment for 2005 nissan xterra passenger vehicles. due to insufficient weld strength, under certain circumstances, the hitches may break while in use."
Consequence:
THE TRAILER OR ITEM IN TOW MAY RELEASE PARTIALLY OR WHOLLY FROM THE MOTOR VEHICLE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy:

VALLEY INDUSTRIES WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE TRAILER HITCHES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 3, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VALLEY INDUSTRIES AT 209-368-8881.

Component(s) Involved: TRAILER HITCHES
Date of incident: 2005-09-30

NISSAN Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

NISSAN ranks 5 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

Related Vehicles

Why not check out other NISSAN vehicles?

2019 ROGUE
NISSAN
  • Overall Safety Rating: 4
  • Complaints Count: 258
  • Recall Count: 3
View Car
2011 ROGUE
NISSAN
  • Overall Safety Rating: 4
  • Complaints Count: 349
  • Recall Count: 2
View Car
2017 MAXIMA
NISSAN
  • Overall Safety Rating: 5
  • Complaints Count: 81
  • Recall Count: 4
View Car
2014 ROGUE SELECT
NISSAN
  • Overall Safety Rating: 4
  • Complaints Count: 403
  • Recall Count: 10
View Car