2002 Nissan Xterra: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 213 complaints
213
Total Complaints
82,000mi
Median Mileage
STEERING
Top Issue
32
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

33,000 25th Percentile
82,000 Median Mileage
145,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING
18
AIR BAGS
12
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
11
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10
ENGINE
8
SERVICE BRAKES
8
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
7
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
6

Severity Assessment

32
Crashes
12
Fires
55
Injuries
48
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ENGINE CHECK LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. EVERYTIME VEHICLE HAS TO BE REPROGRAMMED. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED THAT PARTS HAD TO BE REPLACED TO KEEP ENGINE LIGHT FROM COMING ON. *AK"
"ENGINE CHECK LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. EVERYTIME VEHICLE HAS TO BE REPROGRAMMED. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED THAT PARTS HAD TO BE REPLACED TO KEEP ENGINE LIGHT FROM COMING ON. *AK"
"AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT STARTED TO BLINK DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. DEALER WAS CONTACTED. UPON DIAGNOSTIC READING, THE SAID THAT THE AIRBAG WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED IF INDICATOR STARTED BLINKING AGAIN. THE LIGHT FUNCTIONED PROPERLY FOR THE REST OF THAT DAY, BUT THE LIGHT STARTED BLICKING A..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28