"How reliable is the 2003 Nissan Xterra?"

"Based on 97 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Nissan Xterra has a median complaint mileage of 57000 miles. The most common issue is STEERING."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Nissan Xterra?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Nissan Xterra is STEERING, accounting for a significant portion of the 97 total complaints filed."

2003 Nissan Xterra: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 97 complaints

Total Complaints

57,000mi

Median Mileage

STEERING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

18,000 25th Percentile

57,000 Median Mileage

108,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

AIR BAGS

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

STRUCTURE:BODY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"A NEWLY PURCHASED NISSAN XTERRA 2003 WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND DID A 180 DEGREE TURN AT 60 MPH ON A DRY DAY, WHEN THE BRAKES WERE LIGHTLY APPLIED. *JB"

"WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 55 MPH THE CONSUMER LOSS CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND FLIPPED OVER THREE TIMES. WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT STATED THE REAR RIGHT TIRE BLEWOUT. GENERAL GRABBER AW P265/70R16. *AK BRAKES AND STEERING WERE INOPERABLE PRIOR TO TIRE BLOW OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. ..."

"I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT WINDOWS OF MY NISSAN XTERRA, I BOUGHT THE CAR TWO MONTHS AGO AND THE FRONT WINDOWS STOPPED WORKING TWICE ALREADY. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WINDOW REGULATORS IN THE XTERRAS AND THAT NISSAN DOES NOT HAVE A RECALL OR EVEN HA..."

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