"How reliable is the 2005 Nissan Xterra?"

"Based on 1175 NHTSA complaints, the 2005 Nissan Xterra has a median complaint mileage of 93000 miles. The most common issue is Power Train."

"What are common problems with the 2005 Nissan Xterra?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2005 Nissan Xterra is Power Train, accounting for a significant portion of the 1175 total complaints filed."

2005 Nissan Xterra: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1175 complaints

1175

Total Complaints

93,000mi

Median Mileage

Power Train

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

69,000 25th Percentile

93,000 Median Mileage

114,650 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Power Train

354

Fuel System, Gasoline

237

Engine And Engine Cooling

123

Engine

114

Automatic Transmission

Fuel System, Other

Electrical System

Fuel/Propulsion System

Unknown Or Other

Cooling System

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ON NOV. 4TH 2005, I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA AT ABOUT 40 MILES PER HOUR. A DEER RAN INTO THE ROAD. I APPLIED MY BRAKES BUT HIT THE DEER. MY AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON BUT MY AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO AMM COLLISION AND OVER $3500.00 WORTH OF DAMAGE WAS DONE. THE AIRBAG HARNESS WI..."

"DT: CONTACT STATES THERE IS NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN CONCERNING THE TRAILER HITCHES. THE PARTS NEEDED TO REPAIR THEIR VEHICLE ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP. HE SPOKE TO THE MANUFACTURER, WHO CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. *AK"

"CONSUMER COMPLAINT REGARDING 2005 NISSAN XTERRA RECALL.*TS THE RECALL WARNED NOT TO TOW ANYTHING UNTIL THE HITCH WAS REPLACED. THE ESTIMATED TIME FOR REPLACEMENT WAS MID NOVEMBER. THE CONSUMER COMPLIED WITH THE RECALL. AT THE END OF NOVEMBER THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER ABOUT THE RECALL BUT..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Power Train 354 complaints

25th: 90,000 mi Median: 105,689 mi 75th: 124,678 mi

Fuel System, Gasoline 237 complaints

25th: 48,950 mi Median: 61,000 mi 75th: 75,000 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 123 complaints

25th: 85,000 mi Median: 99,634 mi 75th: 112,400 mi

Engine 114 complaints

25th: 94,000 mi Median: 108,000 mi 75th: 124,356 mi

Automatic Transmission 52 complaints

25th: 79,000 mi Median: 88,000 mi 75th: 107,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 143 TX: 94 NY: 66 PA: 60 FL: 60 NC: 59 NJ: 53 OH: 41 TN: 38 GA: 37

Who Files Complaints?

1.6%

Original Owners

98.4%

Second+ Owners

Nissan Xterra — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2000	258	72,300	Fuel Pump	30
2001	197	66,000	Power Window Devices And Controls	18
2002	213	82,000	Steering	32
2003	97	57,000	Steering	26
2004	110	62,640	Steering	12
2006	1034	89,559	Power Train	18
2007	770	95,000	Power Train	3
2008	174	95,000	Power Train	11
2009	26	78,000	Air Bags	0
2010	58	90,149	Air Bags	9
2011	27	54,000	Air Bags	0

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