"How reliable is the 2008 Nissan Xterra?"

"Based on 174 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Nissan Xterra has a median complaint mileage of 95000 miles. The most common issue is Power Train."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Nissan Xterra?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Nissan Xterra is Power Train, accounting for a significant portion of the 174 total complaints filed."

2008 Nissan Xterra: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 174 complaints

174

Total Complaints

95,000mi

Median Mileage

Power Train

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

51,582 25th Percentile

95,000 Median Mileage

120,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Power Train

Engine

Air Bags

Electrical System

Fuel/Propulsion System

Unknown Or Other

Fuel System, Gasoline

Service Brakes

Engine And Engine Cooling

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND THE VDC/AIRBAGS/SLIP LIGHTS CAME ON IN MY 2008 NISSAN XTERRA SE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND THEY ADVISED THAT THE HUB SENSOR WAS BAD AND NEEDED REPLACED. *TR"

"THE GAS GAUGE READS ABOUT 1/8 OF A TANK AND MY TRUCK RUNS OUT OF GAS BEFORE THE LOW FUEL LIGHT COMES ON. THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM EACH TIME BUT THEN A FEW WEEKS LATER I ENDED UP HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THE FUEL SENDING UNIT THEY REPLACED THAT AND THEY ALSO REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP ON ..."

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 43 complaints

25th: 94,601 mi Median: 108,500 mi 75th: 140,250 mi

Engine 23 complaints

25th: 77,000 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 159,000 mi

Air Bags 20 complaints

25th: 37,280 mi Median: 60,000 mi 75th: 111,000 mi

Electrical System 10 complaints

25th: 51,000 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 120,000 mi

Fuel/Propulsion System 9 complaints

25th: 71,000 mi Median: 104,000 mi 75th: 114,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 16 VA: 15 PA: 14 CA: 13 TX: 11 GA: 10 OH: 9 WA: 9 NJ: 7 FL: 7

Who Files Complaints?

1.1%

Original Owners

98.9%

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
2005	1175	93,000	Power Train	11
2006	1034	89,559	Power Train	18
2007	770	95,000	Power Train	3
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