2003 Nissan Xterra

Documented records held locally from official US and Canadian sources. Each record shows its official identifier so it can be confirmed at the source; nothing here is a score or a prediction.

Vehicle coverage

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Coverage held for this vehicle

  • OFFICIAL ACTION 3 US Recalls
  • MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION 48 Manufacturer Bulletins
  • INVESTIGATION 1 Investigations
  • CONSUMER REPORT 72 Consumer Complaints
  • CANADIAN RECALL 3 Canada Recalls

These are counts of distinct official records held locally. They are not combined into any score, and a record count is not a failure rate. A zero means no record is held here, not that none exists.

US Recalls

NHTSA Recall US

  • 10V554000 2010-11-11

    Recall 10V554000

    NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2004 FRONTIER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 9, 2001 THROUGH OCTOBER 20, 2004, AND MODEL YEAR 2002-2004, XTERRA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 9, 2001, THROUGH JANUARY 6, 2005. OVER TIME CORROSION MAY FORM IN THE LOWER STEERING COLUMN JOINT AND LIMIT MOVEMENT OF THE JOINT. THE LIMITED MOVEMENT OF THIS JOINT MAY CREATE EXCESSIVE LOAD…

    Recorded model years: 2003

  • 04V230000 2004-05-24

    Recall 04V230000

    ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH SIX CYLINDER ENGINES AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH FOUR OR SIX CYLINDER ENGINES, THE FUEL PUMP TERMINAL ON THE FUEL-SENDING UNIT CAN DEVELOP A CRACK IN THE PLASTIC MOLDING. THIS CAN CAUSE THE TERMINAL STRIP TO CORRODE UNDER SOME ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS.

    Recorded model years: 2003

  • 02V299000 2002-11-12

    Recall 02V299000

    ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, WATER MAY ENTER THE REAR AXLE HOUSING DUE TO INADEQUATE SEALING OF THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS) SENSOR.

    Recorded model years: 2003

A further 28 records exist for the Nissan Xterra where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

Campaign applicability can depend on build date, equipment and market, and a remedy may already have been completed. Confirm any campaign against the official record using the VIN.

Manufacturer Bulletins

NHTSA Manufacturer Communication US

  • 11031705 2026-04-13

    NTB09-131C

    CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides an application…

    Recorded model years: 2003

  • 11031704 2026-04-13

    NTB09-131C

    CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides an application…

    Recorded model years: 2003

  • 11004962 2024-05-21

    NTB13-107G

    VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

    Recorded model years: 2003

Showing 3 of 48 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.

A further 267 records exist for the Nissan Xterra where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

A manufacturer communication is service guidance issued to dealers. It is not a safety recall, and its existence does not mean this vehicle has the described condition.

Investigations

NHTSA Investigation US

  • DP03005 2003-07-11

    BRAKE ROTOR WARPAGE

    MR. KENT JONES OF KERNERSVILLE, NC, SUBMITTED A PETITION TO NHTSA BY E-MAIL DATED JULY 1, 2003, REQUESTING NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THE BRAKE ROTORS ON MY 2002 NISSAN XTERRA VEHICLES.THE PETITIONER ALLEGED THAT THE BRAKE ROTORS IN THESE VEHICLES WERE DEFECTIVE BECAUSE THE ROTORS OVERHEAT AND WARP FROM NORMAL USAGE.A REVIEW OF ODI'S DATABASE FOR COMPLAINTS REGARDING MY 2001 THROUGH…

    Recorded model years: 2003

A further 5 records exist for the Nissan Xterra where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

An investigation records that a regulator reviewed a suspected defect. It is not itself a finding of defect and not a recall.

Canada Recalls

Transport Canada Recall CA

  • 2010402 2010-11-12

    Transport Canada recall 2010402

    On certain vehicles, corrosion may form in the lower steering column joint and limit the movement of the joint. Limited movement of this joint may create excessive load on the lower steering column shaft and, if the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition, may lead to cracking of the shaft during low speed manoeuvres that require large steering…

    Recorded model years: 2003

  • 2004151 2004-05-06

    Transport Canada recall 2004151

    On certain vehicles, the fuel pump terminal on the fuel sending unit can develop a crack. When exposed to heavy concentrations of road salt in the winter, if road salt enters the crack, the terminal strip will corrode and eventually could break due to corrosion. This will cause the fuel pump to stop operating and will result in not being…

    Recorded model years: 2003

  • 2002206 2002-11-13

    Transport Canada recall 2002206

    On certain four wheel drive vehicles, water may enter the rear axle housing due to inadequate sealing of the ABS sensor in the axle housing. This may result in corrosion and eventually failure of the wheel bearing. If this occurs, the wheel assembly could separate from the vehicle. Correction: Dealer will inspect the rear axle for water intrusion and replace…

    Recorded model years: 2003

A further 22 records exist for the Nissan Xterra where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

Canadian campaigns are recorded separately from US campaigns and do not imply one another.

Consumer Complaints

NHTSA Complaint US

72 complaint records in the dataset for this vehicle and year.

Outcomes stated in those reports

  • reports mentioning a crash 16
  • reports mentioning a fire 2
  • reported injuries 10

Outcomes as stated by the person who filed the report. They are not verified, not adjudicated, and carry no exposure denominator, so they cannot be turned into a rate.

By system

  • Fuel system16 (16.5%)Official recall records for this system: 6, covering model years 2000–2008.
  • Brakes12 (12.4%)Official recall records for this system: 4, covering model years 2001–2008.
  • Steering12 (12.4%)Official recall records for this system: 3, covering model years 2002–2010.
  • Engine11 (11.3%)Official recall records for this system: 8, covering model years 2002–2012.
  • Air bags (restraint system)10 (10.3%)Official recall records for this system: 14, covering model years 2002–2013.
  • Body & structure8 (8.2%)
  • Tires & wheels6 (6.2%)Official recall records for this system: 1, covering model years 2000.
  • Electrical system5 (5.2%)

A single report can name several systems, so these figures overlap and must not be added together — their sum is larger than the report total above.

A further 3,099 complaint records exist for this vehicle where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

These are owner-submitted allegations, not confirmed defects. Counts are record counts in the dataset. No exposure denominator exists, so no failure rate or reliability score can be derived from them.

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