There are 9 stored owner reports matching the brakes leading-label group for the 2003 Nissan Xterra in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 9 of 9 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)BRAKES FAILED AND THE ABS DIDN'T WORK UNTIL I ALMOST HIT ANOTHER CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE ABS TRIGGERS WITHOUT ANY NOTICE AND HAS CAUSE ME TO MERGE ONTO THE OTHER LANE. CAUSE MY CAR DOES NOT STOP. THE ABS LIGHT DOESN'T GO ON SO THE MANUFACTURER NISSAN TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT. AND ITS SITTING AT A LOCAL TRUSTWORTHY MECHANIC SHOP WHERE IT WILL BE FIXED FOR THE SERVICE BRAKES AIR-ANTILOCK BRAKE FAILURE. PLEASE HELP WITH A RAPID RECALL SO MY FAMILY COULD GET REIMBURSED FOR THE HUGE EXPENSE OF FIXING A MANUFACTURER PROBLEM. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN XTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND THE ANTI LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM WAS ENGAGED. THE ANTI LOCK BRAKING LIGHT ALSO ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DURING THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE A FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR WHENEVER THE BRAKES WERE ENGAGED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN XTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES WOULD LOCK ABNORMALLY WHENEVER ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE WITH THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE ACTIVATED. THE FAILURE WOULD ALSO OCCUR WHEN DRIVING IN WET OR INCLEMENT WEATHER WITH THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE ACTIVATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.
FRONT RIGHT BRAKE FROZE IN THE "ON" POSITION WHILE DRIVING IMPEDING ACCELERATION AND BRAKING CAPACITY. BRAKE ALSO CAUSED SMOKE. THIS OCCURRED ON TWO OCCASIONS. AFTER FIRST OCCURRENCE THE BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED AND BRAKING CYLINDER SEEMED TO BE WORKING. AFTER SECOND OCCURRENCE THE BRAKE CYLINDER WAS REPLACED. *JB
2003 XTERRA BRAKES FAILED TO STOP CAUSING CONSUMER TO RUN A RED LIGHT. *TS THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED ON MAY, 21, 2004. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE BRAKES WERE WORN, THE RIGHT INNER PAD CAME OUT OF HOLDER FROM METAL CONTACT WITH THE ROTOR CAUSING CALIPER PISTON TO JAM INTO INSIDE OF RIGHT FRONT ROTOR. THE DEALER REPLACED THE FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS AND RIGHT FRONT CALIPERS. THE SECOND FAILURE OCCURRED ON APRIL 15, 2005. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE DID A COMPLETE BRAKE FLUID EXCHANGE TO REMOVE CONTAMINANT FROM BRAKE LINES. *NM THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE MOVED WITH NO FORWARDING ADDRESS. UPDATED 07/03/06. *JB
WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE DRIVER APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES FAILED. THE DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND COLLIDED WITH A TREE AND ROLLED OVER THREE TIMES. BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED MAJOR INJURIES AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL . THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE CAUSE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM
2003 NISSAN XTERRA DEVELOPED PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES, HEADLIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS.*MR WHEN THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP. *JB
BRAKE PEDAL FADED TO THE FLOOR,WHILE TRYING TO STOP FOR A RED LIGHT.RESULTING IN A THREE CAR ACCIDENT.WHEN I MADE CONTACT WITH THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME MY AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY ALTHOUGH MY EMPTY PASSANGER SEATS DID.ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO SKID MARKS AND THE OFFICERS THAT RESPONDED DID NOT TICKET ME FOR FAILURE TO STOP,NISSAN INSISTS THAT EVERYTHING CHECKS OUT AND THAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN OPERATOR ERROR.SINCE THIS ACCIDENT I HAVE HAD MY STEREO REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY I HAVE HAD WORK DONE ON MY STEERING COLUMN DUE TO GRINDING NOISES AND BOTH MOTORS IN MY REAR WINDOWS ARE FAILING AND NEED TO BE REPLACED,AND THIS IS JUST WITH 7200 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE, NOT TO MENTION THAT EVERY TIME I GET OUT OF THE CAR THE BRAKES SMELL HOT AFTER ASHORT OR LONG DRIVE AND WHEN I GET IN IT THE SQUEAL AND GRIND UNTIL THEY GET NICE AND HOT AND START TO SMELL.AND ALL THIS IS OPERATING WITHIN NORMAL LIMITS.I WOULD JUST LIKE TO KNOW IS THE 12.5 MILES PER GALLON THAT I'M GETTING CONSIDERED TO BE NORMAL ALSO? I'M HAPPY TO SEE THAT THERE IS A WEB SITE LIKE THIS THAT PROTECTS PEOPLE LIKE ME AND THE OTHERS THAT PURCHASED THESE ALL TOGATHER LOW QUALITY,OVERPRICED, NOT TO MENTION DANGEROUS CARS.AND JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE FACT THAT THERE IS NO RECOURSE,IT MAKES MY DAY!!*AK
DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG FAILURE IN A FRONT END COLLISION AT SPEEDS OF 30-40 MPH. DRIVERS AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY WHILE THE EMPTY PASSENGERS DID. COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE RESULTING IN A THREE CAR ACCIDENT. 2003 NISSAN XTERRA 3,700 MILES. *LA
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.