There are 8 stored owner reports matching the powertrain & transmission leading-label group for the 2010 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 8 of 8 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)THIS IS A COMPLIANT FOR THE WELL KNOWN RADIATOR ISSUE. OURS RUPTURED AND RUINED THE TRANSMISSION COSTING US ABOUT $6K IN REPAIRS.
AT A LITTLE OVER 180,000 MILES NEED A NEW REAR DIFFERENTIAL. READ ON AN XTERRA FORUM THE SPTHIDER GEARS WERE NOT HEAT TREATED PROPERLY BY THE MANUFACTURER WHICH CAUSES REAR DIFFERENTIALS TO FAIL.THE VEHICLE WAS NEVER DRIVEN OFF ROAD OR TOWED ANYTHING. IT SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED.
No warning lamps had my vehicle repeatedly looked at was told that my vehicle had no transmission warninfsigns was told by mechanic to replace the radiator I replaced the radiator and then the vehicle stopped running now I have transmission fluid mixed with my radiator fluid and the vehicle doesn't run at all I repeatedly took it back to the shop Tobe fixed was told igot a bad radiator yet I know it wasn't bad I contacted my insurance company everyone failed to inform me that this vehicle had aknown transmission problem by Nissan and failed to disclose it to me
CRACKED RADIATOR LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN IT MIXES WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, IT RUINED TRANSMISSION AND RADIOTOR. OVER AN $4000 BILL!
MY ECU ON MY NISSAN XTERRA WAS SUPPOSEDLY SHORTED DUE TO A LOOSE OR DAMAGED CABLE. WITH MY INITIAL INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE, THE CABLE WAS NOT LOOSE, YET I STILL HAD PROBLEMS. THE ISSUE HAPPENED WHEN I HAD PARKED MY VEHICLE TO RUN AN ERRAND. WHEN I RETURNED, I STARTED UP MY VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE. THERE WAS NO POWER AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 5 MPH. NOT WANTING THE VEHICLE TO BREAKDOWN ON A BUSY ROAD, I BACKED UP AND PARKED THE VEHICLE. I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT THIS TIME THE STARTER WOULD CRANK, BUT WOULD NOT TURN OVER. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO START IT A FEW TIMES, I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERIES AND RECONNECTED THE BATTERIES. STILL, THE VEHICLE WOULD CRANK AND NOT TURN OVER. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK, AND THEY BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO FIRESTONE. FIRESTONE TOLD ME THAT THE BATTERY CABLES HAD SHORTED AND DESTROYED TEH ECU/ECM. I WAS QUOTED 1500 FOR A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD. THIS SOUNDED LIKE A VERY INTENSIVE PROCESS, SO I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO NISSAN. AGAIN, THEY SAID IT WAS THE ECU/ECM. NISSAN TOLD ME THAT THE CABLES, THE BATTERY AND THE ECU NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NISSAN HAS HAD PAST ISSUES WITH 2010 VEHICLES SHORTING OUT AND DESTROYING THE ECU'S. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS NISSAN'S FAULTY ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS OR POORLY CONSTRUCTED ECU'S THAT IS CAUSING THE DAMAGE. FOR SUCH AN EXPENSIVE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT TO BE RENDERED USELESS BY HAVING AN IMPORPER BATTERY CONNECTION SEEMS PROBLEMATIC AND POTENTIALLY UNSAFE. IT IS PROBLEMATIC, DUE TO TEH HISTORY OF NISSAN'S CABLES BECOMING CORRODED DUE TO THEIR BATTERY POSITION. LIKEWISE, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CONSUMER COMPLAINTS THAT THE BATTERY TERMINALS ARE POORLY MADE, RESULTING IN VEHICLE FAILURE. THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS, FOR IF THE BATTERY TERMINALS FAIL, IT CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STOP FUNCTIONING, EVEN WHEN IT HAS BEEN STARTED.
MANUAL CLUTCH FAILED WITHOUT WARNING AT FREEWAY SPEED, WITH ONLY 49,000 MILES DRIVEN. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY VEHICLE DRIVERS HAVE OWNED AND DRIVEN MULTIPLE MANUAL CLUTCH VEHICLES FOR MANY YEARS. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW AND RECEIVED ALL SERVICES FROM DEALER. DRIVER WAS LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO GET VEHICLE OFF FREEWAY. INTERNET POSTS INDICATE XTERRA MANUAL CLUTCH FAILURES AT THIS MILEAGE ARE COMMON, BECAUSE CLUTCH MECHANISM USED BY NISSAN IS DESIGNED FOR MUCH LIGHTER NISSAN VEHICLES.
I STARTED THE CAR TO LET IT WARM UP. THE MANUAL GEARSHIFT WAS IN NEUTRAL AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ENGAGED. AS I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE, IT LURCHED FORWARD AND I ATTEMPTED TO GET BACK INTO THE VEHICLE TO APPLY THE BRAKE. IT LURCHED A SECOND TIME BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO GET INSIDE. I ATTEMPTED TO GET INSIDE THE VEHICLE A SECOND TIME TO APPLY THE BRAKE BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO DUE TO THE CAR LURCHING FORWARD AGAIN.. ON THE THIRD "LURCH" IT CONTINUED TO DRIVE FORWARD, HITTING MY MOTHER'S PARKED CAR AND PUSHING IT BACK APPROXIMATELY 3-4 FEET INTO THE BACK WALL OF HER CARPORT. FINALLY, THE ENGINE DIED AND I WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT, BACK IT AWAY FROM MY MOTHER'S CAR, AND ASSESS THE DAMAGE TO HER VEHICLE AND MY BODY. I PURCHASED THIS USED VEHICLE 12 DAYS AGO. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 NISSAN XTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 3 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MAKE A LOUD NOISE AND JERK VIOLENTLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE HE NOTICED THAT THE BOLTS THAT HELD THE DRIVE SHAFT IN PLACE WERE DETACHED AND CAUSING THE DRIVE SHAFT TO BECOME LOOSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO VERIFIED THE FAILURE AND REPLACED THE BOLTS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,160 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 25,360. UPDATED 04/23/12
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.