2007 Nissan Xterra Problems: Fuel system (556 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2007 Nissan Xterra is Fuel system (37% of 556 owner reports). There are 2 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Fuel system — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 556 complaints · 2 recalls

What problems show up on the 2007 Nissan Xterra?

207 of 556 filings named Fuel system (37% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Transmission / driveline (174 reports).

There are 2 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Airbags and Suspension. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 2006 has 774 reports on file; this year has 556. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2007 Nissan Xterra

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 2 campaigns on file below.
  2. Fuel system. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly.
  3. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  4. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Fuel system. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Fuel system 207 complaints · 37.2% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 3
  • Fires 3
  • Injuries 5
  • Deaths 0
All Nissan Xterra years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) appears in 207 of 556 owner complaints (37.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 207 complaints, 37.2% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 207 · 37.2% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 174 complaints, 31.3% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 174 · 31.3% Engine (ENGINE): 82 complaints, 14.8% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 82 · 14.8% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 21 complaints, 3.8% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 2 crash reports 21 · 3.8% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 13 complaints, 2.3% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 13 · 2.3% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 9 complaints, 1.6% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 1 fire reports 9 · 1.6% Steering (STEERING): 5 complaints, 0.9% of reports Steering (STEERING) 5 · 0.9% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 5 complaints, 0.9% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 5 · 0.9% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 3 complaints, 0.5% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 3 · 0.5% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 220 complaints, 39.6% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 fire reports 220 · 39.6% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 207 37.2% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 174 31.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 82 14.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 21 3.8% 2 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 13 2.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 9 1.6% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Steering (STEERING) 5 0.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 5 0.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 3 0.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 220 39.6% 0 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2007; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2008. 2007-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2009-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2009-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2009-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q1: 30 owner reports 30 2010-Q2: 29 owner reports 29 2010-Q3: 26 owner reports 26 2010-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2011-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2011-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2011-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2011-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2012-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2012-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2012-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2013-Q1: 21 owner reports 21 2013-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2013-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2013-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2014-Q1: 20 owner reports 20 2014-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 2014-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2014-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2015-Q1: 17 owner reports 17 2015-Q2: 30 owner reports 30 2015-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2015-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2016-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2016-Q2: 22 owner reports 22 2016-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2016-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2017-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2017-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2017-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2018-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2018-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2020-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 2007 Oct 2025 Recall campaign 08V690000 ◆ Recall campaign 08V690000 Recall campaign 10E019000 ◆ Recall campaign 10E019000 Investigation DP12004 ● Investigation DP12004
  • Campaign 08V690000 was reported 498 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 10E019000 was reported 758 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2007-Q3 Owner reports 3
2007-Q4 Owner reports 4
2008-Q2 Owner reports 2
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 7
2009-Q2 Owner reports 5
2009-Q3 Owner reports 14
2009-Q4 Owner reports 6
2010-Q1 Owner reports 30
2010-Q2 Owner reports 29
2010-Q3 Owner reports 26
2010-Q4 Owner reports 11
2011-Q1 Owner reports 7
2011-Q2 Owner reports 9
2011-Q3 Owner reports 12
2011-Q4 Owner reports 4
2012-Q1 Owner reports 13
2012-Q2 Owner reports 10
2012-Q3 Owner reports 5
2012-Q4 Owner reports 8
2013-Q1 Owner reports 21
2013-Q2 Owner reports 14
2013-Q3 Owner reports 17
2013-Q4 Owner reports 10
2014-Q1 Owner reports 20
2014-Q2 Owner reports 18
2014-Q3 Owner reports 9
2014-Q4 Owner reports 14
2015-Q1 Owner reports 17
2015-Q2 Owner reports 30
2015-Q3 Owner reports 11
2015-Q4 Owner reports 11
2016-Q1 Owner reports 12
2016-Q2 Owner reports 22
2016-Q3 Owner reports 14
2016-Q4 Owner reports 12
2017-Q1 Owner reports 8
2017-Q2 Owner reports 6
2017-Q3 Owner reports 9
2017-Q4 Owner reports 8
2018-Q1 Owner reports 4
2018-Q2 Owner reports 6
2018-Q3 Owner reports 9
2018-Q4 Owner reports 3
2019-Q1 Owner reports 4
2019-Q2 Owner reports 4
2019-Q3 Owner reports 5
2019-Q4 Owner reports 6
2020-Q1 Owner reports 3
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 5
2021-Q2 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 3
2023-Q4 Owner reports 2
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 08V690000
Recall campaign 1 10E019000
Defect investigation 1 DP12004
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (2)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Airbags and Suspension.

  1. Recall campaign 08V690000

    Airbags

    Report date
    Component:
    Airbags (AIR BAGS)
    Consequence:
    THIS ISSUE COULD RESULT IN THE NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAGS IN A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT CZS WITH A REDESIGNED SENSOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 26, 2009. OWNERS IN THE OTHER STATES WILL RECEIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE SENSOR TO 10 YEARS. THESE OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION BY MAIL AND WILL RECEIVE A STICKER TO PLACE IN THEIR WARRANTY BOOKLET EXPLAINING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 10E019000

    Suspension

    Report date
    Component:
    Suspension (SUSPENSION)
    Consequence:
    IF THE COLLAR WELD SEPARATES, THE VEHICLE HANDLING WILL DETERIORATE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY AFFECTED LOWER LINK FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 7 of 556 complaints · page 1 of 23
2025-10-06Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 11691704
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I took my 2007 Nissan Xterra to the dealer on 08/04/2025 to complete the air bag safety recall. The dealer performed the recall service, but the recall status has not been updated in the system or on the NHTSA website. It still shows as “incomplete.” Because the recall remains listed as open, I am unable to pass my brake and light inspection or complete my vehicle registration with the DMV. I have contacted the dealer and Nissan customer service multiple times, but they have not corrected the recall record or provided a timeline for when it will be updated. The recall has technically been completed, but Nissan’s failure to update the record is preventing my vehicle from being legally inspected and registered. I am requesting NHTSA’s help to ensure the manufacturer updates the recall status properly.
2025-04-26Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 11656933
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Oil is getting into the radiator and causing a gray gunk build up in radiator and possibly the engine. I have had the car less than a 1 1/2 years And I've already had to have the same issue fixed 3 × first time. The heater hose blew out caused an air bubble in the radiator which caused us to have to burp the radiator Which is when we found it the first time had sent it to the mechanic. Had it flushed, had it fixed. it was fine or so we thought until about a month ago. Car overheats radiator fluid spews out everywhere. Fix the hose, add radiator fluid and start. The burping process again and out comes the gray gunk. Sent it back to mechanic had it flush had gaskets to the transmission cooler and Oil cooler fixed. Mechanic cannot find how it's getting into radiator. Break pads wear prematurely due to calipers constantly sticking. Rust is everywhere on frame, suspension, shocks undercarriage and body. Vdc/slip light will come on while driving causing the car to stall at any speed. Fixed those sensors 2 times since I bought the car in December 2023 from a used car lot. State I I've in has no laws to protect people buying from used car lots but they do for new cars even though new cars come with warranties. Should be the other way around protect the people who can't afford the 30000 dollar cars. There's a reason we go to used car lots. Paid 4500 after taxes and registration and have put almost 5000 into it. Nissan is aware of the problem just not enough to deem a recall.
2024-11-18Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 11625920
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V690000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that after retrieving the vehicle, the air bag warning light was blinking. The vehicle was returned to the dealer and the contact was informed that a diagnostic test was needed to determine the cause of the failure. The contact refused to pay for the diagnostic test and stated that the warning light was not illuminated prior to the recall repair being performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 167,000.
2024-06-17Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11594708
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The vehicle was driving just fine, then about a month later the heat gauge started to fluctuate, i replaced the radiator caps, thermostat...it ran good for another month, started to overheat....i made sure water was in radiator and overflow...about a month went by the gauge started to fluctuate again, i had it towed to sayre auto parts in sayre, al to have a water pump installed and the mechanic told me their is now there is water in my oil, meaning a cracked head gasket...the vehicle never got over the 3/4 mark on gauge and this is the 2nd vehicle ive purchased that the same thing has happened to.
2024-03-18Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11577919
CrashFireInjuryDeath
My 07 Xterra has extreme rust in the door jams and rear panels. The rack-n-pinion, power steering system leaks fluid.
2023-12-31Suspension (SUSPENSION)
NHTSA ODI 11562845
CrashFireInjuryDeath
There is usual rust on body of truck. There is some kind of electrical problem rather it’s the security system or wiring. There’s a clicking sound coming from dash area. There is a suspension problem, has to change leaf springs, struts and shocks often.
2023-10-04Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11548155
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The recall has been in place with no solution presented by the manufacturer since February of 2023 with no remedy for the steering wheel emblem issue, making airbag deployment potentially unsafe.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2007 Nissan Xterra?

Owners named Fuel system most often — 207 of 556 reports (37%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2007 Nissan Xterra?

NHTSA lists 2 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Airbags and Suspension. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2007 Nissan Xterra?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources