2008 Nissan Xterra Problems and Recalls (118 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2008 Nissan Xterra is Transmission / driveline (31% of 118 owner reports). There are 8 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 118 complaints · 8 recalls
What problems show up on the 2008 Nissan Xterra?
36 of 118 filings named Transmission / driveline (31% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Airbags (18 reports).
There are 8 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Brakes, Airbags, Suspension, and Fuel system. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2007 has 556 reports on file; this year has 118. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
System named most often: Transmission / driveline 36 complaints · 30.5% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 9
- Fires 3
- Injuries 6
- Deaths 0
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.
“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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 36 | 30.5% | 2 crashes · 1 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 18 | 15.3% | 5 crashes · 0 fires |
| Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) | 16 | 13.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 13 | 11.0% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 10 | 8.5% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 3 | 2.5% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Body / frame (STRUCTURE) | 3 | 2.5% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Tires (TIRES) | 3 | 2.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) | 2 | 1.7% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 32 | 27.1% | 0 crashes · 0 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.
- Campaign 10V075000 was reported 576 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 10V401000 was reported 767 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 23V067000 was reported 5,027 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2011-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2012-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2012-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2025-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 07V528000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 07E105000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 08V045000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 08V690000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10V075000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10E019000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10V401000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 23V067000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | DP12004 |
Safety Recalls (8)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Brakes, Airbags, Suspension, and Fuel system.
-
Recall campaign 07E105000
Brakes
- Report date
- Component:
- Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
- Consequence:
- THE EXTRA CHECK BALLS CAN RESTRICT THE FLOW OF BRAKE FLUID THROUGH THE VALVE AND CAUSE REDUCTION OF BRAKE FORCE.
- Remedy:
- EACH VEHICLE MANUFACTURER WILL FILE A DEFECT REPORT AND REMEDY PLAN FOR THEIR VEHICLES WHICH INCLUDED THESE MODULES AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. VEHICLES WILL BE REPAIRED AT NO COST TO THE OWNER. OWNERS CAN CONTACT EITHER THEIR VEHICLE MANUFACTURER OR CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE AT 248-393-5300 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
-
Recall campaign 07V528000
Brakes
- Report date
- Component:
- Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
- Consequence:
- IN ABS/VDC ACTUATORS WITH MORE THAN ONE BALL, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT FLUID FLOW COULD BE BLOCKED AND CAUSE A REDUCTION IN BRAKE FORCE IN ONE OR BOTH FRONT WHEELS OR AFFECT OPERATION OF THE ABS AND/OR VDC. THIS COULD RESULT IN A REDUCTION IN BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS WITHOUT WARNING INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ABS/VDC ACTUATOR WITH A NEW ONE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 31, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
-
Recall campaign 08V045000
Safety recall 08V045000
- Report date
- Component:
- Unclassified NHTSA leftover
- Consequence:
- THIS STANDARD SPECIFIES REQUIREMENTS FOR TIRE SELECTION TO PREVENT OVERLOADING.
- Remedy:
- NISSAN WILL MAIL A CORRECT TIRE PLACARD AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS TO OWNERS OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 25, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Recall campaign 10V075000
Fuel system
- Report date
- Component:
- Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- THIS COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO RUN OUT OF GAS AND STALL IN TRAFFIC, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT INSIDE THE FUEL TANK WITH A NEW ONE THAT HAS A MODIFIED FLOAT ARM. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 22, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
-
Recall campaign 10V401000
Safety recall 10V401000
- Report date
- Component:
- Unclassified NHTSA leftover
- Consequence:
- OVERHEATED BATTERIES COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
- Remedy:
- NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY GARMIN TECHNICIANS BY REPLACING THE BATTERY AND INSERTING A SPACER ON TOP OF THE BATTERY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GARMIN DIRECTLY AT 1-866-957-1981 OR NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
-
Recall campaign 23V067000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- A detached emblem can become a projectile during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
- Remedy:
- Dealers will replace the drivers airbag cover. Owner letters were mailed December 8, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are PC944, PC945, and PC946.
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
Showing 8 of 118 complaints · page 1 of 5
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the contact shifted the vehicle into drive, and the vehicle unexpectedly went into reverse with no warning light illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle, and the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the instrument panel displayed that the gear shifter was in reverse while shifted into drive. The instrument panel also displayed that the gear shifter was in neutral while shifted into reverse. The contact stated that to prevent the vehicle from rolling away, the wheels were chocked, and parking brake was engaged. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 225,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V067000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V067000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V067000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owned a 2008 Nissan XTerra. The contact's son was driving the vehicle at approximately 25 MPH when he hydroplaned on a wet road and crashed into a wall built along the side of the road. The contact stated that her son crashed into the wall head-on. The contact stated that the driver's side air bag had not deployed, and the passenger side air bag had. The contact's son had broken his left thumb and had an injury on his left leg below his knee that produced some nerve damage. The passenger had suffered four cracked ribs. Both driver and passenger were transported by ambulance to the emergency room. The police were on the scene and wrote a report. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact was informed by her insurance that the vehicle was a total loss. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
driving and transfer case locked up sending me in to oncoming traffic and guardrail
CrashFireInjuryDeath
A leak developed in the radiator that allowed engine coolant into the automatic transmission and visa versa. Engine coolant in the automatic transmission can cause sudden failure of the transmission which could cause an accident. This is a known design flaw of Nissan transmissions. Nissan has refused to issue a recall and class actions have been successful, but are not extensive enough to cover all Nissan buyers. I have filed a complaint with Nissan and they offered zero help in covering repairs. They just say that it is out of warranty. I had my Xterra worked on at the dealer 18 months ago and they could have recommended a new part be installed to keep the transmission failure from occuring, but said nothing. The result is that now I have to replace the transmission and radiator at a $9,000.00 price tag out of my pocket because they refused to recall the parts (<$1000.00) involved and will not give owners any warning or guidance on how to prevent this totally preventable catastrophic transmission failure. Nissan Case # 46218952.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and making a right turn, she heard an abnormal sound while depressing on the brake pedal. The contact stated that the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) & the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) warning lights were illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 07E105000 (Service Brakes, Air) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2008 Nissan Xterra?
Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 36 of 118 reports (31%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2008 Nissan Xterra?
NHTSA lists 8 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Brakes, Airbags, Suspension, and Fuel system. 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 2008 Nissan Xterra?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped. 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.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
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.