There are 4 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2005 Nissan Xterrain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TRANSMISSION FAILURE
NISSAN KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN FACT IT INVOLVES MULTIPLE YEARS AND MODELS. THE RADIATOR CRACKS AND LEAKS INTO THE TRANSMISSION RUINING BOTH. THEY ENTERED INTO A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT BUT SET THE BAR SO HIGH THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MEET. THIS CAR TECHNICALLY HAS LOW MILEAGE FOR A 10 YEAR OLD VEHICLE YET MISSES THE TOP PARAMETER BY 16,000 MILES. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE .
I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA DOWN THE HIGHWAY AROUND 65MPH WHEN I NOTICED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD JUST BEFORE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP & THE VEHICLE WENT DEAD. HAD IT TOWED INTO DEALERSHIP, WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED & WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. ISSUES CAUSED FROM FAULTY RADIATOR DRAINAGE INTO TRANSMISSION FLUID. I HAVE READ OF COUNTLESS OTHER REPORTS OF THIS SAME ISSUE. THIS YEAR VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED BY DEALERSHIP TO CORRECT THIS RECURRING PROBLEM. IT WONT BE LONG BEFORE SOMEONE LOSES CONTROL OF THEIR VEHICLE DUE TO FAILED TRANSMISSION & HITS ANOTHER VEHICLE OR KILLS SOMEONE! *TR
IN MARCH 2012 MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA WAS APPROXIMATELY 91,000 WHEN DRIVING IN THE HIGHWAY I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN RUMBLE CAUSING ME TO SWERVE AND IMMEDIATELY REDUCE SPEED. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER WITHOUT ANY INCIDENT. AFTER TAKING MY CAR TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP WHERE I REGULARLY SERVICE MY CAR. I WAS TOLD MY RADIATOR WAS LEAKING FLUID AND THIS MIGHT HAVE DAMAGED MY TRANSMISSION. SINCE THEN I HAVE REPLACED THE RADIATOR AND PRESENTLY STILL EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS. IT APPEARS THIS IS COMMON IN THE 2005 LINE OF X-TERRAS, PATHFINDERS, ETC. SINCE MY CAR WAS OVER 80,000 MILES THE RADIATOR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. NOW I AM BEING TOLD THAT I AM STILL TO DEAL WITH THE AFTERMATH OF THIS DEFECTIVE RADIATOR AND HAVE TO REPLACE THE VALVE BODY. WHAT IS MORE CAUSE FOR ALARM IS THE FACT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND SOME PEOPLE MIGHT NOT BE AWARE OF IT AND FIND THEMSELVES IN A VERY BAD ACCIDENT OR EVEN WORSE A FATALITY. *TR
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.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026