CSR

Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2011 Nissan Xterra

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

24

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2011 Nissan Xterra have filed 24 safety complaints with NHTSA between January 2011 and September 2025. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 9 of them (38%). The typical failure was reported at 54,000 miles, the median across the 15 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 2 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (2)

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

23V067000 · February 10, 2023

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2008-2011 Titan, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Armada, and 2008-2009 Quest vehicles. The resin emblem on the driver's air bag cover may develop cracks and detach during air bag deployment.
The risk
A detached emblem can become a projectile during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the driver’s 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.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 404,690 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

11V592000 · December 19, 2011

The defect
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 INFINITI FX, MODEL YEAR 2012 INFINITI M, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN FRONTIER, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN XTERRA, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN PATHFINDER, AND MODEL YEAR 2012 NISSAN NV VEHICLES. SOME OF THE BOLTS THAT CONNECT THE ENGINE OIL COOLER AND THE ENGINE OIL FILTER TO THE ENGINE IN THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED TO BELOW SPECIFICATION STRENGTH. AS A RESULT, THE BOLT MAY BREAK AT THE OIL FILTER ATTACHMENT POINT AND CAN CAUSE AN ENGINE OIL LEAK.
The risk
IF THERE IS AN ENGINE OIL LEAK, THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE WOULD DROP AND THE ENGINE COULD SEIZE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CONNECTOR BOLTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 30, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. · up to 14,718 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 24.

AIR BAGS 9 38%
ENGINE 5 21%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 17%
TIRES 2 8%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 4%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 4%
POWER TRAIN 1 4%
STEERING 1 4%
STRUCTURE 1 4%
SUSPENSION 1 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2014 at 4.

2011 2014 2025
2011 to 2025

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS
The airbag warning light started flashing. I took the car to Valley Nissan in Longmont, Colorado where I was told that they need to replace the AirBag Diagnosis Sensor and the RH side Airbag Module. Valley Nissan said that these parts were no longer being produced, so they could not complete this repair. The airbag system is not functioning which puts me and my passengers at risk if there is an accident that should activate the airbags.

NHTSA complaint 11684563. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle's mileage was approximately 129,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was approximately 188,000 in 2022.

NHTSA complaint 11677288. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

140,000 miles

The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, an engine oil leak was present. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the oil connector bolt and O-ring seal needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not replaced. The contact was aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V592000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

NHTSA complaint 11605423. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
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, now there is water in my oil, meaning a cracked head gasket...this is the 2nd vehicle ive purchased that the same thing has hapoened to.

NHTSA complaint 11594707. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
Hole in exhaust system due to weld failure in support clamp The problem is reoccurring every year over a 3 1/2 year period

NHTSA complaint 11541014. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
Nissan consumer affairs Case #48955822 Manufacturer Recall NumberPC948 NHTSA Recall Number23E-012 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available Summary THE RESIN EMBLEM ON THE DRIVER S AIRBAG MODULE COVER IN AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY HAVE REDUCED DURABILITY DUE TO POTENTIAL SUPPLIER PRODUCTION PROCESS VARIATION. IN THIS CONDITION, OVER TIME THE POSTS OF THE EMBLEM MAY DEVELOP CRACKS, AND THE EMBLEM AND RETAINER COMPONENTS COULD DETACH IN THE EVENT OF AN AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. I attempted to reach a buy back agreement with Nissan consumer affairs and the request was denied with no reason given. I have requested a remedy to this recall with no response. I refuse to drive a vehicle that is

NHTSA complaint 11524629, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Nissan Xterra

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2012 16 2
2010 38 4

Other 2011 Nissan models

Every Nissan on this site — 200 vehicles, 319 recall campaigns and 5 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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