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Electrical systemPart report

2003 Nissan Xterra Electrical system Problems

Complaints
4about this part
Share
6%of 72 total for the year
Median mileage
7,100miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Nissan Xterra, 6% of the 72 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 7,100 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I have a problem with the front windows of my Nissan Xterra, I bought the car two months ago and the front windows stopped working twice already. I was told by the service manager that there is a problem with the window regulators in the xterras and that Nissan does not have a recall or even has a solution to this problem other than having to change the same part over and over. As we all know we buy new cars for their dependability not because we like the payments!”

NHTSA complaint #10041694, filed 2003-10, 1,000 miles

“I own a 2003 Nissan Xterra with 7400 miles on it. On wednesday, february 25, 2004, I attempted to roll down my windows and all four windows were powerless. I called conicelli Nissan service in conshohocken, pa immediatley and brought it in for service the next day (february 26, 2004). During the first service check, the technician could not duplicate the concern and did not fix anything. On february 27, 2004, the exact same thing happened to my windows. This time my front, right, driver-side window was down and I was not able to get it up. …”

NHTSA complaint #10060387, filed 2004-03, 7,100 miles

“2003 Nissan Xterra developed problems with the brakes, headlights and tail lights. When the consumer attempted to apply the brakes, the vehicle did not stop.”

NHTSA complaint #10132368, filed 2005-08, 24,473 miles

“Dt: contact stated 2003 Nissan Xterra caught on fire on 5-27-05. Contact was driving and smelled something burning, within one minute the hood was engulfed in flames. She was stopped at a red light when she first smelled something burning. The fire department came and extinguished the fire. They thought it was an electrical fire. The manufacturer sent someone to look at the car and the corporate consumer affairs called and said they did not know what caused it, but the warranty expired. Dealer said they did not know what caused the fire. It destroyed the vehicle completely.”

NHTSA complaint #10130783, filed 2005-09

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2011417%
2010821%
2009316%
2008119%
2007275%
2006415%
2005395%
20041113%
200346%
2002138%
20011711%
20002612%

Other parts of the 2003 Nissan Xterra

Fuel system
16 complaintsBrakes
12 complaintsSteering
12 complaintsAir bags
10 complaintsEngine cooling
7 complaintsBody and structure
7 complaintsEngine
6 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaintsTires
4 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsVehicle speed control
3 complaintsExterior lighting
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2003 Nissan Xterra

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology