2008 Nissan Xterra Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 47about this part
- Share
- 40%of 119 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 106,500miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 47 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2008 Nissan Xterra, 40% of the 119 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 106,500 miles. 3 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I had reach my destination to work and found that my Xterra will not go in reverse. I had no previous warning of this or recall notice from Nissan. I have 2 Nissan Xterra's after I pay for this $4000.00 repair I plan on selling them both as they are not reliable with this transmission defect.”
NHTSA complaint #11048304, filed 2017-11, 167,000 miles“My Xterra is currently un-driveable due to the fact that the radiator fluid leaked into the transmission, which caused me the blow my transmission while I was merging on to the highway, which almost caused an accident due to an extreme lost of power. After this happened to me, that is when I found out that this is a very common problem with make model and year of my vehicle. Nissan has done nothing to help.”
NHTSA complaint #10994190, filed 2017-06, 160,000 miles“While driving through the intersection, my vehicle suddenly lost power causing me to get rear ended. Very minimal damage to my vehicle but my daughter was in the car with me. Upon further inspection at a shop it was concluded that the cause of the loss of power was due to a failure in the teams fluid cooler causing radiator fluid to enter the transmission.”
NHTSA complaint #10555827, filed 2013-12, 112,098 miles“Vehicle was loosing fluid from radiator, no leakage on ground.then the next thing that happened was, it wasn't shifting correctly. I went to a transmission shop and they told me I needed a new transmission I then called around to get a second opinion, went to a different shop, at that shop after I parked the car, it wouldn't even start back up, car has repaired at that location . Radiator leaked fluid in my transmission and ruined it!”
NHTSA complaint #10979731, filed 2017-04, 175,000 miles“The differential broke in the middle of the road away from my house but first in weight with the light of the tires I went to check it and nothing after the muffler till the last one broke the differential and now I do not know how to fix it.”
NHTSA complaint #11054036, filed 2017-12, 172 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10192821May 10, 2016SERVICE INFORMATION Replacement 5-speed rear wheel drive Automatic Transmission (A/T) assemblies and replacement control valves (valve bodies) now come with blank Transmission…
- 10192691Nov 30, 2015IF YOU CONFIRM: A remanufactured automatic transmission supplied by ATC Drivetrain is installed in an APPLIED VEHICLE AND CONSULT-III plus (C-III plus) is not able to communicate…
- 10192524Feb 6, 2015SERVICE INFORMATION When diagnosing possible power steering gear (rack and pinion steering rack, or steering rack) leak issues, it may appear the steering rack is leaking when…
- 10192474Nov 20, 2014SERVICE INFORMATION If a customer describes lack of power or poor acceleration, perform the following checks before attempting any repair: * Check for stored DTCs. * Check if the…
- 10192051Oct 12, 2012Nissan has decided in the interest of customer satisfaction, to further extend the warranty for the Radiator Assembly on all 2005-10 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra vehicles…
- 10043950Apr 10, 2012Nissan: ecm replacement procedures with consult iii plus. Applies to all 2004 and later (does not apply to leaf/ev) vehicles.
- 10024689Apr 28, 2008Nissan; special automatic transmission fluid requirement. 2004 to current nissan vehicles.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 6 | 60% |
| 2014 | 1 | 10% |
| 2012 | 6 | 38% |
| 2011 | 1 | 4% |
| 2010 | 11 | 29% |
| 2009 | 6 | 32% |
| 2008 | 47 | 40% |
| 2007 | 231 | 41% |
| 2006 | 268 | 34% |
| 2005 | 412 | 49% |
| 2004 | 6 | 7% |
| 2003 | 2 | 3% |
| 2002 | 6 | 4% |
| 2001 | 6 | 4% |
| 2000 | 22 | 10% |
Other parts of the 2008 Nissan Xterra
23 complaintsEngine
23 complaintsFuel system
18 complaintsBrakes
13 complaintsElectrical system
11 complaintsOther or unknown
9 complaintsEngine cooling
8 complaintsElectronic stability control
4 complaintsBody and structure
3 complaintsTires
3 complaintsWheels
3 complaintsEquipment
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 Nissan Xterra
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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