2010 Nissan Xterra Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Xterra years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 10th of 16 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 38 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Nissan Xterra. That ranks 10th out of 16 Xterra model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (11 complaints, 29%), typically at around 83,800 miles. Complaints mention 4 crashes, 3 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
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- 38owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 4complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2010 Nissan Xterra problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 11 | 29% | 83,800 | — | — |
| Power Train | 11 | 29% | 66,400 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 8 | 21% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 4 | 11% | 37,200 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 11% | 83,100 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 8% | 53,525 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 8% | 130,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 5% | 38,250 | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 5% | 75,600 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 5% | 63,128 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 3% | 173,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 3% | 83,800 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 3% | 100,200 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 3% | 5,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 3% | 130,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 3% | 120,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2010 Nissan Xterra recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: 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.
Risk: A detached emblem can become a projectile during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driverÂs 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.
Equipment:electrical:navigational system(global positioning system)
Problem: Nissan is recalling certain vehicles that were equipped with a garmin nuvi model 750 navigation system. The batteries contained in the affected gps units can overheat.
Risk: Overheated batteries could result in a fire.
Fix: 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.
Suspension:front:control arm:lower arm
Problem: Nissan is recalling certain model year 2010 titan, armada, qx56, frontier, xterra, and pathfinder vehicles manufactured from november 19, 2009 through march 3, 2010. The lower control link assembly has two cylindrical collars forming the inboard attachment points to the chassis. Due to an improper welding process some collars may contain welds that do not meet strength specifications.
Risk: If the collar weld separates, the vehicle handling will deteriorate, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on may 20, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive; steering:gear box:shaft sector
Problem: Nissan has notified nhtsa of a defect in certain model year 2010 frontier, pathfinder, and xterra vehicles manufactured from february 22, 2010 to march 13, 2010. On some of the potentially affected vehicles, the fasteners securing the passenger front air bag module, and also the fasteners securing the steering shaft positioning bracket may not have been tightened to the proper torque specification.
Risk: In the event of a crash, the passenger front air bag deployment trajectory might be affected. The fasteners could possibly come out of the steering column positioning bracket increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the steering column and the passenger front air bag fasteners and any missing fasteners will be replaced and all loose fasteners will be retightened to the proper torque specifications free of charge. The safety recall began on april 19, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Transmission Failures (DP12004) — opened Jun 11, 2012, closed Oct 22, 2016.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The nissan was in a severe accident and the air bag never deployed. There were 4 people in car when the accident occured. The passenger side air bag did deploy and those two people receved injuries but not life threating. The drivers side where the air bag did not deploy caused significant injuries…
After getting the air bag control module reprogrammed per the recall, I was on a dirt road and the rollover airbags deployed when they shouldnât have. The dealership I got the recall done at is claiming the airbag system registered ârollover conditionsâ. When I asked what the conditions were…
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that he 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…
My air bag quit working. The light started going off. I took it to Nissan and they said I had to pay to have the light turned off before they would fix the recall. I could not afford to pay to have the light turned off. The line connecting to my transmission and radiator has failed. Transmission…
No warning lamps had my vehicle repeatedly looked at was told that my vehicle had no transmission warninfsigns was told by mechanic to replace the radiator I replaced the radiator and then the vehicle stopped running now I have transmission fluid mixed with my radiator fluid and the vehicle doesn't…
Other Nissan Xterra years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 Xterra | 10 | 0 |
| 2014 Xterra | 10 | 0 |
| 2013 Xterra | 4 | 0 |
| 2012 Xterra | 16 | 2 |
| 2011 Xterra | 24 | 2 |
| 2010 | 38 | 4 |
| 2009 Xterra | 19 | 3 |
| 2008 Xterra | 119 | 6 |
| 2007 Xterra | 557 | 1 |
| 2006 Xterra | 780 | 3 |
| 2005 Xterra | 845 | 3 |
| 2004 Xterra | 84 | 2 |
| 2003 Xterra | 72 | 3 |
| 2002 Xterra | 157 | 5 |
| 2001 Xterra | 150 | 3 |
| 2000 Xterra | 214 | 3 |
See all Nissan Xterra problems by year, every Nissan model, or the Nissan VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2010 Nissan Xterra?
Owners most often report air bags, power train, electrical system problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 11 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2010 Nissan Xterra?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2010 Nissan Xterra a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Xterra model years, the 2010 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.