2002 Nissan Xterra problems & reliability
157 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Nissan Xterra, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
13 complaints report injuries (28 injured, 17 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Nissan Xterra vehicles were involved in 30 fatal crashes with 20 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 24 | 15% |
| Steering | 22 | 14% |
| Air Bags | 19 | 12% |
| Electrical System | 13 | 8% |
| Suspension | 13 | 8% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 12 | 8% |
| Unknown OR Other | 11 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 7% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 9 | 6% |
| Engine | 8 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 80,900 miles (middle 50% between 38,500 and 137,500 miles), based on 94 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The registered owner of this vehicle is registered tp the arab known as the polish polako missing a leg and is claiming to be a wanna be fake cop police. Hes bald and on the thinner side and ugly. im being framed for rapes & murders that hes done along w\ everyone i know from my pass that are deseased and and still…”
Back Over Prevention · filed Jul 8, 2025
“The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked with the rear passenger’s seat occupied, the rear passenger’s seat belt thread unraveled, and the buckle detached and remained latched. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure…”
Seat Belts · filed Dec 5, 2024
“My wife's car was in need of two front tires so I took my vehicle to wheels 360- it was the only shop open and I was crunched on time. She is an emt and I am an educator so we do not have much spare time during the week. The shop over charged me for two low quantity tires. There were two workers replacing the tires on…”
Wheels · filed Apr 25, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- BRAKE ROTOR WARPAGE
Defect Petition DP03005 · opened Jul 11, 2003 · closed Jul 29, 2003
- DRIVER'S AIR BAG SYSTEM FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA02020 · opened Aug 29, 2002 · closed Mar 3, 2003 · led to recall 03V061000
- DRIVER'S AIR BAG SYSTEM MALFUNCTION
Preliminary Evaluation PE02038 · opened Mar 26, 2002 · closed Aug 29, 2002
Technical service bulletins
74 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Nissan Xterra. The 10 most recent:
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB17-019H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-028I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB09-081K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB08-097L · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2023
SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical components. To avoid the risk of death or…
NTB23-053 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2023
12 VOLT BATTERY TESTING FOR IN-SERVICE VEHICLES SERVICE INFORMATION The following Service Information lists NNA procedural recommendations for establishing good connections while performing 12V battery testing. These…
NTB23-049 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2023
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-107F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 27, 2023
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2002 Nissan Xterra has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 Nissan Xterra?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 80,900 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.