2002 Nissan Xterra: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2002 Nissan Xterra. The newest campaign is 10V554000. NHTSA received the report on 11 Nov 2010. The NHTSA record gives the component Steering / Column. NHTSA has 157 complaints on file for this model year. 3 NHTSA investigations name this model year.
The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.
This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.
Remedy of the newest campaign, 10V554000, in the NHTSA record
The steering column shaft and joint will be replaced with a shaft of a different design. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall began on december 13, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .
Since the last update
No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks
Recall campaigns
5 campaigns, newest first. 1,299,310 units in total.
- 10V554000Steering / Column
- 04V230000Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump
- 03V061000Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module
- 02V299000Suspension / Rear
- 02V298000Vehicle Speed Control
10V554000Received . 500,552 units.
Steering / Column
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2002-2004 frontier vehicles manufactured from july 9, 2001 through october 20, 2004, and model year 2002-2004, xterra vehicles manufactured from july 9, 2001, through january 6, 2005. Over time corrosion may form in the lower steering column joint and limit movement of the joint. The limited movement of this joint may create excessive load on the lower steering column shaft. If the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition, it may lead to cracking of the shaft during low speed maneuvers that require large steering inputs.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The shaft may break which could result in loss of steering control during these low speed maneuvers increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
The steering column shaft and joint will be replaced with a shaft of a different design. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall began on december 13, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Report filed by NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number R1037. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
04V230000Received . 586,196 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain pickup trucks equipped with six cylinder engines and sport utility vehicles equipped with four or six cylinder engines, the fuel pump terminal on the fuel-sending unit can develop a crack in the plastic molding. This can cause the terminal strip to corrode under some environmental conditions.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If corrosion occurs, the terminal strip could eventually break causing the fuel pump to stop operation. This will result in not being able to start the engine or cause the engine to stop running without warning, which can result in a crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
In the following states, dealers will replace the fuel-sending unit. These states are connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, tennessee, vermont, virginia, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. In the other states, the dealer will inspect the fuel pump terminal on the sending unit for corrosion. If corrosion is present, the dealer will replace the unit. If there is not corrosion, the dealer will apply sealant to the terminal housing to help prevent corrosion in the future. Owner notification began on june 28, 2004. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Report filed by NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
03V061000Received . 64,562 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain vehicles, the electrical connector for the driver air bag may come loose. If the connector comes loose, the supplemental air bag warning light flashes intermittently.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The driver side air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a retaining clip on the clock spring electrical connector. Owner notification began april 21, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Report filed by NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number R3001. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
02V299000Received . 143,000 units.
Suspension / Rear
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, water may enter the rear axle housing due to inadequate sealing of the anti-lock braking system (ABS) sensor.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This can result in corrosion and eventual failure of the wheel bearing. If this occurs, the wheel assembly could separate from the vehicle increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the rear axle for water intrusion and any affected components will be replaced. The ABS sensor will be resealed to prevent water intrusion. Owner notification began december 10, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Report filed by NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number R2019. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
02V298000Received . 5,000 units.
Vehicle Speed Control
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with a supercharger, under certain conditions, such as full throttle in low gear when the engine is not fully warmed up and at cold ambient temperature, the amount of intake air flow through the air flow meter may exceed the maximum preset diagnosis limit value.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This will cause the engine control system to go into the failsafe mode. Under this condition, the malfunction indicator lamp will illuminate and engine speed will not exceed 2400 RPM regardless of the throttle position, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will reprogram the electronic control module. Owner notification began january 15, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Report filed by NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number R2013. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.
Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.
Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.
Complaints by component
157 complaints, 214 component mentions.
A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.
- 2002 Nissan Xterra
- All 2002 vehicles
| Component | 2002 Xterra | All 2002 vehicles | Xterra, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 116.8 | 100.3 | 106.8 | 25 |
| Steering | 102.8 | 39.6 | 26.2 | 22 |
| Air Bags | 88.8 | 73.7 | 42.7 | 19 |
| Suspension | 60.7 | 81.2 | 21 | 13 |
| Electrical System | 60.7 | 94.6 | 49.8 | 13 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 56.1 | 76.5 | 13.6 | 12 |
| Unknown or Other | 51.4 | 21 | 28.9 | 11 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 51.4 | 39.2 | 16.2 | 11 |
| Visibility | 42.1 | 38.7 | 18.6 | 9 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 42.1 | 32.4 | 175.3 | 9 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 28.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 21
- Complaints that report a fire
- 7
- Injuries in the complaints
- 28
- Deaths in the complaints
- 17
- Date of the newest complaint
- 8 Jul 2025
These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.
Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.
Investigations
| Number | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DP03005 | Defect petition | BRAKE ROTOR WARPAGE | Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Disc / Rotor | 11 Jul 2003 | 29 Jul 2003 | |
| EA02020 | Engineering analysis | DRIVER'S AIR BAG SYSTEM FAILURE | Air Bags / Frontal | 29 Aug 2002 | 3 Mar 2003 | 03V061000 |
| PE02038 | Preliminary evaluation | DRIVER'S AIR BAG SYSTEM MALFUNCTION | Air Bags / Frontal | 26 Mar 2002 | 29 Aug 2002 |
Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.
Other model years
The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.
A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.
Follow by RSS:Nissan recallsVehicle recalls
Official channels
- NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
- NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
- NHTSA page of the 2002 Nissan XterraThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 2002 Nissan Xterra: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/nissan/xterra/2002/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .
Sources
- Source
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
- Licence
- US government work, public domain
- Recall file through
- 30 Sep 2026
- Complaint file through
- 30 Sep 2026
- First complaint in the file
- 1 Jan 1995
- Manufacturer in the recall file
- NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.
Questions
- How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2002 Nissan Xterra?
- 1,299,310 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
- How many recall campaigns does the Nissan Xterra have for all model years?
- NHTSA lists 21 recall campaigns for the Nissan Xterra, model years 2000 to 2015. 5 of them name the 2002 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 2002 Nissan Xterra name most often?
- Engine and Engine Cooling: 25 of 214 component mentions, or 116.8 per 1,000. For all 2002 vehicles the figure is 100.3 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2002 Nissan Xterra open?
- No. Each of the 3 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.