[Guit Fiddle]

I bought my X, an '07 OR, before I started cruising for forums and other information. I'm pretty much EXACTLY what the X target demographic is - a mountain biking, rock-climbing, off-roading (though not hardcore rock crawler), caffeine swilling fool. After negotiating and incentives, I got my new X for just a hair over 23.5k (stickered @ 27.9k). Overall, I think it was quite a steal in today's market.

Now, I know there is no perfect vehicle. But as I started cruising the forums, you start to hear about failing diffs both front and rear, clutch issues, brake and rotor problems...the list goes on. For me, the first time I opened the fuel door the spring clip broke loose and now the door swings open. Yesterday I was lowering the hood rod, and the plastic grommet/collar popped out and won't go back in properly. In addition to the big stuff, there are these irritating little things that just shouldn't occur on a modern vehicle.

As I said, I do love my X. But occasionally I feel a little swindled by the overall quality, especially given Nissan's reputation. Am I alone?

 

[Driver X]

Negative ghost rider...
I bought my X off the showroom floor... BIG MISTAKE!! It had 7 miles on it, nobody drove the X for a while because it sat in the showroom floor. Well both front seats were loose! The front bolts on both seats were loose causing the seats to rock back and forth. Also had a broken gas cap when I bought it. Things I fixed myself, but still shouldn't have happened being a brand new vehicle...
Also overheating issue that I took it in twice to get fixed... brake noise which there is a TSB out for... wind noise (when it was stock)... idler pulley issue which I am sure most of you know about... lots of little things can make one big problem. But dont sweat the small stuff, the truck is covered under warranty, its there for a reason so use it to your advantage... I dont know if your state has the Lemon Law, but after 3 times if the dealership can't fix it they have to give you a new vehicle... here in Nevada they fix it the second time so it doesn't come back the third... over time you will notice little things here and there that wont work the way its suppose to, but if its under warranty have them fix it for free.

 

[Muzikman]

I have had mine since July 05. Went through both front and rear diffs, going to be on my 3rd alternator, my LCA bushing is dead, my rear hatch is crooked, my interior plastic is scratched and I had to replace my brakes at 20K miles.

I still love it and don't complain too much (except maybe they diffs).

 

[stevet47]

I have had mine since July 05. Went through both front and rear diffs, going to be on my 3rd alternator, my LCA bushing is dead, my rear hatch is crooked, my interior plastic is scratched and I had to replace my brakes at 20K miles.

I still love it and don't complain too much (except maybe they diffs).

But you wheel the hell out of it, correct? Nissan isn't in the business of building tanks. 90% of the X's sold will probably never see a dirt road, let alone be used offroad.

 

[spalind]

Hey, it happens to nearly all vehicles when they are used hard--not the front and rear diff stuff...that is an engineering failure that SHOULD be corrected...but look at the new Tundra...torque converter doesn't disengage, the rear tailgate deforms and tends to drop open at random times...and thats just stuff I've read on Autoblog, let alone what all the real enthusiasts are seeing....

I have a first gen and I've had my issues--Fuel sending unit, cracked manifolds, etc...but I don't know what I'd do without her...

 

[Muzikman]

I have had mine since July 05. Went through both front and rear diffs, going to be on my 3rd alternator, my LCA bushing is dead, my rear hatch is crooked, my interior plastic is scratched and I had to replace my brakes at 20K miles.

I still love it and don't complain too much (except maybe they diffs).

But you wheel the hell out of it, correct? Nissan isn't in the business of building tanks. 90% of the X's sold will probably never see a dirt road, let alone be used offroad.

There are a few flaws. Diffs, they should not have blown...period, end of story ...you can not argue this. These are the only vehicles I know of that the diff is the weak link in the drive line. I would feel A LOT more comfortable if I would blow a hub, half shaft or axle shaft before I blew a diff. And if I am going to blow diffs, sell me a new one at a reasonable price, not $3000 for an entire thing.

The interior plastic, although a great idea is way too easy to scratch. I am not just talking about the back area either, the dash and center console are beat up as well. The interior of my 2yo X looks 100x worse than the interior of my 10yo Intrepid.

 

[Mark]

I dont see the point of this one. Anything you buy has potential to have problems. Just because someone elses diff blew up doesnt mean your is, same with the breaks and so on. Feel cheated? If you feel cheated, then i guess you didnt do enough research first before buying a vehicle.

 

[miles]

Jason, werent your blown diff's covered under warranty...did they blow under normal conditions.?

 

[Muzikman]

They were covered, does mean they should have blown in the first place.

 

[silverflash]

my truck has 21k on it. no scratches at all inside or out. I do take it 4x4ing but only on the beach or some dirt roads/light mud. if i wanted a rock climber i would have spend 2k on an old jeep and fixed it up mechanically, screw the exterior looks. i wanted a daily driver that can run on the beach to go fishing or go through some mud once in a while. that's what i paid for and got. i keep her well maintained inside, outside and underside. she's my baby. i park her in the farthest possible spot while shopping to avoid the morons/ignoramuses who have zero respect for others stuff. i constantly apply wax to the outside and armor all to the inside and outside trim to protect it. call me meticulous or anal, but this truck will look like new in 5 years. the last one did until the ex got it, now it looks like a piece of junk.


i just had a rear diff swap under warranty. i did wheel it a little, on the beach and some power lines but to be honest, it made noise well before i did any of that and doing those things didn't worsen the noise any it seems. now it is noise free and i will be swapping the fluid out in 2k more miles just ot be safe. i used mobile 1 synthetic every 5-7 k miles and use 5w-30. to me, that oil viscosity/brand makes a huge difference. i see myself becoming more anal about things like this the older i get, 37 now, but oyu know what? it's my truck. my car payment. my responsibility. joe blow at the dealer isn't going to screw her up and get away with it, not on my watch.


well, sorry for the rant, but i don't feel cheated. i think you create your own experiences. this truck is not made to hit mud/rocks/etc every day hard. not many trucks out there are, if any. doubt the fj-cruiser would last either... if you want to play, you will have to pay...

just my 2 cents...

 

[seels]

It could be worse...I got my X about 6 months early because my F-150 caught fire while it was PARKED....and this was a known problem problem for that vehicle

 

[Muzikman]

if you want to play, you will have to pay...

That phrase is tossed around a bit too much and a bit too easily. I am will to pay a reasonable amount. The dealer wants a bit more than a reasonable price for these diffs and then they won't sell you just parts for them.

 

[S_e_X-Terra]

if you want to play, you will have to pay...

just my 2 cents...

Well said!

 

[silverflash]

if you want to play, you will have to pay...

That phrase is tossed around a bit too much and a bit too easily. I am will to pay a reasonable amount. The dealer wants a bit more than a reasonable price for these diffs and then they won't sell you just parts for them.

Now I can agree on that. I am a prime example when it comes to our diffs being under engineered. i don't care, in 15k more miles when she is whining again, i get another new diff, and then 15k miles later etc etc up to 100k. and then? after that too because I can say: i have had 6 new diffs in this truck in 100k miles, that is absurb. 6x3,000 = 18,000 just for new diffs! hope it doesn't go that way, but i am not too proud to make 'em pay if need me. they can better afford to than I...

 

[Guit Fiddle]

I agree with what is said here, but the wheeling-related problems apply primarily to the diffs (obviously an engineering failure). Then there are the little annoying things that would have taken 5 minutes for a hung-over chimp to design better....like fuel-door clip and hood rod grommet. It's those little things that make a daily impression.

That being said, I do like the personality of the X a lot. It definitely has its own character. It's certainly better in that dept than the Toyotas I've owned - every one I've had gives me both the impression of unfailing reliability combined with a complete and total lack of personality.

 

[Muzikman]

I have not had any of those small problems and I have an early production 05.

 

[kneebuster]

Just because a couple of people have problems (fuel doors, hood rod grommets) doesn't mean that there is a design "flaw" or shoddy workmanship. Our trucks are complex machines with a large number of parts. If you want quality control such that there are zero defects and 100% reliability (whatever that might mean) you'd better be prepared to spend at least 10x more. The diffs, those are a separate issue, but there again, a large number of us are wheeling successfully without incident (so far at least).

 

[lloyd Swartz]

There are some other good posts on this issue, do a little searching. The best analysis seems to be Toyota, Hummer(H3), Jeep J/K and Nissan rushed into these new trucks and off-road vehicles in a frenzy, without proper design and testing. Poor construction quality followed.

The FJ is the worst. Ours is disappointing, and will take buckets of cash to wheel due to the diffs.....I have not decided myself what to do for sure. Tell tale signs of the insanity are everywhere. A clocked rock crawling style drivetrain, with a front diff built for a Yugo. A rear diff with axles as big as a Unimog and Yugo carrier.

Myself I am extremely disappointed, and probably wont ever buy Nissan again. Others, will get past the issues...maybe I will some day.

 

[mike100]

Mine has been pretty good. I do take it easy on it though. Of the few times when I did hit the dirt, I did manage to break a strut and of course I found out about the bumpstop issue (fixed by me). I basically broke the strut and the only thing I brought it back for otherwise was a squeak that got remedied.

I have purchased enough maintenance spares and one set of tires to keep her good for about one more year. we'll see if she will be traded out after that time.

Nissan Service has been much better than the domestics, but I really would like to avoid having to get a front diff replacement.

 

[Duck]

Now I am a bit worried after reading all of this. I just broke 20K miles on my '06 OR and I have not had one problem to speak of (well, if you count the damn luggs breaking off when I removed the wheels, I suppose that counts for something.)
This truck has been bullet-proof and I drive it pretty hard.
The differential thing has me a bit concerned. Should I get it looked at before something bad happens?