CD Article: Nissan X-Trail, 2005-2006

[CD_Editor]

Today's Used Vehicle Review:

"On the whole, reliability of the Nissan X-Trail seems to be pretty good," says Contributing Editor, Chris Chase, "though it's hard to tell for sure after just two years' worth of X-Trails sold here."
   
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[Scotte23]

I have a 2005 Nissan X-Trail SE.  One issue potential owners need to be aware of is that the actuator on the drivers door has a faulty seal.  What this means is your door will freeze shut in cold temperatures, it can also fly open while you are driving if the frozen mechanism hasn't clicked properly.  There are dozens of people who have this same issue and dealerships have said it is a known problem.  The problem is Nissan wont issue a recall, and they wont cover it under warranty after 3 years.  In my case my x-trail had been kept in a parkade it's first 4 years of existence.  Now that it's outside the faulty seal has shown itself.  If you buy a used x-trail ask if the actuator has been fixed.  It is a $300+ repair, and like I said Nissan has not addressed it. 

Try a google for: X-trail door frozen

Check out Nissanforums, there are dozens of people frustrated by this.

If you are an x-trail owner and have experienced this problem please share your story.  I am not happy with my frozen door, and I am not happy with Nissan for pretending they've never heard of the issue.  I passed two people in a parking lot yesterday getting out of their x-trails.  I asked them about their doors, both owners had had their doors frozen shut. 

[Seafoam]

I have a 2005 Nissan X-Trail SE.  One issue potential owners need to be aware of is that the actuator on the drivers door has a faulty seal.  What this means is your door will freeze shut in cold temperatures, it can also fly open while you are driving if the frozen mechanism hasn't clicked properly.  There are dozens of people who have this same issue and dealerships have said it is a known problem.  The problem is Nissan wont issue a recall, and they wont cover it under warranty after 3 years.  In my case my x-trail had been kept in a parkade it's first 4 years of existence.  Now that it's outside the faulty seal has shown itself.  If you buy a used x-trail ask if the actuator has been fixed.  It is a $300+ repair, and like I said Nissan has not addressed it. 

Try a google for: X-trail door frozen

Check out Nissanforums, there are dozens of people frustrated by this.

If you are an x-trail owner and have experienced this problem please share your story.  I am not happy with my frozen door, and I am not happy with Nissan for pretending they've never heard of the issue.  I passed two people in a parking lot yesterday getting out of their x-trails.  I asked them about their doors, both owners had had their doors frozen shut. 

I wonder if this defect has to do with the X-trail not being originally designed for the Canadian market. Didnt  it start life in Europe for years before it made it here?

[rrocket]

Since 2001 IIRC....

[Seafoam]

Since 2001 IIRC....

Yeah like first generation fit

[scotte23]

I wonder if this defect has to do with the X-trail not being originally designed for the Canadian market. Didnt  it start life in Europe for years before it made it here?
[/quote]


I wondered that myself.  Seems odd though that a few people have the problem with all 4 doors but everyone i've heard from has reported it on the driver's door.  I guess it's possible that if you don't use the other doors often it's less likely that moisture will get into their faulty actuator seals and freeze up...

[Trainman]

Oh no, not this issue on this as well:

"The only potential mechanical problem I could find was an issue with screws located inside the 2.5-litre engine's variable-length intake manifold runners. These screws can become loose and get sucked into the combustion chamber, causing serious trouble."

This is also an issue with the 3.5 VQ motor on the Pathfinder and Nissan has so far refused to acknowledge the issue.  And now with the X-Trail.  Shame on Nissan.

[Leviathan]

Oh no, not this issue on this as well:

"The only potential mechanical problem I could find was an issue with screws located inside the 2.5-litre engine's variable-length intake manifold runners. These screws can become loose and get sucked into the combustion chamber, causing serious trouble."

This is also an issue with the 3.5 VQ motor on the Pathfinder and Nissan has so far refused to acknowledge the issue.  And now with the X-Trail.  Shame on Nissan.

The 2.5L engine also had problems with the pre-cat disintegrating and grit being sucked back into the engine which then leads to oil consumption. That is was what killed mine in the Spec-V I had.  Oh, and there was the stop-sell order from Nissan for Altimas and Sentras due to substandard rings that lead to oil consumption too.

Edit: Found a forum thread that explains the butterfly screws & precat problems QR25DE Precat and Butterfly Screw FAQ