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Nissan Titan: The Most Common Complaints Owners Report

The Nissan Titan has been around for quite some time. The first few models produced were pretty shaky because of the problems popping up with them. But Nissan, eventually, addressed most of those and improved upon the newer models coming off the production line. But, even though the Titan has been around for a few generations …

The Nissan Titan has been around for quite some time. The first few models produced were pretty shaky because of the problems popping up with them. But Nissan, eventually, addressed most of those and improved upon the newer models coming off the production line.

But, even though the Titan has been around for a few generations of redesigns, the truck is still drawing in many complaints from owners. RepairPal listed the most common issues previous owners have dealt with for this Nissan pickup truck.

Nissan Titan rear axle seals leaking

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The Nissan Titan model years 2004-2007 received many complaints from owners who experienced leakage from the rear axle assembly. Many figured out that was a problem when they found oil dripping onto their driver’s side rear brake rotor, getting onto their brake pads. Often, the problem would reoccur two or three more times if they still owned the truck. At first, Nissan technicians would replace the seals or the whole rear axle. Sometimes, the repair fell under the warranty still on the truck.

In 2010, Nissan sent out a service bulletin for this issue and recommended the replacement of the rear axle shaft assembly. They replaced it with a newly designed one for the affected model years. As of right now, there’s no recall for the defective shaft components, so drivers are usually responsible for the cost of having the issue resolved.

Fuel pump problems

This is a common problem with the Nissan Titan, but it’s also one of the hardest to diagnose. Drivers find their trucks sputtering, losing power, and sometimes stopping dead in its tracks while driving down the road. The vehicle’s acceleration becomes sluggish, and some owners found their pickups idling pretty rough. Sometimes error codes will come up when scanned, but most of the time nothing shows up. Fuel pumps often get replaced, but that doesn’t always fix the issue.

The IPDM, or Intelligence Power Distribution Module, is another possible culprit. This can mimic a failing fuel pump problem by not allowing enough pressure for fuel to flow to start the truck or to accelerate it. This issue, however, is more common for the 2007 model year. All other models seem to stem from the failing fuel pumps. Often, owners will have damaged catalytic converters because fuel gets into them, causing them to plug.

The Nissan Titan’s corrosion of the connector to the transmission

2018 Nissan Titan XD is on display at the 110th Annual Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place
The Nissan Titan XD | Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Some owners of the 2004-2005 Titan pickup experienced some pretty frustrating problems. Some of them would find their truck not wanting to start without trying several times to crank the starter. Others found their engines cutting out when trying to accelerate driving down the road. There were also some that experienced transmission issues after they came to a full stop on the road. In that case, they had to restart the vehicle to get it to work again, but it would act up once more when they came to another stop.

Eventually, the cause was pinpointed to a corrosion issue. Water or corrosion in the connector leading the to the transmission would cause all sorts of problems for the driver. In 2005, Nissan sent out a service bulletin to address the issue. They recommended that those who had water or corrosion in that connector would need to have their entire engine control harness replaced as well as the automatic transmission assembly harness.

The Nissan truck has had more than its share of headaches, especially the earlier versions. While the newer models have improved, they’re still plagued with some pretty frustrating issues as well. Do your research before purchasing one and make sure any recall repairs have been completed before you commit to buying one of these trucks.