Nissan build quality

[Hovenator1]

Hi all. Just starting the search process for a used over lander. I have owned mostly Toyota's in the past and lately a few domestics. After owning the domestics I have more of an appreciation for Toyota's engineering and build quality. Maybe it's being more familiar with the Toy's but I found them to be easier to work on and tougher built.

I have never owned a Nissan and was wondering if they are quite similar to the Toyota's. I am considering a 2005 to 2008 Pathfinder. They seem to be very reasonably priced around here and would be a pretty good fit for what we need in a vehicle. I am aware of the SMOD issue but that's seems easy to fix if you get to it before the contamination starts.

I know this is the Nissan section but I value the "Overlanders" opinions as most of us have owned numerous different vehicle types/brands and put performance above brand loyalty. So, let me know your thoughts!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Nissan build quality is very similar to what you get with Toyotas, so there's really not a lot to be worrying about there. They are miles above what you get with the domestic trucks. My previous Nissan gave me 30,000 trouble free miles, and my current Nissan is looking to absolutely smash that. They are extremely well built, dead nuts reliable.

Some people will tell you the interior quality is much better in the Toyotas, but I don't see it. I think the Nissan interiors are very well put together. They're just a little more "industrial" if that makes sense.

The R51 is a decent platform, but it has fully independent suspension, which means less flex and harder to lift. They share the absolutely awesome 4.0 V6 with the Xterra and Frontier, and they've got more space than the X. Not enough people are building them in my opinion.

 

[richard310]

Nissan does have its cons as does every other company, but not enough to throw them out of the picture like some of the other Japanese manufacturers. The newer Nissans, 05+, are much better overall compared to its older generations. Interior is put together better, and also the powerplants and drivetrains are definitely beefed up as well. It seems Nissan is able to be competitive due to their more utilitarian direction rather than luxury and gadgets. I've had decent experience with the older Nissans and find them to be more of an underestimated/overlooked manufacturer.

Another pro to the R51 Pathfinder is that if you believe in body-on-frame, they stuck with that concept one last time before they came out with the hideously uglier R52. I've read about the timing chain guide issue with the R51 05-08 models as well.

Check out the NPORA forums for more info on the R51's.

 

[mallthus]

I have an R51 Pathfinder.

Although it has been quite reliable, I would not put it on par with a Toyota. In fact, I'd actually rank it behind GM vehicles (although well ahead of Ford or Mopar).

Here's the issues, as I see them:

1) The entire drivetrain is spectacularly complex. I have the V8 and I recall this tidbit from back when Nissan and Chrysler were discussing rebranding the Ram as the 2nd gen Titan. The Nissan V8 had almost double the number of parts as the Hemi.

2) Parts costs on the Nissan are absurdly high. I don't say this lightly, as I've owned Saabs, BMWs and Volvos. The Nissan parts are ridiculously priced. Part of this is that many times things are sold as assemblies, where you only really need to replace a small part, but you're stuck buying some assembly that's 2-3 times as much as the comparable individual part sold by GM or Toyota.

3) Aftermarket support is very limited. That's not just for things like lift kits, but also for things like service parts.

4) There are seemingly basic failures that just shouldn't happen in a relatively modern car. For instance, we just had a transfer case seal fail. It's taken 3 trips to the mechanic to get it fixed, as the seal is, apparently, really hard to seat correctly. That's just unacceptable to me.

So, my ranking would place Nissan reliability behind both Toyota and GM and, roughly, on par with Honda, Mazda and Ford and ahead of Mopar, Mitsubishi and the European marques.

 

[MarcFJ60]

I think it is hard to generalize across an entire product line. While I would put Toyota at the top, reliability wise, they have had some major issues in particular cars. I think Nissan's overall quality is close to Toyota, but they also have had some individual issues (Armada, some CVT issues in the Rogue). So you need to look at specific models.

But I think where Nissan really shines is in the used market. A used Pathfinder or Xterra will depreciate more rapidly compared to a 4Runner, same with a Frontier versus a Tacoma, or a Altima versus a Camry. So you can get a comparable vehicle for a whole lot less. And while Toyota has earned that through their reputation, you do pay a "Toyota Tax" on that reputation that you don't with a Nissan.

I have owned 3 Toyotas (60 and 80 series LC and a GX470) and two Nissans (Altima and Infiniti I35). While I don't think Nissan has anything as overbuilt as a Landcruiser, I think some of their other models are comparable to Toyotas for a whole lot less. Sometimes not quite as reliable (my 80 was bulletproof), sometimes even better (the GX470 has more than it's share of issues). You really need to compare specific models.

 

[UK4X4]

"Nothing overbuilt as a landcruiser" ...you need to see underneath a nissan patrol !

I'll agree the interiors are not luxury, but perfectly functional

Reliability wise, to date I've never had a single issue with square patrol GR,s 2.7TD and a 4.2 diesel, a 2 door pathfinder and a 2006 Patrol with the 4.8 petrol

I,m presently looking for another Patrol ....and getting rid of my RR sport......

 

[MarcFJ60]

"Nothing overbuilt as a landcruiser" ...you need to see underneath a nissan patrol !

Since I live in the US, I never will see the underneath of a Patrol! I was actually going to put in a caveat for the Patrol, although I thought newer ones have foregone their roots and were just like the Infiniti QX56 here (bloated stationwagons). But maybe the Infiniti is more capable than I think - I really don't know anything about them.

 

[Hovenator1]

Thanks for the input. For Toyota's I have owned an 89 4x4 pick up, a 2003 4runner, a 1995 80 series and a 2003 Corolla which we still have. I know that Toy's also have their issues! Had to do 2 head gaskets on the pickup and the Corolla just had to have the manual tranny rebuilt at only 150 000 kilometres due to crappy bearings in this tranny.

I see the "Toyota tax" on every model I'm interested in. Tacoma's are especially ridiculous!

I am disappointed to hear about the parts costs for Nissans. Have others found this to be true? I find that odd with such a well established major manufacturer.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Thanks for the input. For Toyota's I have owned an 89 4x4 pick up, a 2003 4runner, a 1995 80 series and a 2003 Corolla which we still have. I know that Toy's also have their issues! Had to do 2 head gaskets on the pickup and the Corolla just had to have the manual tranny rebuilt at only 150 000 kilometres due to crappy bearings in this tranny.

I see the "Toyota tax" on every model I'm interested in. Tacoma's are especially ridiculous!

I am disappointed to hear about the parts costs for Nissans. Have others found this to be true? I find that odd with such a well established major manufacturer.

I haven't necessarily found parts cost to be ridiculously high. That being said, I haven't had to replace a lot of things. But I think the parts cost is okay. Not cheap, but decent. On the higher end of reasonable.

 

[Hovenator1]

Well that says something right there that you have an 05 and you haven't had to buy many parts for it.:ylsmoke:

 

[RonapRhys]

I've an 07 with 136k miles and aside from the FSU recall and an airbag sensor recall, I've not had any issues. Mind you, I've also wheeled in Moab 5 separate times, 5-6 days of trails each.

 

[fortel]

I'm on my second Nissan.

I bought a used 2010 Xterra from the local Nissan dealership that I liked everything about until the electrical gremlins showed up. Noticed when I bought it that the positive battery post was pretty corroded. Cleaned it up and the corrosion kept coming back no matter how much I did to keep the terminals clean. Then the starting failures began at about 27,000 miles. Would be cranking and running smooth as silk and then you would get in and no ignition. Fuel pump sending fuel, plenty of battery juice to turn things over but no spark. First time I was 30 miles out of town and had to be towed back to the dealer. Don't remember codes being thrown but the Nissan dealer couldn't make sense of them. Found a shorted wire and repaired it which cured the problem for 8 days. Ran great until one day after work I got in and same problem. Towed again where they replaced the IPDM which fixed the problem - for two weeks. Third time I was towed I was an hour and a half out of town. They kept it almost three weeks where it would crank one day and not the next. Had factory techs on the line and everybody was scratching their heads. I finally had enough when they told me I would just need to keep driving it and when it happened again they would see what they found that time. I told them that the engine cranking was not an optional feature and they needed to do something to make it right. To the manager's credit, he agreed and ate a big chunk to get me into the new 2012 Frontier SV 4x4 CC.

The new truck has been pretty flawless now for two years. I love the power and smoothness of the engine. And while I really like the styling of the Xterra better, I have to admit being back in a truck with a Leer topper works better for me. I'm a Scout leader that once a month hauls quite a bit of camping gear to our campouts. I'm also a singletrack trail builder with our local trail association and the amount of long handle tools I haul around work much better in the truck bed.

I like Nissan quite a bit. I wish there was better aftermarket support than there seems to be. And I'm pretty sure that the Xterra's problems were isolated - maybe a jacked up wiring harness or something. I'm at 28,000 miles on the Frontier and it has been great so far.

 

[proper4wd]

Sounds like the Xterra could have been a flood damage car to me. All the classic traits.

 

[richard310]

The older model Nissans, parts aren't expensive. I've had to replace a number of parts on my 04 Xterra but I've never found them to be European-car high. For the newer models I can understand due to all the electronics and newer generation in designs and what-not. Give it a few more years and it'll drop once the new generation comes out.

I also do agree with what was said in regard to the resale value. That is what drew me in in the first place. No stupid Toyota-tax as that's what turned me off on that brand big time. Toyotas and every other popular brand have their problems. No need to over inflate the prices for a used car.

 

[fortel]

Sounds like the Xterra could have been a flood damage car to me. All the classic traits.

I'll never know at this point but it was pretty obvious I was never gonna trust that particular vehicle, no matter what the brand had been.