Nissan Frontier

[Thai]

Hey all,

My brother is thinking of getting a truck. He is down to Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier. I want him to get the Toyota, but the Nissan does have significant advantages over Toyota: rear disc brakes, fully-boxed frame (mini Titan frame), and ATRAC + rear locker engagement (at the same time). Toyota has a way better interior, proven history, and long history of reliability.

My only problem with Tacoma besides the Nissan's advantages above is that the rear axle + locker has been known to blow.

Beyond that, both trucks are very close in everything. Edmunds alternates winners in two comparo between the two.

Have you guys heard of anything mechanically wrong with the Nissan Frontier or Xterra (since they share same platform)?? I need something to persuade my brother to go with Toyota.

Thanks in advance.

 

[xUSNavy]

Well I owned a 2001 Xterra and let me tell you they are cheaply made. Here's my list of gripes:

- Check engine light came on the day after I drove it off the dealership lot. Turned out to be a faulty EGR valve and EVAP canister.
- I snapped two 10mm skid plate bolts just by hand tightening it. The bolts felt like plastic, but the others felt like normal metal.
- I had a problem with it overheating after only 12,000 miles. According to the dealership, the radiator was blocked and wouldn't honor the warranty because they said someone used tap water instead of distilled water; even after I told them it was never serviced and the service manual states replacement of coolant at 30k miles.
- The interior carpet started coming apart in the drivers side.
- Automatic transmission started making grinding noises after 50k miles.

At the time, I was also a member of the Xterra Forums. Many members complained about the cheap parts used. Some of the bigger common problems include: cracked exhaust manifolds, rear diff whine, and manual transmissions failing. What's funny is that many of the members (including me) that had problems with there Nissan actually wished they spent the extra money and bought a Toyota.

Now my brother-in-law has a 2005 Frontier and he hasn't had any problems so far. However, he isn't much of an enthusiast as some of us and would probably not notice such things.

Lastly, I read a report (maybe consumer reports?) that rated the Nissan Armada and Pathfinder low in reliability. I wouldn't be suprised if many of the other Nissan SUVs get the same rating.

 

[Thai]

I would whole-heartedly recommend Toyota to my brother. However, he is an off-roader (he has a Rubicon right now). This means that he would get Tacoma with TRD pkg with rear locker. Unfortunately, there are cases of rear axle blowing with the rear locker. So, this has kept me from pushing him fully to get it. I am trying to get him to get a regular Tacoma and then get ARB rear locker (with air compressor) aftermarket.

 

[Bluto]

The first year Titans had rear end problems. They now have synthetic from the factory and a finned rear diff cover. No problems. My parent's 2005 has been flawless.


The Toyota will have huge aftermarket support. Not so sure about the Frontier. The Tacoma IFS can take a lift. How is Nissans? Are the CV angles OK?


The Nissan VQ is a great engine.


I'd have to really drive both to decide. Check out the interior, seats, etc.

 

[Thai]

The Toyota will have huge aftermarket support. Not so sure about the Frontier. The Tacoma IFS can take a lift. How is Nissans? Are the CV angles OK?

My brother won't be modifying it. It just needs a truck with good off-road ability.

I have heard, while researching, that the front differential on the Frontier and Xterra are kinda small and made of aluminum...which means that it may be weak.