Exceptional dependability
Factory cassette player quit working.
Replaced battery after 7 years.
Blew several tail lamps until recall was issued.
This truck is extremely reliable and very cheap to own.
The main drawback is the size of the cab, too small and cramped.
No major problems with the vehicle in almost 9 years.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th February, 2004
This poorly designed and produced vehicle has rusted away on us
Rust prone. Front bumper is rusted through in 4 places. Both front fenders rusted through above and behind wheel well. Bottom of doors rusting through. Passenger side bed rusted through above wheel well.
Fuel tank bottom rusted through from inside. Fuel tank sender/pump cover rusted letting dirt and water into tank. Sending unit bulkhead wire connectors failed on cover. Fuel lines along frame rusted through and spilled fuel.
Brake lines along frame and on rear axle rusted away. Weld on brackets on rear axle rusted away.
Inside of boxed frame rails rusted thus clogging small and sparse drain holes. Both sides of frame from cab to rear axle are 75% filled with packed dirt. Entire bottom of truck bed has peeling paint and primer; 80% is rusted. Rear bumper is bubbling with rust from backside.
Drain holes in frame and crossmembers are poorly located. Cross members won't drain and collect debris. Serious rust throughout.
Brakes have seized. Front brake caliper pistons seized in bore. Rear brake wheel cylinder pistons seized in bore. Rear brake system rusted completely. Sheet steel debris deflectors welded to backing plates for drum brakes look like alpine lace cheese. Rear parking brake subsystem seized, type LT30A. Seized at aluminum pivot block inside drum. Seized at lever mounted on top of backing plate. Seized at pivot on cross member under cab. Bracket holding parking brake release spring next to shoe inside drum has rusted away on both backing plates.
Exhaust system support brackets under bed and on frame rusted away - only one left. The exhaust shop installed new exhaust pipes and supported the system with the only remaining mount - no other support. Catalytic converted rusted through at front and rear flanges. Muffler lasts 2 years due to front tilt of factory design.
Spare tire chain lift mechanism seizes every winter. Installed new factory unit - same problem.
Found machining chips in the factory installed wheel bearing grease in the rear axle.
Plating on fasteners is poor. During removal of everything down to a bare rear frame, the only bolts that didn't break were the M12 and larger.
Replaced rear 2 1/2" square bend U-bolts due to corrosion.
Replaced leaf spring clips, were rusted in half.
All of the brake line support brackets on the rear axle were rusted away.
The radiator support panel is nearly rusted away where it is lap welded to the front frame rails on both sides.
The front valance panel under the bumper is rusting from the inside out.
Most of the steel lines, fittings, and fasteners in the engine compartment are rusted.
The mounting tabs on the heat shield on the exhaust manifold are rusted away.
I believe this is a poorly designed and produced vehicle. Material selection is poor. There is nice paint on the outside, but the vehicle rusts from the inside out.
Design for corrosion protection is minimal. I have a Honda that is 6 years older and has twice as many miles that is in better shape than the Nissan XE 4WD pickup.
Replacement parts are hard to get. Dealer parts are very expensive. The 2 small wire cables for the parking brake mechanism inside the drum are $58 for a set.
There is no drain in the fuel tank.
The M10 and M12 metric fasteners are ultra-fine pitch at 1.25. These are difficult and expensive to replace, especially with stainless steel. A threading die to restore the rear shock welded-on mounting bolts is hard to find and expensive.
The sending unit/fuel pump cover on top of the fuel tank is designed as a dish - it collects salt, mud, and water. Then the material rusts.
Incompatible materials are used throughout the vehicle. An example is the parking brake components on the rear axle. Bare aluminum pivots on a plain steel pin.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 7th November, 2003
24th May 2004, 20:30
Wow...what a difference salt and cold weather make. I have the 1994 Nissan truck, but I am in Texas. For a 10 year old truck, I constantly get comments on how well it has held up. I use the truck to commute 90+ miles everyday. For a cheap vehicle, I have no complaints. 160,000 miles and no sign of dying. I couldn't ask for a more trouble free vehicle. On the flipside, I own 2 Toyota vehicles that have been less than stellar. As far as comparisons go, I guess the Toyota vehicles must also be taking a pounding up north. At some point, I will switch out the Tundra for the Titan.