i have a 2000 xterra and while i am driving, without any warning the gauges will freeze or drop off line. so i have no idea how fast i am going or how much fuel i have. does any one have any guess what might be wrong.

I never heard of that, but I ahve been having problems with my stock radio cutting out.

Just an Idea...wiggle the key next time it happens:confused:

:) i have a 2000 xterra and while i am driving, without any warning the gauges will freeze or drop off line. so i have no idea how fast i am going or how much fuel i have. does any one have any guess what might be wrong.


Sounds like a bad electrical connection. When you hit a bump, does it alter the functionality?

There's alot of information that needs to be voiced here. Try to deduce some clues and I'll try to help you.

Welcome to the club. :)

Boofs right, need more info to determine... but it is possible that your IPC Cluster (Instrument Panel Control) might be loosing it's programming at times... may just need to be recalibrated with the stock programming... do you have any aftermarket computer updates on the truck that you know of? sometimes that can effect the connection.... Just a thought...

This happens randomly on my Nissan Xterra 2000; someone suggested taking the cluster out, spraying and cleaning the contacts with contact and tuner cleaner, then replacing the panel back into the vehicle. Does anyone else have any more information on this how to do it yourself project?
Thanks!
Monterey, CA

I bet you have a short under your dash when they go out reach under the dash and jiggle around the wires under there and see if they come back on. That happened to me in my tahoe.

Just bought a 2000 exterra and it is doing the same thing.

Go to the new member forum and introduce yourself and tell us about your X! :)

Check and clean the ground points too.

Ttt, Any other advice?

I'll post in this thread here since our 2001 xterra is having the same problem. It happened once when I drove it, if kind of stumbled, and I knew I was low on gas so I looked at the gauges and saw that the gas gauge was all the way at the bottom. Then I realized all the gauges were out. After pulling the 2 fuses that go to the cluster and replacing them it all worked again. It's later happened twice to my wife, and today when it happened it was really stumbling and chugging, and she felt uncomfortable driving it so I will take a look at it tonight. If anybody has any ideas about what this can be, please let me know.

i would start out with easy things first ,clean up both battery termnals.

Uh-oh, it's getting worse. Dash is now completely dead and I can only drive with very minimal throttle, or the engine starts jumping. Everything else seems to be working (lights etc) so it's not the battery contacts.

BTW, no mods at all on this car.

In my case this seemed like it was a loose wire or bad contact somewhere near the fuse block. Fuse 11 apparently controls the dash and some engine control modules, which I assume only kick in when the engine is warm. Therefore the stumbling after the engine warmed up. Everything works now, so I hope this problem doesn't come back.