Nissan XTerra Forum banner

2006 Xterra Fuel Sending Unit/Service Engine

22K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  Trace 
#1 ·
I have a 2006 Xterra and the fuel gage stopped working and it left my girlfreind stranded in -25 degree temp., for a hour till a cop came and picked her up. The history is when we fill it up it would go to E and the service engine light would come on, But after driving a litlbit it would go to full. i thought that the gas had moisture/ water in the tank and was freezing it up it was cold as f*ckl but it is now 40 degrees. Im wondering how to go about changing out the Sending Unit and not going to the dealer because they don't warrenty the fuel sending unit and they want to change out the whole assembly, pump, sending unit the whole nine yards costing about $600. Bullcrap. I Need a part number for the sending unit?and how to tare it down?I s their is a access port under the seat or the floor board ect.? Or do I need to pull the tank to access this rascal?
Thanks John
 
#3 · (Edited)
Yea, I believe you do have to drop the tank on the next Gens. BUT, Nissan has covered them under warranty in the past so unless you're out of warranty I'm sure it would be covered. Maybe the dealer is selling you a load of BS!

Also, I believe the sending unit (FSU) is separate from the fuel pump and I don't think its over $100 and I don't think dropping the tank on an '06 should be too bad.
 
#4 · (Edited)
After doing some research it appears many owners of the 2006, Xterra, Pathfinder and Frontier are having this same problem.
It seems GM and Nissan are buying the sensors from the same company.
If you are out of factory warranty, it is covered under the extended warranty Gold preferred plan.
I have also read reports where 2006 GM owners are having the same issue.
I find it strange that this part would fail so soon!
Also seeing it has a large across the board problem for so many owners, I ask the following:
Is it the same unit covered under the Nissan recall for 2001-2003 Xterras?
IE; same part that causes this problem?
If so, maybe Nissan did not make any changes it it carried over to later models?

Maybe this link will help you.
One guy explains how he got the dealer to fix it free.
Another tells how to get to it.
http://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/xterra/5699-fuel-sending-unit-fix.html
 
#5 ·
When I bought my '06 in Sept. of '08 the check engine light was on. They took it into the shop and and said it was the unit that tells you how much gas you have, and that it is a part that is under warranty (not that I was gonna pay for it anyway since I hadn't signed any papers yet to buy the X). They had to drop the tank to fix it, and after about an hour or so it was all done. Now sometimes when I get er filled up it takes a few minutes to register but it seems ok.
 
#6 ·
2001-2003 Recall

After doing some research it appears many owners of the 2006, Xterra, Pathfinder and Frontier are having this same problem.
It seems GM and Nissan are buying the sensors from the same company.
If you are out of factory warranty, it is covered under the extended warranty Gold preferred plan.
I have also read reports where 2006 GM owners are having the same issue.
I find it strange that this part would fail so soon!
Also seeing it has a large across the board problem for so many owners, I ask the following:
Is it the same unit covered under the Nissan recall for 2001-2003 Xterras?
IE; same part that causes this problem?
If so, maybe Nissan did not make any changes it it carried over to later models?

Maybe this link will help you.
One guy explains how he got the dealer to fix it free.
Another tells how to get to it.
http://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/xterra/5699-fuel-sending-unit-fix.html
Well I have done some research also and they oly recalled for those years not 2005 to 2009 YET. they say that the cause is corosin just on the sending unit. not sure if it is were you plug it in or internaly. So i suspect that in another 40,000 miles i will need to replace it agen. Thanks for the support.
John
 
#8 ·
Nissan Finally recalled this issue.

Nissan just issued a recall for this problem: Ive spent a lot of time looking this up and it looks like my patience has paid off. Check out this link:

2006 Nissan Xterra FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:AUXILLARY TANK Recall at Automotive.com

Here is the info:

Recall Date
MAR 03, 2010

Model Affected
2006 NISSAN XTERRA

Description
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 AND MODEL YEAR 2008 FRONTIER, XTERRA AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE MOLDED FUEL TANK SHELLS CAN DEFORM, CAUSING THE FUEL SENDER FLOAT ARM TO CONTACT AN EMBOSSMENT MOLDED INTO THE TANK SHELL CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FUEL GAUGE TO SHOW THAT THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER TANK WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS EMPTY.

Consequence
THIS COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO RUN OUT OF GAS AND STALL IN TRAFFIC, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT INSIDE THE FUEL TANK WITH A NEW ONE THAT HAS A MODIFIED FLOAT ARM. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 22, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

Potential Units Affected
80689

Notes
NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC
 
#9 ·
X2-Go to Nissan with receipts.
 
#10 ·
(dunno if this has come up much on clubx, its a big issue on thenewx since those are 2nd gens) apparently Nissan is only set to recall 2006 and 2008 (not 05, 07,09 or 10). some guys are getting on the phones and emails to let nissan know this affects the 05 and 07 years too (i haven't heard anything about 08+ and it seems the sending unit was changed for those years) just FYI
 
#11 ·
My Check engine light came on & I went to the dealer today, they advised me it was the fuel sending unit & it was going to cost 545 I told them to hold off. After reading this post I called Nissan & found out my Xterra is apart of the recall. only thing I dont get, moron at the dealer told me he ran my car for recalls & nothing came up. I know dealers can be scammers especially in this tight economy but come on. Who has 550 to blow on somthing that shouldnt be happening. Im going to pick the car up & wait for Nissan to get back to me that they will pay 100% keep your fingers crossed for me. And thanks to everyone for your posts!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top