NIssan Titan pickups

Creating a separate thread so that this doesn't just get lost in the catch-all "trucks" thread -- who owns, or has owned, a first generation Nissan Titan? The 2004 to 2015 era.

During my recent PITA repair saga with my 2005 GMC, I started wishing I'd bought a Tundra instead, so started surfing/shopping. Tundra prices remain high -- but Titans are cheap. Ones near the end of that first gen production run (2014-15) can be found for $14-16K, 4WD, decent shape, 100K miles-ish. Google searching tells me that the known common problem areas are exhaust manifolds cracking and rear axle seals leaking, but not much else.

Titans seem to have worse gas mileage than their competition, offer fewer options (bed lengths, engine/ transmission options), but those aren't necessarily deterrents to me.

Anyone got any insight to advocate for or against a Titan? Mrs C had an Xterra for about 10 years -- it was impressively reliable, though kind of crude.

I don't know anything, but coincidentally at a jobsite I overheard a conversation re: Titan trucks.

The verdict is don't buy one unless they have the Cummings engine.
Apparently early models don't.

I think it's the other way around.

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Originally Posted by Mazderati

I think it's the other way around.

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That's what I've read - that the Cummins motor has a fair amount of issues, and the Nissan gas V8 is quite reliable.

You had a Chev with bad tires, it wasn’t a lemon. Why go chasing something else? Myself, no way I’d trade out the GMC for a Nissan of the same vintage.

Cracked exhaust manifolds and leaky axle seals are pretty much non-issues in the grand scheme of things. You can run those for eternity if necessary (axle seals would just require topping off diff oil).

Like with most Nissans, they cost half the price of a Toyota and pretty much have the same longevity. That said, like with all Nissans, people will assume your credit rating is in the 500's and you live in a trailer if you drive one.

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Originally Posted by Mazderati

I think it's the other way around.

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Alright, maybe I don't know much about listening either.

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Originally Posted by BobMc

You had a Chev with bad tires, it wasn’t a lemon. Why go chasing something else? Myself, no way I’d trade out the GMC for a Nissan of the same vintage.

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+1. At this point your GMC is sorted, time to run it.

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Originally Posted by AdironRider

That said, like with all Nissans, people will assume your credit rating is in the 500's and you live in a trailer if you drive one.

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There's something to be said for letting everyone know you have nothing to lose with the car you drive.


Buying/fixing/selling seems at least half hobby for Chup and I support it. Some circles refer to Nissans as Japanese Chryslers. If you're ready for that from a repair and stigma perspective go for it.

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Originally Posted by BobMc

You had a Chev with bad tires, it wasn’t a lemon. Why go chasing something else? Myself, no way I’d trade out the GMC for a Nissan of the same vintage.

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The GMC vibration is sorted, but in the process, I've found the front differential is going to need to be rebuilt sometime too (metal flakes reappearing fairly quickly after oil change). So there's another thing to fix.

The GMC is a 2005, has 208K miles. A 2015 (ish) Nissan Titan with half the miles would be an upgrade, wouldn't it?

Didn't Bobby Stainless drive one?

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Originally Posted by Mazderati

There's something to be said for letting everyone know you have nothing to lose with the car you drive.


Buying/fixing/selling seems at least half hobby for Chup and I support it. Some circles refer to Nissans as Japanese Chryslers. If you're ready for that from a repair and stigma perspective go for it.

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I refer to the GMC as the redneckmobile. Not too concerned about what the truck image is, other than I want it stock, not a brodozer.

I'm losing some confidence in the overall reliability of the GMC. Hence the shopping / considering a replacement.

The known issues with Titans (exhaust manifold cracks, rear axle seal leaks) are kind of expensive repairs, particularly the exhaust. The rear axle Nissan used in these is a Dana 44 variant, which seems kind of weak for a rear axle on a pickup - much more suitable for Jeep sized vehicles.

I'm not sold on a Titan. Just shopping.

Not a Titan owner, I have owned several Nissan PUs (4), both the Hardbody models and the Frontiers.

Excellent motors, timing chain in my 2018 instead of a belt, transmissions are solid. Mileage leaves a bit to be desired but the V6 has a good bit of power and acceleration.

Everyone I have bought I have run for 160K+ miles with no major repairs, just plugs/wires, shocks, brake pads, tires and oil. They are basic trucks with a fair amount of plastic interiors. They are also around 10K cheaper than Toyotas.

I have ridden as a passenger in Bunion’s nissan pickup. I was comfortable and got where I needed to go. Not sure what else matters.


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I took a test drive in a 2015 Titan crew cab that was not in great condition - interior was rough, rear axle pinion had serious leak - despite only around 107K miles. It was an OK size, unimpressive generally. Can't really consider this representative of all of them because of the condition.

Then drove a 2021 Tundra crew cab with around 20K miles. Very quiet. Painted interior trim pieces showed scratches even at such low miles. Felt much larger from behind the steering wheel than it is in reality (not a good thing).

Big rear roll down window on both Titan and Tundra was nice. Rear seat on both crew cabs was larger than on my extended cab, and the Tundra rear seat was larger than the Titan.

Back into my 2005 GMC afterwards, and it's not that bad. My aftermarket stereo is miles better than the stock Titan Rockford Fosgate one. And the brakes are far far stronger than either the Titan or Tundra. My truck does rattle a lot, and rides rough - - tradeoffs of a 3/4-ton.

TL;DR - didn't find anything compelling me to change trucks ASAP.

This sounds like "I found this vehicle, it's cheap because it didn't sell very well, I think I found a hidden gem!" Ask gravity how that worked out for him and the Rover.

Also, comparing a Hardbody/Frontier to a Titan is like comparing a LC to a Sequoia.

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Originally Posted by Touring_Sedan

This sounds like "I found this vehicle, it's cheap because it didn't sell very well, I think I found a hidden gem!" Ask gravity how that worked out for him and the Rover.

Also, comparing a Hardbody/Frontier to a Titan is like comparing a LC to a Sequoia.

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Nissan built it for 11 years. It's not like I'm going nuts over a Kia Borrego or something.

Might as well have been a Borrego.

"Nissan sold 15,064 Titan pickup trucks, while Ford sold 653,957 F-Series pickups, Chevrolet sold 520,936 Silverado units, GMC sold 241,521 Sierra trucks, and Ram sold 468,344 pickups in 2022."

Normally there’s a reason something’s cheap

So Ford to GM to Nissan? I’ve heard the Honda Ridgeline rides nice.

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Originally Posted by jackattack

So Ford to GM to Nissan? I’ve heard the Honda Ridgeline rides nice.

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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9b0034ddbc.jpg

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Originally Posted by jackattack

So Ford to GM to Nissan? I’ve heard the Honda Ridgeline rides nice.

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So far it's been GM to Ford to GM.

And I traded my F350 in on a Ridgeline. Which is fantastic. But it's the daily driver, not the beat it up off-road tow vehicle.

A radiator issue in a Nissan vehicle can cause problems with the transmission, especially in Nissan Frontier models manufactured between 2005 and 2008:
Transmission fluid contamination
If the radiator fails, the transmission fluid can become contaminated with coolant, which can cause shifting issues.
Radiator design
The transmission fluid lines for Nissan Frontier models manufactured between 2005 and 2008 pass through the radiator. A radiator leak or problem can destroy both the radiator and the transmission.


this is easily resolved

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Originally Posted by DBdude

A radiator issue in a Nissan vehicle can cause problems with the transmission, especially in Nissan Frontier models manufactured between 2005 and 2008:
Transmission fluid contamination
If the radiator fails, the transmission fluid can become contaminated with coolant, which can cause shifting issues.
Radiator design
The transmission fluid lines for Nissan Frontier models manufactured between 2005 and 2008 pass through the radiator. A radiator leak or problem can destroy both the radiator and the transmission.


this is easily resolved

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sounds like a good place to put in a external trans cooler ?

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Originally Posted by DBdude

this is easily resolved

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Yup. Don’t buy a 15yo+ 4X4 p/u with serious design flaws.

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Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

And I traded my F350 in on a Ridgeline. Which is fantastic. But it's the daily driver, not the beat it up off-road tow vehicle.

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I had a ride in one it was on rough roads to get to a bike trail but it seemed OK and quite civilized

I would think if you wanted a truck to beat up you would have kept the F350

I love how this entire forum is filled with "I've already made a shit decision, but I've come here to tell everyone about it and try to defend it." Is it practice for when you have to explain it to friends IRL?

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Originally Posted by BCMtnHound

Yup. Don’t buy a 15yo+ 4X4 p/u with serious design flaws.

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they are reliable and cheap

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Originally Posted by DBdude

A radiator issue in a Nissan vehicle can cause problems with the transmission, especially in Nissan Frontier models manufactured between 2005 and 2008:
Transmission fluid contamination
If the radiator fails, the transmission fluid can become contaminated with coolant, which can cause shifting issues.
Radiator design
The transmission fluid lines for Nissan Frontier models manufactured between 2005 and 2008 pass through the radiator. A radiator leak or problem can destroy both the radiator and the transmission.


this is easily resolved

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This is a known issue in all Frontier and Xterra models. Easy to remedy - either replace the radiator or just bypass the radiator cooler integrated into the transmission.

I did the bypass on Mrs C's Xterra. It had an external transmission cooler anyway. No issues with that transmission.

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Originally Posted by DBdude

they are reliable and cheap

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I’ll have to take your word on that.

About 10yo, there were a half dozen or so seen around this little town. Every one of them with lifts, oversized rubber, exhaust and whatnot done. Down the residential street with gas either full on, or then coasting, to hear how shitty their drivetrain and exhaust sounded. Maybe one or two might have carried a sled a couple of times.

Haven’t seen one drive by for about 3 or so years. So I might be a bit biased.

This thread, and the other trucks thread, is doing a pretty good job of influencing me to just keep the old GMC until something disastrous happens.

up here the holy grail is any PU with a diesel they can chip/ roll coal and the local repair guy loves it

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Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

This thread, and the other trucks thread, is doing a pretty good job of influencing me to just keep the old GMC until something disastrous happens.

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That’s the best move in my experience.

Thanks to this thread I found out that the Patrol is coming to the states to compete against the Landcruiser.

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Originally Posted by chicken feathers

That’s the best move in my experience.

Thanks to this thread I found out that the Patrol is coming to the states to compete against the Landcruiser.

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The Patrol has been here awhile, in the form of the Armada (current body style) and the Infiniti QX something. IIRC the Infiniti has the cool off road stuff, some of which is left off the Armada.

Is there a new version coming that's basically the international Patrol?

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Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

The Patrol has been here awhile, in the form of the Armada (current body style) and the Infiniti QX something. IIRC the Infiniti has the cool off road stuff, some of which is left off the Armada.

Is there a new version coming that's basically the international Patrol?

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I thought it was the international one and got excited. Gonna look into it more now.

Armadas always seemed like jalopy’s to me.