If you drive a Nissan Titan...

*Wheatfield* · 09-03-2009, 08:31 AM

Nissan has put a part with a defective design into the differential of the Titan, and perhaps a few other models as well (anything with the Dana axle is definitely affected).
The component in question is a breather/filter in the differential. It can fail without warning, which leads to blowing the axle seals and a very expensive repair.
Nissan is being rather hesitant about warranting this problem. The warranty adviser that I discussed it with (I have a Titan) indicated that Nissan considers the filter to be a "wear item" which means failure is not warranted.
This falls into the same category as tires, oil and filter, wiper blades, brake shoes, etc.
It is not, however, a user serviceable component, and Nissan does not have a service life advisory regarding it.
Anyway, if you have a Titan, get the diffy vent checked and also get the axle seals looked at in case they are leaking.

*reeftool* · 09-03-2009, 10:10 AM

Many rear ends have this problem, not just Nissan. Chevys are well known for blowing seals, usually the right side. Most axle vents I am familiar with are just a brass fitting with a little steel ball. They are pretty trouble free but can get clogged, usually with ice in the winter months. A clogged vent can cause a pressure buildup and blown seals. GM has never acknowledged their problem either. Their problems are mostly due to sloppy tolerances. I have seen as much as a 1/4 inch end play on the axles on a brand new truck.I have had 2 S10's and both were constantly blowing out the right side seals. I have a neighbor with a 1/2 ton suburban doing the same thing. My solution? I buy a set of brake shoes and just change the right rear and clean up the mess just prior to my yearly inspection and keep the rear topped off with oil. I gave up changing the seals, they only lasted about 6 months. My neighbor had her Suburban repaired under warranty as the first rear blew at about 20K miles and she had the extended warranty. The new rear started leaking within a year and have denied further warranty repairs.

*pingflood* · 09-04-2009, 12:15 AM

And be sure to keep an eye on your exhaust system. My friend's 2005 Titan just had the exhaust literally fall apart -- turns out the steel they used (not sure which years are affected) rusts out in no time. He lives in MD so it's not Alaska or anything either..

Mechan1k · 09-04-2009, 02:14 AM

Diffs supplied by Dana here in Oz have been know to be crap as well ... Ford had quite a number of them at one point ... that ended up being replaced under warranty.

*Wheatfield* · 09-04-2009, 07:43 AM

Just as a follow up, Nissan came to their senses in my case and warranted the entire job. New diffy filter, new axle seal and new e-brake pads to replace the oil contaminated ones.
My wife was wondering if it was because their shuttle has picked her up a couple of times in the past week at her law office..

dylansalt · 09-04-2009, 08:40 AM

We stay far away from Nissan for any serious 4x4 stuff over here.

The number one for reliability is Toyota then I would say Mitsibushi/Ford then Isuzu.

You can thrash a Toyota bakkie to within an inch of its life without a single component failure.

They might be boring damn they are hard & reliable

Dylan

*monochrome* · 09-04-2009, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Diffs supplied by Dana here in Oz have been know to be crap as well ... Ford had quite a number of them at one point ... that ended up being replaced under warranty.

I've owned 2 trucks in my life that had Dana rear end - one Ford and one GMC. Ford diff was serviced 3 time in 2 years. Got rid of it for a Suburban. Diff was OK for 8 years, but EVERYTHING else behind the small block V8 was serviced or replaced at least once. Most of it was warranted, or if I did pay, the second service was warranted.

Bahhhh. Now I drive Hondas and Subarus - boring as get out, but no problems ever, except capacity.

*reeftool* · 09-04-2009, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by dylansalt

We stay far away from Nissan for any serious 4x4 stuff over here.

The number one for reliability is Toyota then I would say Mitsibushi/Ford then Isuzu.

You can thrash a Toyota bakkie to within an inch of its life without a single component failure.

They might be boring damn they are hard & reliable

Dylan

The vehicles in your neck of the woods are most likely completely different models than sold in North America. The Isuzu you mention...here they are the exact same truck as the Chevy S10/Colorado and the Rodeo SUV was identical to several GM models as well. They will no longer be sold here. Since GM went backrupt, Isuzu took their ball and went home. Rumor has it that Mitsubishi is going to do the same thing.

Wheatfield...Glad you got the problem resolved. Faulty design issues should be fixed no matter how many miles the vehicle has on it.

little laker · 09-04-2009, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by dylansalt

We stay far away from Nissan for any serious 4x4 stuff over here.

The number one for reliability is Toyota then I would say Mitsibushi/Ford then Isuzu.

You can thrash a Toyota bakkie to within an inch of its life without a single component failure.

They might be boring damn they are hard & reliable

Dylan

I've owned 2 Toyota's here, and both of them were lemons. Any idea why I'll never own a third

However Nissan is my mom's choice vehicle for a reason. She's owned 4 (3 pickups, 1 car) and put on over 600,000km on each of them... without any serious problems.

I honestly don't think I'll ever own another Nissan though (I owned one of her pickups for a month, while looking for another car) They just aren't comfortable enough, with my bad back

Originally Posted by reeftool

Rumor has it that Mitsubishi is going to do the same thing.

I hope that Mitsubishi stays around. They seem to be doing very good over here, just with the wrong crowd. (they seem to be the street races choice here now)

dave sz · 09-04-2009, 08:49 PM

nissan hasn't made a good, solid car since teaming up with the French. Only thing mitsu has going is the EVO.

*graphicgr8s* · 09-04-2009, 08:57 PM

sell it and buy a Ford.

*Wheatfield* · 09-05-2009, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by reeftool

The vehicles in your neck of the woods are most likely completely different models than sold in North America. The Isuzu you mention...here they are the exact same truck as the Chevy S10/Colorado and the Rodeo SUV was identical to several GM models as well. They will no longer be sold here. Since GM went backrupt, Isuzu took their ball and went home. Rumor has it that Mitsubishi is going to do the same thing.

Wheatfield...Glad you got the problem resolved. Faulty design issues should be fixed no matter how many miles the vehicle has on it.

I owned an Isuzu (Trooper) before the Titan. Worst piece of 4 wheeled garbage I've ever owned. Someone had the brilliant idea of putting the transmission from a Cadillac Cimmaron into the thing, which was a hugely unreliable tranny, and with duct rerouting the exhaust overheated the starter motor to the point of failure about once per year.

Originally Posted by graphicgr8s

sell it and buy a Ford.

Ford was my second choice. I went with the Nissan based on prior experience with one of their vehicles (an Axxess) which habitually went to hell and back for me with no trouble. In 9 years and 225,000 km of driving, it only had two major problems, one of which was repaired under warranty well after the warranty had expired.
Since there is no such thing as a Canadian built truck, I didn't really see much between the Ford and the Nissan from a socio/political POV. Both are designed and built by foreigners.
The Nissan is as American as the Ford. Designed in California, built in Wisconsin or some such.

dylansalt · 09-05-2009, 01:05 PM

Agreed - you can get lemons with any manufacturer but travel throughout Africa and what do you find most of - Toyota Landcruiser & Landrover and very little else.

Dylan

*Wheatfield* · 09-05-2009, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by dylansalt

Agreed - you can get lemons with any manufacturer but travel throughout Africa and what do you find most of - Toyota Landcruiser & Landrover and very little else.

Dylan

I suspect that has as much to do with the North American industry not seeing Africa as a profit area as anything else.

*graphicgr8s* · 09-05-2009, 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by Wheatfield

Since there is no such thing as a Canadian built truck, I didn't really see much between the Ford and the Nissan from a socio/political POV. Both are designed and built by foreigners.
The Nissan is as American as the Ford. Designed in California, built in Wisconsin or some such.

My 89 van (full size, not the minicrap) was built in Canada. And yes, it still running with 190,000 on her. Engine is totally original not rebuilt. Yet. Only trouble I ever had with it is the starter isn't water sealed. When my old house flooded I drove right into the water surrounding the house. Sucker was in water covering the starter. Kept working for about a month then died.