Early Diesel Engine Failure Still Haunts the Nissan Titan XD
Saying goodbye is difficult. But the Nissan Titan is on its way out either way. One of the reasons for its demise could be because the Nissan Titan XD diesel engine proved to be unreliable and continues to cause expensive headaches.
Is the Nissan Titan XD diesel reliable?
While reliable information about the Nissan Titan XD diesel is scarce, it’s considered to be one of the most unreliable engine options.
The 5.0-liter Cummins diesel V8 engine provides 310 hp and 555 lb-ft of torque. It gets an EPA-estimated 18 mpg, which was excellent at the time.
However, it can only tow up to 12,710 lbs and carry a payload of up to 1,920 lbs. It fell short of the competition as the 2018 Ford F-150 can tow up to 21,000 lbs.
Plus, because the engine arrived with issues and faced declining sales, it was discontinued in 2019. At first, it had expensive crankshaft repairs, turbocharged problems that reduced performance, and electrical glitches.
Then the EGR valve started failing, and transmission problems were added to the mix. A software flash made the transmission reprogram itself.
Other issues involved remote start failure, body control module faults, DEF pump failure, and DEF system failure.
Now according to Motor1, one owner faces spun bearings after his engine was torn down at 40,000 miles. The 2018 Nissan Titan XD diesel was leaking tons of oil and may have a blown rear seal.
Reportedly, the Titan showed no signs of distress before dying on the side of the road. It grew louder, but no oil pressure, engine light, or high engine temperature warnings flashed on the dash.
But it has oil particles in the oil filter and oil pan. Spun bearings can cause an engine to quickly die and usually occur with a drop in oil pressure before metal-on-metal contact increases friction and heat that kills the engine.
This Titan XD may need a new engine block, which is a $23,000 part from Nissan. The price of labor isn’t included. You may want to avoid a used Nissan Titan XD diesel truck at all costs.
