Oh no, there is trouble facing the Nissan Titan and its Cummins diesel engine. Apparently, the Nissan Titan diesel engines might be prone to failure, and the repair costs aren’t covered. Titan owners are stuck with massive repair bills and decreased truck values. 

Avoid 2016-2019 Nissan Titan diesel trucks 

According to Pickup Truck Talk, the Nissan Titan is facing a class-action lawsuit for those who purchased a 2016-2019 titan diesel truck equipped with the Cummins 5.0-liter engines. The 5.0-liter turbodiesel V8 provides 555 lb-ft of torque and can tow up to 12,830 lbs. 

Truck owners were attracted to the Cummins engine for its name and reputation. It’s recognized worldwide as a superior truck engine with unmatched durability. Plus, Cummins engines have enough horsepower and torque for work trucks to get the job done. 

However, the Cummins engine wasn’t paired well with the Titan. As a result, this could lead to the Titan’s demise. It was discontinued in Canada and may face numbered days in the United States. 

What are the Titan diesel problems? 

Part of the Nissan Titan lawsuit refers to the confusing location of the diesel exhaust filler tubes. The location of the diesel exhaust filler necks is easy to mix up. 

The 2016-2019 Titan diesel trucks have a system that injects DEF fluid into the truck’s diesel exhaust stream. The exhaust fluid should never be mixed with diesel fuel because contamination may lead to damage. 

One technical service bulletin (TSB) for the truck from 2018 says, “CAUTION: Putting Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) into the diesel fuel system will contaminate the entire system, causing permanent damage to system components. DEF contamination requires replacement of the complete diesel fuel system.” 

The TBS reminded Nissan dealers that damage caused by contaminating diesel fuel might lead to: 

• No start/failure to crank 
• Rough idling 
• Long crank or hard to start 
• Low power warnings
• Fuel gauge failure 
• Noise from the stage one fuel pump 

It also informed dealers that owners would be held responsible for making the mistake of adding diesel exhaust fluid to the diesel fuel tank. But one owner claims that the Nissan dealership contaminated his diesel fuel, and the extended warranty didn’t cover the damage. 

Another part of the lawsuit claims that diesel exhaust fumes were inside the truck’s cabin and a Nissan dealer failed to discover the cause. Later the plaintiff found a TSB about the HVAC system causing a diesel smell inside the truck. 

Why could the Titan be in trouble? 

The lawyers representing the plaintiffs in this class-action lawsuit shared, “Because Nissan misplaced the filler tube, Nissan Titan owners and lessees alleged overpaid for their trucks, hade to make repeated visits to dealerships, had to pay for damage to the fuel systems, and now the trucks allegedly have decreased values.” 

Plus, Nissan has allegedly refused to recall Titan diesel trucks to repair the exhaust and HVAC systems that allow fumes to enter and accumulate in the cabin. 

Other automakers have had DEF-related issues, but none of the problems have been this severe. We’ll keep an eye on the Titan to see how the lawsuit goes. Until then, be careful to put all of your fluids in the right places!