2004 Nissan Titan Opinions

[cpoplayer]

I have a chance to pick up a 2004 Nissan Titan King Cab 4x4 SE with the 5.6. it currently has 167k miles on it. Aside from some cosmetic issues, it appears to be a solid truck. The only mechanical issue it has is the owner says occasionally when the key is turned it clicks but will not crank. Then when the key is turned a second time, it cranks with no problem. I did some research and it looks like there are several possible causes for this the worst being having to replace the starter. He is asking $5500 but, I feel sure he will take less.

Does anyone have any advice on common issues to look for from past experience?

 

[MMM]

I have a chance to pick up a 2004 Nissan Titan King Cab 4x4 SE with the 5.6. it currently has 167k miles on it. Aside from some cosmetic issues, it appears to be a solid truck. The only mechanical issue it has is the owner says occasionally when the key is turned it clicks but will not crank. Then when the key is turned a second time, it cranks with no problem. I did some research and it looks like there are several possible causes for this the worst being having to replace the starter. He is asking $5500 but, I feel sure he will take less.

Does anyone have any advice on common issues to look for from past experience?

Go onto Titantalk.com they have a whole list of issues to look out for.

 

[utahminer]

My previous truck was an '04 titan. If my memory serves me correctly (its been a couple years since I sold the truck), 2004 was the first year of the Titan; so, there were a handful of problems with the transfer case and rear differential. There are several forums that discuss the matter in detail and can very easily be googled. I had a handful of problems, the biggest came from simply leveling it. By just leveling the front end it changed the angle on the front end enough that it had problems going in and out of 4WD. I am a bug Nissan fan (owned several) and was pretty easy on the old girl so I was surprised when it started having problems.

 

[Baerman]

I have an 05 titan. it has 135k on it. i've replaced a front wheel sensor, alternator, recharged the AC, power steering pressure lines and brakes. Nothing too huge of an issue yet. The valve that moves air from defrost to the other vents is clacking and it will need replaced before too long. I hear that is about a $1000 repair and I believe that is a very common issue. The seats wear on the sides and center console arm rest cracks. otherwise, I can't think of any other issues you might deal with. I'd like a new truck but mine has not failed me yet as long as I put some maintenance into it so I've had a hard time justifying spending over $30k for a newer truck just yet. I've decided that I'm going to try and get 200k miles out of it since the trade in or used car sell price is deflated now anyways.

 

[buckbull]

I have an 05 titan. it has 135k on it. i've replaced a front wheel sensor, alternator, recharged the AC, power steering pressure lines and brakes. Nothing too huge of an issue yet. The valve that moves air from defrost to the other vents is clacking and it will need replaced before too long. I hear that is about a $1000 repair and I believe that is a very common issue. The seats wear on the sides and center console arm rest cracks. otherwise, I can't think of any other issues you might deal with. I'd like a new truck but mine has not failed me yet as long as I put some maintenance into it so I've had a hard time justifying spending over $30k for a newer truck just yet. I've decided that I'm going to try and get 200k miles out of it since the trade in or used car sell price is deflated now anyways.

Holy smokes! $1000 to change the blend door actuator is crazy. They are usually a bitch to get to but can changed pretty easily by a shade tree mechanic.

 

[cpoplayer]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I did some more research and decided to pass on the truck. Anything too good to be true usually is!

 

[TheDudeAbides]

I have an 04 Titan and it has 180k on it.

I'm going to drive it until it dies while providing it preventative maintenance. (Oil changes, fluid changes, etc)

The issues that I currently have that I haven't fixed:

The back passenger side door does not open.

The back passenger side window does not roll down from the driver seat.

The back driver side window does not roll up.

Some of the tin foil on the door handles is bubbling.

I replaced the shocks and am putting in new spark plugs.

So, it is a good truck with a few cosmetic issues for me.

It is extremely hard to justify a $30k-50k for another one, when the old titan does everything that I need it too.

I sat back and ran the numbers and if I got a truck with a $500 payment a month, I would be paying $6,000 a year with all of the maintenance on top of it.

If I put half of the payment ~$3,000 into the old girl a year, I think she last for quite a while.

If she doesn't I'll just bite the bullet and get another truck.

 

[High Desert]

I bought a 2004 Titan when it first came out and drove it until a couple months ago. It has about 215,000 miles on it. No major problems. Very durable with tough use. I replaced a few items. I was waiting for it to collapse so I could buy a new truck but that doesn't seem likely given how well it's held up so I concluded my child really needed it at college. I now have a new Titan.

 

[old man]

WOW, you Titan fans are loyal, paying that price for a titan when a Chevy is so much cheaper and looks like they hold up better as well.

 

[Rancho Loco]

WOW, you Titan fans are loyal, paying that price for a titan when a Chevy is so much cheaper and looks like they hold up better as well.

Owned a 2005 Titan, and drove chevy work trucks. Titan vs. 1500, Titan hands down. The 5.3 vortec is junk compared to the 5.6 Nissan motor. Going up to 3/4 ton, I liked the 6.0 vortec but the Nissan build quality is still superior.

 

[High Desert]

I've never owned a Chevy; however, my '04 Titan held up very well. When I shopped for a new truck this year, the final price of a Titan in my area seemed to be $1,000 - $2,000 cheaper than that of comparably equipped Fords and Chevys. I didn't compare the Dodge or Toyota.

 

[SFC B]

Here is just a "wrench" to throw into the mix....I was on the computer the other night at work (got a lot of time on my hands) and was looking for the most economical, tough, off road package deal. Checked out the gas F350 FX4 with some goodies on it and it only came out to about 41K.......I was pretty surprised at that. http://shop.ford.com/build/superdut...C.YZKAA.89S.996.CLO.4X4.44P.SRW.XLL.85S.43C.]

 

[cpoplayer]

Well the Titan didn't work out but, I picked this up today. 2007 Sierra 2500 4x4 with the 6.0 Vortec. I'm not super thrilled with the tires and rims but, I'm sure I can trade them for a stock set and some $$$.

 

[Rancho Loco]

That's a nice truck. I ran one of those for a work truck for a long time, I really liked the 6.0 motor.

 

[Titan_Bow]

I bought a 2004 Titan in March of 2005, and put 218,000 miles on the truck before selling it. I never had any major issues with it, and it was a great truck. At 218,000 miles, I would not have hesitated to drive it cross country or up into the mountains. The starter did start clicking like the OP mentioned. I heard you had to actually pull the whole manifold to get to the starter, as its on the top of the block, not underneath. Also, the stock radiator will start to show wear and potentially leak, where the plastic meets metal. Foruntately (unfortunately) for me, I slammed a rock going into a hunting area, and busted the bottom of the radiator, so I ended up replacing it before it ever had a chance to fail due to wear. Overall, it was a great truck. I ended up getting a great deal on a Pro-4X Xterra, a couple years ago, and I really love having the added off-road capability. One nice thing about the Xterra, the 4.0 v6 is exactly the same as the Titan's 5.6 V8, just 2 less cylinders, making oil changes and routine maintenance alot easier just due to the familiarity.