Nissan Titan potential purchase - curious about issues including engine knock

[ponderosa11]

For about a year now the wife and I have been considering purchasing a full size truck. The only two I'm considering are the Toyota Tundra and the Nissan Titan. The Tundra seems like a slam dunk, but the Titan is interesting, maybe just because it's different. I find the latest year's model to be really nice looking (and so does my wife).

One of the best ways to learn about potential issues with a truck is to visit the web forum for owners of that model. From what I can tell, and this is the case with all models, relatively uncommon issues tend to get over represented because everyone with that issue is flocking to that forum to complain or ask questions about it.

The biggest problem with the Titan these days seems to be the gasoline engine developing a knock that requires replacement. The other issues seem minor in comparison to that one. I know the warranty is great, but once a warranty is too good, it makes me nervous.

I know Randy Newberg drives a Titan, and I figured there are probably some other Titan owners here. What has your experience been? Any other common issues you're aware of?

 

[Big Fin]

I had five older model Titans I bought with my own money. Then Nissan sent me a newer model 2018 Titan to abuse for two years. Never had a problem with any of them.

The new model was nice. It was the completely decked out version. I know that the 2020 was supposed to come out with a 9 speed automatic transmission that I think would be a very good upgrade over the 7 speed auto that was in the truck they sent me. If I had one complaint about the Titan with the 7 speed, it would be that it had to shift too much while towing in the mountains. I suspect a 9 speed would fill those gaps and make for a better towing experience. My 2019 Raptor with a 10 speed and V6 twin turbo tows way better than my Titan with a V8 and a 7 speed.

When I was on my current truck shopping spree earlier this winter, it came down to the Titan, Raptor and Power Wagon. When it comes to value and the lower price that a Titan can be acquired for, it is hard for me to discount the positive trouble-free experiences I've had. If not for a dealership needing to unload a barely used (800 miles) 2019 Raptor at a ridiculous discount, I would likely be driving another Titan. The Power Wagon is more impressive than the Titan, but at a huge price difference tilts the value equation toward the Titan, at least for how I use a truck.

I'm very impressed with Toyota Tacomas. Every time I test drive full-size trucks I hope Toyota will take their badass-ness they put in the Tacoma and apply that attitude toward the Tundra. So far, every time I go through these test drives, the Tundra represents the lowest value, which I find to be intersection of performance and price. If the Tundra was the quality of the Tacoma, I'd likely be driving one. But, Toyota's reputation allows them to sell a lot of Tundras at above average prices, so they obviously know how to build trucks people will buy.

Take all of that with a grain of salt, as you might have completely different needs from a truck than I do. Do what works best for you. Concerns about Titans durability have not been realized in my abuse of them, and I would qualify as a heavy abuser in how my trucks get employed in duty.

 

[David58]

Randy, how much towing do you do with your rig?

 

[Big Fin]

Randy, how much towing do you do with your rig?

I would say close to 50% of the miles. In hunting season it is either a 4-horse trailer full of llamas and gear or a 10' cargo trailer. If not towing a trailer, the topper is filled to the gills with gear and junk. I am thinking of putting air bags on the Raptor, but have hesitated, not knowing how it would impact the amazing off-road suspension system it has.

In the summer I hardly drive the truck at all. When I do, it is towing a 20' boat.

The Raptor is not the towing rig a Power Wagon is. The PW could skid timber out of the woods if need be. But, for an off-road rig with an amazingly smooth ride and great mileage, the Raptor exceeds what I expected. It is adequate for what I use, thanks to the twin turbos and the 10-speed transmission.

 

[recon6036]

I’m at the same point as you. I’m looking to replace my 2012 Nissan Titan SV and will be heading out in a bit to test drive a 2017 & 2018 Nissan Titan SL.
I’ve had my 2012 for a little more than 6 years now and the only real issue I had was leaking seals on the rear end....twice
I’ve entertained the Tundra also but I really like the Titan.

 

[Brandon270]

For about a year now the wife and I have been considering purchasing a full size truck. The only two I'm considering are the Toyota Tundra and the Nissan Titan. The Tundra seems like a slam dunk, but the Titan is interesting, maybe just because it's different. I find the latest year's model to be really nice looking (and so does my wife).

One of the best ways to learn about potential issues with a truck is to visit the web forum for owners of that model. From what I can tell, and this is the case with all models, relatively uncommon issues tend to get over represented because everyone with that issue is flocking to that forum to complain or ask questions about it.

The biggest problem with the Titan these days seems to be the gasoline engine developing a knock that requires replacement. The other issues seem minor in comparison to that one. I know the warranty is great, but once a warranty is too good, it makes me nervous.

I know Randy Newberg drives a Titan, and I figured there are probably some other Titan owners here. What has your experience been? Any other common issues you're aware of?

Like Big Fin encountered, I've read that the 7 speed transmission had a lot of gear hunting especially towing and on hills. From what I've read the 9 speed performs much better. The 9 speed started on the 2020 models

 

[Yogi and Boo Boo]

I had five older model Titans I bought with my own money. Then Nissan sent me a newer model 2018 Titan to abuse for two years. Never had a problem with any of them.

The new model was nice. It was the completely decked out version. I know that the 2020 was supposed to come out with a 9 speed automatic transmission that I think would be a very good upgrade over the 7 speed auto that was in the truck they sent me. If I had one complaint about the Titan with the 7 speed, it would be that it had to shift too much while towing in the mountains. I suspect a 9 speed would fill those gaps and make for a better towing experience. My 2019 Raptor with a 10 speed and V6 twin turbo tows way better than my Titan with a V8 and a 7 speed.

When I was on my current truck shopping spree earlier this winter, it came down to the Titan, Raptor and Power Wagon. When it comes to value and the lower price that a Titan can be acquired for, it is hard for me to discount the positive trouble-free experiences I've had. If not for a dealership needing to unload a barely used (800 miles) 2019 Raptor at a ridiculous discount, I would likely be driving another Titan. The Power Wagon is more impressive than the Titan, but at a huge price difference tilts the value equation toward the Titan, at least for how I use a truck.

I'm very impressed with Toyota Tacomas. Every time I test drive full-size trucks I hope Toyota will take their badass-ness they put in the Tacoma and apply that attitude toward the Tundra. So far, every time I go through these test drives, the Tundra represents the lowest value, which I find to be intersection of performance and price. If the Tundra was the quality of the Tacoma, I'd likely be driving one. But, Toyota's reputation allows them to sell a lot of Tundras at above average prices, so they obviously know how to build trucks people will buy.

Take all of that with a grain of salt, as you might have completely different needs from a truck than I do. Do what works best for you. Concerns about Titans durability have not been realized in my abuse of them, and I would qualify as a heavy abuser in how my trucks get employed in duty.

I bought a new Power Wagon in 2016. I would be honest if I said I wish I had kept it. I got the Nissan in 2019 and was throughly disappointed with it's capabilities in comparison. If you have any aspirations of decent fuel mileage then you should stay away from the Nissan and Power Wagon unless you have deep pockets. I personally have never owned a Toyota of any kind but being a Retired Mechanic I have seen the best and worst of both. I Still have my Nissan but I will definitely return to the PW next year.

 

[RobG]

For some reason my 2014 Titan has electrical problems. The worse thing is that it occasionally won't enable the fuel pump so it won't start. Eventually it fires up, but I'm waiting for the day it strands me.

It's too unpredictable to debug. The dealer replaced the ECM twice which fixed it for a couple weeks but then the problem started again. It sounds to me like a voltage regulator problem messing up the ECM, but dealer didn't think that was it.

But other than that it has been a solid vehicle.

 

[ntodwild]

That Power Wagon looks very impressive.

I own an 06 Dodge Cummins and it's been used "HARD". It's not a grocery getter and has spent it's entire life pulling a large (heavy) travel trailer into the backcountry every chance I get. It's had a lifetime of dirt roads, towing and hard service every chance I can take it out. Since 06 it's had a front end rebuild (bearing, balljoints, shocks, U-joints) and a fuel injector job after 140K miles. Other than that its just gone through the regular maintenance with oil changes, tires and so on. Been a very good truck and have nothing bad to say about it.

 

[Yogi and Boo Boo]

Rob it s

For some reason my 2014 Titan has electrical problems. The worse thing is that it occasionally won't enable the fuel pump so it won't start. Eventually it fires up, but I'm waiting for the day it strands me.

It's too unpredictable to debug. The dealer replaced the ECM twice which fixed it for a couple weeks but then the problem started again. It sounds to me like a voltage regulator problem messing up the ECM, but dealer didn't think that was it.

But other than that it has been a solid vehicle.

 

[Yogi and Boo Boo]

Rob it really sounds like you have a wire corrosion issue. Do you live in an area where road salt or deicer is used in the winter

 

[RobG]

Rob it really sounds like you have a wire corrosion issue. Do you live in an area where road salt or deicer is used in the winter

I assume at the fuel pump connection? (Which is d*mn near impossible to access like all modern cars...) I'm starting to log when it happens and it really seems to happen when the temperature is around 40 degrees.

They don't use salt around here, but the car is a used Canadian one and that may have started the corrosion.

 

[David58]

I would say close to 50% of the miles. In hunting season it is either a 4-horse trailer full of llamas and gear or a 10' cargo trailer. If not towing a trailer, the topper is filled to the gills with gear and junk. I am thinking of putting air bags on the Raptor, but have hesitated, not knowing how it would impact the amazing off-road suspension system it has.

In the summer I hardly drive the truck at all. When I do, it is towing a 20' boat.

The Raptor is not the towing rig a Power Wagon is. The PW could skid timber out of the woods if need be. But, for an off-road rig with an amazingly smooth ride and great mileage, the Raptor exceeds what I expected. It is adequate for what I use, thanks to the twin turbos and the 10-speed transmission.

Thanks! Looking to get a rig to tow our travel trailer to camp, and be able to get off the pavement as well. Off the pavement is not as critical, as we use an Xterra for bouncing around in the woods - its small size and off-road design make it great for that, just a headache to have to drive two rigs to camp.

 

[Yogi and Boo Boo]

I assume at the fuel pump connection? (Which is d*mn near impossible to access like all modern cars...) I'm starting to log when it happens and it really seems to happen when the temperature is around 40 degrees.

They don't use salt around here, but the car is a used Canadian one and that may have started the corrosion.

Sorry it has been a while Rob. I would not really expect the issue to be at the fuel pump connection because those are typically sealed really well. I would be more inclined to start at the source of voltage. Either a breaker or fuse connection. When I say connection I mean take the breaker/fuse out and inspect the wiring coming to them. Usually if there is a grounding issue it will give all kinds of crazy ass fault codes that will have you chasing your tail for eternity. Yes Canada uses some serious deicer that is not even legal in the US. I would say you have a pandoras box

 

[Gr8bawana]

To the OP-you could go to forums for ANY brand of truck and you will see so many complaints about this or that being bad or faulty or a bad design. Most of which is greatly exaggerated. Plus must of those people go to those forums to bitch about something, anything.
You'll see very few post about how happy they are with their trucks.
So take them all with a grain of salt.

 

[flinchy]

I have a 09 titan with 201k and haven't had an issue.. done preventive maintenance and it just runs great..

 

[Westxhunter]

I've got a 2008 Armada (which is basically a Titan with a back cover). I've had ZERO issues with the engine and suspension. I've only had to replace all the plastic in the roof that holds the TV and rear radio and A/C controls and one repaint job. Since i've paid it off, only about 3k in fixing the thing. Most things that break are easy enough to replace myself. I don't know how the newer models are as far as engine, but I can tell you the older ones are solid. I've been a believer in nissan since I bought my first Xterra, which I loved.

 

[cedahm]

I have 1521 miles on my ‘21 Titan Pro-4X.

Only issue so far is that CarPlay can be a little wonky, the ‘climate control’ gets pretty hot if set above 65 deg (very likely a personal problem), and it’s harder to kick down the little extendable bed step than I think it should be. Oh, and I still haven’t figured out half the alerts, alarms, and features.

avg. Mileage tracking at 17 (I’ve driven it out east pheasant hunting 4 times, so 800 miles are freeway @80 and 300-ish are nice gravel at 50-55)

I didn’t read about any engine trouble in recent models. The 9speed has been a little getting used to (my last truck was 18 years old, so everything is taking some getting used to).

from my reasearch, and as a former tundra owner, I found that I got 99% of the truck for ~85% of the price, but I still looked at a few tundras. I tow little (Mostly just the 16’ fishing raft on its shitty little trailer, occasionally random other things but towing is not really a priority) so the trailer brakes (which it has, stock), and other towing related things werent on my list. I do drive a lot of mountain roads year round, spend lots of the summer and fall on gravel and sketchy, but not What I’d call ‘frightening‘, USFS/BLM roads. If I drove sketchier roads, I’d prefer a wrangler/defender, if I towed a lot on bad roads I’d get a power wagon, And if I towed a lot of pavement I’d probably get a Chevy/GMC. For my use pattern, I’m really happy with my choice.

now finding a topper is as hard as finding the truck, but that’s a different thread.

 

[deer_shooter]

I had a 2012 Titan and loved the truck. It had 90,000 trouble free miles on it before it got totaled. I then bought a 2013 Tundra. Decent truck but I'd take the Titan over Tundra all day long. I agree with Fin that if the Tundra had the same capability as the Tacoma, they would have something. Still, when I've worn out my Tacoma, I'll be looking at Titans and Tundras

 

[huntinsonovagun]

I have a 2010 that I pull a 12’ dual axle cargo trailer every day with. Rolled 150k just yesterday. I just do routine maintenance and the thing keeps going. The only issues I’ve had have been the spiral cable (clock spring) went out at about 60k. I really should get that fixed so my airbag and steering controls (such as the horn ) will work again. Pulled a 23’ travel trailer over 3000 miles in September to Wyoming and back on my first antelope hunt. It’s been a great truck and I’ll consider another when it comes time to buy again. Afraid a 3/4 ton diesel is going to make the most sense as often as I pull though.