Hey guys, I'm brand new here! First off, this is a very nice forum. I miss the old days of truck forums. FB groups of "enthusiasts" have become a cesspool of trolls and fanboys with little to no actual help. So, it's refreshing to see a well run forum like this, reminiscent of the GM truck forums I liked so much in the early 2000's.
I currently have a 2005 LLY Duramax with 227k miles. Even though she's getting older and I work it fairly hard, I keep it in good shape. Everything works and it's super reliable and I get comments and offers to buy on a regular basis. I still drive this truck on out of state family road trips. So, while I know my current truck "can" go for 300k+ miles, I also have been considering the fact that if I were to sell it now it would be worth a quite a bit of money still (for a 15yo truck). Also, on this same line of thinking, I have considered the fact that if something major were to happen such as catastrophic engine failure (unlikely but possible) or even needing a complete transmission replacement, the cost to repair vs value of the truck could make it not worth fixing and basically turn a $10k+ asset into junk over night. I'm at a cross roads and keep asking myself, do I bail out now and get into something new/newer or ride this one into the ground? Something I'll have to evaluate and think about some more.
The Cummins powered Titan XD Pro4X has really caught my attention. The issues with modern diesel truck's emissions is a real concern for me. I have done some research and see some reoccurring problems with the Cummins XD. So, my question, are these problems mostly limited to the earliest visions of the XD ('16 and '17)? It also occurs to me that these problems may seem to more common than they really are, as people don't typically take to the internet to report that they have no problems. Similarly, searching for issues / problems with any specific truck will likely result in finding said issues. Is this a huge problem with these trucks? or is it just talked about a lot? Should I abandon this idea all together and find a gas truck??
Thanks!
We have a 2016 PR with the Cummins that we purchased ~3 years ago and have only had one issue with the EGR that required a dealer initiated regen. It's also stock, other than a Pedal Commander.
This is our first diesel and we don't work it like a lot of folks on here do. Personally, I think it's a great truck and we don't have any complaints.
However, I am concerned that since Nissan only made the Cummin's version for a short time that support for this truck is going to get more and more difficult. I'm less concerned about engine and transmission parts, as they're third party, but all the other parts that you can only get from Nissan may become an issue. If they had pursued the diesel longer and built a larger following or a deeper product history, I don't think I would be quite so concerned. But I have a nasty suspicion that these are going to turn into unicorns. More of a weird oddity that you occasionally run across and go, "huh, I didn't know Nissan made a diesel" than a well support and beloved work horse.
We'll likely keep ours for a while but I'm already starting to eyeball 3/4 tons as a replacement even though I hate to do it.
Thanks for the response. Those are very valid points about support and I certainly don't want to be left holding a truck that has a sharp decrease in desirability down the road because of those issues. What is making you eye 3/4 tons? Just the thought that the XD Cummins may not be well supported or other downfalls of the truck vs 3/4 ton domestics on the market?
I'll add my 2cts, but I also only have 25K on my truck.
I love my truck. Rides like a 1/2 ton, pulls like my old Ram 2500. Highway MPG is descent, I get between 20-22. In town, 14-17 MPG. Towing, 9-11. Brakes are wonderful. Small fuel tank sucks. I've put 2k+ in the bed and was not on the bump stops. Pulled 9k without issues. DIY maintenance is easy, I do oil every 5k, fuel filters every 10k, trans/diffs/xfer case every 20k.
The Cummins Aisin combo is what attracted me for thousands less than a Ram. But, like every modern diesel, it may/will have issues mostly related to the emissions and after treatment systems. You will see blown engines, bad injectors, bad turbos, bad (fill in the blank) on any brand diesel. The Titan just seems to have more than the others because so few were made. 5% (made up numbers) of 50k units is a higher ratio than 5% of 500k units (but more failed units overall).
IMO, outside of getting unlucky, the longevity of these trucks is all about maintenance and driving it like a diesel and not a gasser. I get nervous when the RPMs get over 3k and do my best to keep them under 3k. I've watched my truck make and hold 20+ lbs of boost going up mountains and maintain speed going back down without using the brakes.
These trucks love to work. They need to be worked, not abused. Drive it like an adult, not a grandpa or teenager. Put good fuel and oil in it and enjoy it.
I have a '17 PR 5.0. ABout 30K miles, no real issues. I love my truck, but I would not buy the 5.0 platform. Not only has Nissan cut access to training for their techs, but the ISV (5.0) platform has been totally discontinued by Cummins (see Cummins annual report, 2019). It seems to be a total crap-shoot about whether replacement parts (turbo actuator valves, turbos, EGRs, etc.) take 3 days or 6 weeks to get in to a dealership.
I've seen people with close to 200k on the diesel with all systems intact. One did have to replace the turbo at 150k, though. Personally, I got rid of the after treatment system but I knew I was going to before getting any diesel, so any issues in that category never concerned me. I agree parts are super hard to come by for these trucks though, I had to get a leaf spring bolt, and there was only 1 available in the whole country. But definitely a smoother ride than my old 2500s and tow better for sure (2500 gassers).
Despite having been discontinued the XD with 5.0 diesel has remained in high demand on the secondary market. Many owners like myself have found this truck to do exactly what it was advertised to very well (in fact, it moves big loads around WAY better than it should considering its published specs).
Owners who have bought this truck and enjoyed owning it with few problems are seriously UNDERrepresented on this forum, mostly because they have no particular reason to seek private information of how to address a problem.
The folks who have had problems have complained loudly and often, and if the vehicle isn't performing or is having failures they should, but it shouldn't be assumed that it represents the whole set of trucks.
I have found it to be a good truck and it's too bad that Nissan wasn't more successful in marketing and selling it. It does great work & I've found it far more comfortable and capable than competitors in the 1/2 ton category. Too many people compare it either to the grocery getter around town trucks or (inappropriately) the 3/4 ton trucks. It was never designed to compete with 3/4 ton big trucks despite being able to stand up to them pretty well anyway.
'16 XD PR diesel here (32k miles). Stock. We love this truck and look forward to many more years of enjoyment. Very comfy (for a truck), pulls like a beast and it's reliable. I know two others up here who converted from big 3 diesels (nothing but problems from the day they drove off the dealer lot) after giving ours a try and their experience is the same. The diesel likes to be worked hard and often. It seems the harder we work them, the better they are. None of us are technologically averse so the emissions system is a plus for us. Work it hard like it's designed to.
If you don't intend to work it, go with the gasser. I loved the 5.6 in my '06 Titan and the new one is even better. It pulled like a champ but we grew tired of listening to those high RPMs going up long mountain passes.
I have had mine 4 years now, just turned 70k. I regularly tow heavy loads between my dump trailer and gooseneck. Mine has had it share of issues, mostly growing pains of a first year model. The engine has only had two issues. Idler pulley replaced at 25k for squeaking and a turbo actuator at 55k. I have 3 friends with these trucks and all three have had the actuator fail around the same time, one is a 16 and the other two are 17s. This truck rides great and tows like a 5.9. It will defanetly tow beyond the limits that it is "rated" for. I had to add a tank to the bed because I felt I was stopping every town to fill up when towing. The only reason I am considering trading is for more legal towing capacity.
I would stay clear myself. I just traded my 19 XD Cummins for a 21 XD gasser pro 4x with that brown military looking paint. The new 9 speed is fantastic much improved over the 7 speed. I loved my XD Cummins, but I couldn’t get a delete kit for it anymore and the shop by me got busted by EPA and shut them down. The parts are crazy expensive. I’ve heard the turbos costing $4,000. I unloaded it before it deprecated like a rock. It’s just not worth it. I bought a 1998 dodge Cummins 2nd gen with 5 speed for fun. We restored it and it’s great. I’ve owned many diesels and the 2nd gen was always my favorite. In my opinion with delete kits going bye bye, I would never own any modern diesel. Buy a new gasser or keep your current truck. Those old LLY and LBZ duramax trucks are good if you keep them away from salt.
I think after reading all this, I would lean more toward a gas XD, if I went with with an XD. My LLY has never seen salt. We live on the gulf coast, only gets below freezing a handful of times of year.
I shouldn't say, "parts are hard to get" just because the leaf spring bolt wasn't readily available. It's not like it failed, or is something that needs to be regularly replaced. I cut it off with a sawzall to get my leaf springs off. I'm sure there was a better way. Other parts like my power steering lines took 2 days. I'm sure parts will always be available, but probably not at your local auto zone. I currently have 113k miles, and no major issues, its actually running smoother now than ever.
Just curious why the Ford? I think I would have considered the Ford with a 7.3 but couldn’t find any around me I could afford. Plus the warranty and 0% financing that came with my 2021 Titan was hard to pass up. Either way I don’t think you could go wrong with a gas 7.3 or a 5.6. I don’t tow more than 8,000 lbs, so I guess I didn’t need the bigger motor either.
The new 9 speed is killer! Never misses a beat shifts perfect every time. One test drive, and I traded my 19 XD Cummins in. I owned an 17 XD gas before that, but hated that 7 speed. It never knew what gear to be in and always shifted to soon. One trip to the mountains with it and I bought the diesel. The 5.6 gas is rock solid, and now it has a real transmission hooked to it. Now I got the best of both worlds.
I’m a little late to the game, but I have a 16 XD PR 5.0 with 84k miles. I daily drive it unloaded about 25 miles to work everyday and tow a bass boat on the weekends about 100 miles per trip. I love this truck. Like others have said it likes to work. If you plan on doing short trips because of the emission bull shit I’d stay clear, but other than that let her eat!
Rule #1: Never trust a car salesman to tell the truth. They are either purposefully deceptive because they have quotas to meet, or they are innocently ignorant because they just can't memorize every fact about every model they sell. Either way, it is always best to do your own research before going to a dealership.
2019 PRO4X owner here, 15k miles total, approx. 3k with an emissions tune and a set of timbrens. Had a couple issues upfront (steering rack replaced for a clunk, DEF heater replaced), but other than that it's been a good truck. Turning radius is awful like most larger trucks (exception being F450), but the truck rides nice. I've had 10k behind it a few times and it does fine, however, if I was towing that more often I'd look to a true 3/4 or 1 ton. Couple pros/cons in my eyes:
Pros
Rides nicer than a comparative 3/4 ton
Decently quiet (important with young kids/wife)
Comfortable seats (best I've sat in)
Very good brakes
Comparable to a swiss army knife, does a lot of things well, but nothing exceptional
Cons
Not as powerful as newer diesels
No exhaust brake...good grade shifting, but the fact they didn't integrate an EB in with the VGT is disappointing.
Not very fuel efficient. While it's comparable to other 3/4 or 1 tons, the tank size is abysmally small @ 26 gals making for limited range.
CP4 potentially issues. I'm diligent about using a fuel treatment like Stanadyne or XDP, but we know issues with the CP4 can occur.
Smaller backseat compared to a Ford or 2020 on GM
Published payload is not great. I'm @ 1600 or so on my truck. I know the truck can handle more, but if you are towing a 5th wheel or gooseneck regularly it's something to consider.
Mentioned by other posters, but parts availability is a valid concern.
All that said, if you are truck shopping I'd most certainly go drive the big 3 3/4 tons as a comparison point. If I had to do it again, I'd probably be driving a Duramax instead. Hope this helps...
* Not very fuel efficient. While it's comparable to other 3/4 or 1 tons, the tank size is abysmally small @ 26 gals making for limited range."
THIS TRUCK IS NOT A 3/4 TON TRUCK. This is at the very heart of many of the criticisms about the Titan XD 5.0. Even some fools at the car magazines were making this mistake (then again a car guy reviewing a truck is always a little suspect).
Nissan, whether it was a good idea or not, designed and marketed this truck to be a 1/2 ton truck with a little more muscle. They were trying to make something that would be one step better than the basic framed small diesel motored 1/2 tons from Ford, Dodge, etc. They were never trying to make a 3/4 ton pickup. To compare it to 3/4 ton trucks is incorrect and unfair.
If you want (or need) the size and power of a 3/4 ton truck then you should most certainly be shopping 3/4 trucks. There are some good choices out there with some big powerful motors and impressive towing stats.
The Titan XD 5 0 is a pretty darn good truck for what it is and I think if it fits what you want there is no reason to look away. Nope, isn't as light and quick as a regular 1/2 ton, nope doesn't have a monster motor like a 3/4 ton, yep does haul a considerable load without any fuss, yep far more comfortable than a 3/4 ton. Fact is, most of its specs fall squarely in between 1/2 tons and 3/4 tons, right where it's supposed to be. If compared objectively to the other new diesel mid/light weight pickups if Dodge, GM, Ford, et. al. the teething issues are about the same.
Based on the all caps, this must've struck a cord. I am well aware it's not a 3/4 ton truck nor was/is it marketed as one. The OP's basis of comparison is a 3/4 ton truck (05' Duramax), thus why I provided pros/cons relative to it. If he was coming from a 1/2 ton, my basis would have changed to compare to that. As to an incorrect and unfair comparison, this is a truck forum for Christ's sake, and given where this truck is slotted, folks will cross shop both 1/2 and 3/4 tons.
The only 1/2 ton diesel around at the time of launch was Ram that was plagued with a myriad of issues stemming from the VM motor. Ford was launched in 2017 or 2018, GM in 20. All of these trucks haul significantly less in similar trim, while returning far greater MPG.
Yeah there’s plenty on here that have done it. I’m just not dropping that kinda coin on one. I’m going to do a 36 gallon transfer tank with gravity feed in the bed. Way cheaper