USED Nissan X-Trail (T30) - Common problems and should you buy one? | ReDriven used car review

I owned a T30 Nissan X-Trail back in the day and it was an absolute weapon! But is buying one now that they're pushing 20 years old a good idea? We do a deep dive on the T30 X-Trail to see what's gone wrong with them after all this time!

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Skip ahead:
00:00​​​​​​​ - Intro
00:17 - What is it?
03:52 - How's the interior?
07:45 - Tech, features & safety?
09:05 - What's it like to drive?
11:22 - What goes wrong?
16:05 - Should you buy it?

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#nissan #xtrailt30 #suv #offroadvehicles #offroad #4x4 #4x4offroad #nissanxtrail #carreview #carlovers #carenthusiast #car #xtrail

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[MohammadKhan-nbxl]

I drive a 2006 sts model xtrail. Bought second hand in 2016 with 70000 km on it. After 7 years its now on 312000 km. Its an amazing and very underrated car. Been all the states in Australia ( except Tasmania) including 2 times in frazer Island, 1 time outback nsw run (4500 km round trip from Sydney), 1 time simpson desert watching.. and countless time on local 4wd fire trails. Been drove to port douglas and come back to Sydney 3 weeks ago. The cargo space is huge. Over the time need to replace radiator, cylinder head reconditioned, second hand gear box plus regular servicing . Worth every single doller ive spent on it. Never stops on road ormiss a beat. Ya takes a bit of extra fuel but it can take you wherever you want to take it. Very practical and no nonsense electronics free car.

[jackmehoff]

First in, this is by far the best automotive channel on on

[rachmaddwirinanto]

my T30 already has 200k+ mileage, it still runs like beast with the stock QR25 engine, enjoyable car.

[nathanhodges]

I ran a 2004 TI from about 120k to 180k and it cost me a small fortune. Not sure if it had been neglected by the previous owner, but I ended up doing the starter motor, alternator, radiator, radiator fans and water pump, as well as all the usual stuff - auxiliary belts, timing belt, gearbox service, etc. It seemed to eat brake pads and rotors and drink fuel - even though it wasn't nearly as quick as you'd expect for a 2.5. And maybe it's because it was black, but the aircon was as much use as a chocolate teapot. The gearbox suddenly let go at 180k, and that was enough for me. I sold it for $1200 to a Nissan guy who was prepared to fit a new transmission. Oddly though, even after all that I still kinda liked it. It felt practical and tough, and always looked more modern than it was. And at least I never had the head gasket problem!

[prit]

I bought a T31 X trail after your t31 video and I’m loving it so far. Handling Southern Africa like child’s play

[johntodd]

Had one of the T30 model and the only problem we had was the crank case angle sensor, that was par for the course, I now own a T31 which is 10 years old and I'll be driving it until the wheels fall off.

[peterbuttge]

Loved your honest comprehensive review.
Bought my T30 in 2007 now at 168k.
Still enjoy driving it daily around town and and in the bush in 4x4 mostly in auto.
Experienced mentioned faults of crankshaft sensors, aircon compressor, head gasket, one engine mount and changed shocks .
Intend to keep until it dies.😁

[seaofcolour]

I have a 2006 T30 and the head gasket blew at 220K and cost $4000 to reco the motor. If you remove the oil cap and there is a creamy white layer inside - don't buy it. Also don't buy if the owner is not selling on his driveway property or the car is standing on lawn as he is trying to hide oil drips from the engine.

[ChrisN]

"When is being logical ever equated to having fun?"

Word.

[Mark-tjxo]

I'm still running my T30 auto. Got it off a mate for 3k, so far I've put 120, 000km on it. Both crank and cam sensors needed replacing, and I put a new solenoid pack on the tranmission to get all 4 gears back in action. The pulley tensioner needed doing too. The chain rattles like crazy on startup. The biggest downside is the 4 speed auto. Revs at about 3.5k in fourth on the highway using about 12l/100km. But. I love this car, it's the best I've ever owned. I can fit a 2.7m treated pine sleeper with the doors closed. a single 3M length at a stretch or a 3.6M out the passenger window. It's solid and safe in the wet with good tyred, and awesome in the snow and 4wd-ing. The loading area is my fav part. The seats are 100% perfect, and super comfy to drive. Best and most accurate cruise control i've ever used. Can't wait to get a six speed diesel T31. I will miss this car big time <3

[kentaylor]

We had one for about 10 years only sold it last year. Had some big issues in the end, air con fan stopped, 3rd or 4th gear in the autobox wasnt working and it just seemed near the end of its life. It had over 330k kilometres on it and we bought it at 140k.

Despite all the issues, i would do it all again because it was a fantastic SUV. Im not too sure why Nissan pivoted away from this design as the newer xtrails have become crappy full soccer mum cars.

[theodavies]

I have a 2003 2.5 SVE with 38k miles.
Made in Japan.
Not rusty, not for sale.
Property check for the rust issue mentioned in the UK, lot harder to fix than swap out parts.
It's like getting there in a comfortable conservatory, never going to be a motorway cruiser, it's better than it says on the tin though.
Boot is too high for older dogs.
I like the basic complete lack of pointless junk tech that gets old every couple years.
If you don't know how to look after a vehicle it won't matter what you buy.
A good example of a good car is always going to be better than a brand new POS.
Good luck out there.

[kdmc]

Bought my first Nissan x trail T30 in 2011. It was a 2.2 turbo diesel model. I've always had more than one car so it wasn't driven very often it was only driven for anything that required something that was vaguely off road. Most of the journeys I did in it were long journeys, either from the south of England to Scotland or the south of England to the west of Ireland. It was serviced exactly when it should be and it never broke down or ever let me down. It started suffering from rust and during lockdown I decided that because I had more time and it wasn't going to cost a lot of money I removed the entire subframes front and rear and all the running gear and had them blasted and powder coated and removed every piece of rust from it. I also did all the brakes and the wheels and fitted adjustable shocks. For a 2000 and 5 car, it looked spectacular. Took it to a car show in Hampshire in the UK last year and a chap wouldn't leave me alone until I sold it to him. Just recently picked up another one with low mileage and not a lot of rust. As the rust removal. (Media blasting and powder coating) cost me nothing but time. For me, it's worth doing.

[rsbg]

My family had a brand new 2004 2.5 auto (FWD, because of Indonesia’s stupid tax laws). Ours was okay, very rattly and had suspension issues here and there, but engine and transmission wise, nothing went wrong after 4 years and 100, 000 kms (our kms are quite harsh with bad roads and bad fuel).

The 2.5 T30 was known to be a pretty fast motor in Indonesia. It was probably the only car in its price range that could sprint to 100 km/h in 9-10 seconds.

Replaced ours with a Craptiva in 2008 and then a T31 2.5 in 2011.

Can’t really describe in a YouTube comment box how much of a better of a car the T31 is. Despite its transmission issues (rectified it by 40, 000 km trans fluid changes), everything else was much more solid.

Was my first ever car, and still have it to this day, doesn’t travel as much as my T30, but so far only had minor niggles with bushings, alternators, and AC due to age.

Would’ve probably sold it if it wasn’t for sentiment, but definitely stood the time better than its rivals (bar the RAV4, which we didn’t get after 2006).

[simonblack]

I purchased a new manual 2006 st xtreme in Jan 2007. Best all rounder I’ve owned, perfect for camping. I put on 320, 000ks. Good on the beach, can tow 2000kgs, awesome for loading up with gear. The bad; radiator, crank angle sensor, fuel pump then a head gasket at around 280000ks. I was told it was uneconomical to repair as there was a good chance it would fail again.

[stuartr]

I've got a 2007 Ti-L auto that I've done a few cosmetic mods to such as 18 inch wheels etc. because it's just such a hood thing. It's not exciting, far from it, but as shown in the video, has loads of nice features. It's also been absolutely bulletproof & despite the wife & I having 2 other more expensive cars in the fleet, the X-Trail is the one on the road the most as it's practical & tough. The older it gets, the more charming it gets. Change the oil every 5, 000km to be safe as it's old & it should keep holding together. Everything still works on mine too.

[smak]

Have had 2002 t30 for nearly 2 years now. Had an air flow meter fail but that's it. Has been crazy practical, did a move from Sunshine Coast to North qld with a camper trailer, 2 large dogs and the family without an issue and use it to the the dogs to some secluded spots off the beaten track without an issue. Only problem I have with it is its possibly the most boring car I have ever owned. But keep it because it's the most practical.

[MikeJones-mzig]

I just have this enduring memory of one trying to enter Freshwater camping area on Teewah Beach in Queensland. The guy thought better of it and reversed out. An adventure missed. A beige life in a grey suit or grey chinos. A car that does the job like a kmart vacuum. Everything is adequate. But you'll miss out on life.

[alijaramovic]

Had T30 2.2 TD 2004', except regular oil change and planed timing chain change, no other visits to mechanic, did over 200k km with no problems at all.

[VolvoVseriously]

We had 2x XTrail T30, all in all a great car but we did have the cam sensor issue and water pump issue but otherwise good. But I agree the head gasket issue at this age would stop me buying another one. Thanks again ReDriven team luv your work.