Titan

[keithstone]

Has anyone towed a 25 or 27 international or flying cloud with a non xd titan???

[FMSports]

Never been in a Titan, but they do look good.

I wonder how reliable the diesels have been in stock config.
There is a diesel HD for sale locally here and the price is pretty reasonable.

[overlander64]

Greetings FMSports!

Originally Posted by FMSports

Never been in a Titan, but they do look good.

I wonder how reliable the diesels have been in stock config.
There is a diesel HD for sale locally here and the price is pretty reasonable.

While I don't own one, my best friend has owned a 2017 Nissan Titan XD Platinum Reserve Diesel since August of 2017. Based upon his experience, my suggestion would be to steer clear of this potential nightmare of mechanical issues. Mechanical issues are compounded by the fact that the drivetrain is orphaned and not all of our nearest Nissan dealerships continue to support the Diesel which is required if you happen to have one with the extended warranty that can go for as much as 15 years and 150,000 miles. Our dealers refuse service to the Diesel Titans if they do not have a certified diesel technician on staff, and that is becoming quite common among those nearest our location.
My friend's Titan has only about 30,000 miles on the odometer and is on its third set of turbocharger equipment, has had to have its entire brake master cylinder replaced once, the ECM has had to be reflashed so many times that I have lost count (I usually take the truck into the dealership for repairs). The factory trailer brake controller has been reprogrammed so many times that I have lost count, and it has only worked properly for about the last two times that it has been connected to a trailer. The Titan's brakes have been unpredictable its entire life, even after the expensive master cylinder replacement (fortunately warranty covered the cost) -- the pedal will go to the floor and the truck doesn't even try to stop and you are forced to pump the pedal vigorously to get the brakes to activate or press the parking brake pedal. It also does not react well to being driven on anything less than 25 to 30 mile trips as less than that seems to trigger emissions regeneration that can force it into "limp mode" where maximum speed is something like 20 MPH. Also, do not expect exceptional fuel economy -- I am known around my friends for being able to squeeze the best fuel economy from any vehicle that I drive -- the best that I have ever been able to achieve with the Titan was 17 MPG on one trip of 100 miles in perfect weather with a tail wind. Generally, I see about 15 MPG, but my friend feels lucky to see 13-14 MPG empty with towing around 10 to 11 MPG. The factory differential gearing on his truck is supposedly 3.90.

I wish that I could paint a brighter picture as the truck is certainly attractive enough for what it is, but from a reliability standpoint it has been sorely lacking. When combined with being an orphaned drive train with limited support, particularly if you have a Titan requiring factory approved service to keep its extended warranty in effect the situation becomes a predicament quickly depending upon the dealers in your location.

[LAStorm]

We have a 2019 Titan 5.6 SL Midnight. 4WD
We tow a 23 ft Globetrotter.
Good gas milage, great at towing the trailer, comfortable.
Zero complaints.

[overlander64]

More bad news regarding the Nissan Titan XD with the Cummins 5.0 Liter Diesel V8. It appears that NHTSA is starting an investigation into issues with crankshaft failures. Evidently the problem manifests itself as a sudden total loss of power after which the engine refuses to start and the culprit is found to be a failed crankshaft requiring at a minimum of a new long block. Owners who have experienced these sudden failures express concern about the dangers posed by difficulty controlling the heavy vehicle when it looses its power steering and power brakes when the engine fails in this catastrophic manner.

This is a link to one of the articles about the problems and the action that now appears to be underway.

The Titans are attractive trucks, but you have to be more than a little worried if you have one with the 5.0 Liter Cummins Turbo Diesel V8, I know that my friend is constantly worried about his. Another issue that is evidently a little less common, at present, is an electrical short that causes a fire that has destroyed a number of these trucks as well as the structures where they were stored.

Kevin

[keithstone]

yes.. that is what i have found as well.. the diesel was a disaster..
with all the research ive done, it seems you need to stay above 2019..
i found a 2020 XD and bought it.. but waiting on the dealer to get the title for it

[Steamguy]

As the original owner of a 2004 (yes, the introductory year) and now 20-year-old truck (build date 11-11-03), I can tell you a few things from personal experience. My truck has been in front of three different trailers during its lifetime, the current (likely the last one) is a 27FBQ International.

First, my particular truck:
Gas mileage gets a lot of 'airplay'. I get between 7-9 MPG towing at 58 MPH. Nowhere I go is either flat or calm, as I live in the Columbia Gorge. Handling a trailer is generally the same as it has been with my other half-tons, if not better with this truck. No standout issues. Anti-sway hitch and loading balance have always been set up correctly, with periodic checks to ensure continual correct loading.

Panic situations have been (of course) stressful, but not eventful. I always have the trailer brakes set up the way my Dad (who for a while drove heavy freight) taught me: the trailer brakes lead the (tractor) truck brakes, and do slightly more of their share of braking. I keep in mind what I'm driving and behave as such. My Dad: "Locked wheels all slide about the same distance".

The only changes I made from stock was to change out the P-rated OEM tires for LT and to change to heavy-duty rear shocks. Not to try to 'fudge' the payload, but to ensure good control.

This 'old truck' doesn't owe me a penny, and has been reliable. I didn't install a bunch of aftermarket ...stuff... on it that compromises the original design, and I think that's a huge factor in its ongoing ability and reliability.

I watched as the truck line was redesigned to fit that Cummins engine, and as development went along, thought, "This looks like it could be my next truck." Then Dodge opted out of that V8 diesel, and the corporate-speak made my hair stand up. Nissan had obviously become irrevocably and blindly committed to it, and that V8 diesel has not since proven to be a good decision nor drivetrain.

As for current gas trucks, I still see plenty of people getting really good service out of both the regular and XD gas platforms. From some of the buzz at the time the XD was introduced, there was no end to speculation that Nissan were trying for a "2/3 ton" truck. But true to their Corporate selves, they've never really advertised their full-size pickups. Only the 'Fronty' gets into the TV ads.

Bottom line as I see it: Good gas trucks - just as good as anybody else's, just don't buy the diesel.

[FMSports]

Just like most of the V-diesels seem to afflicted by major issues from the use of the DPF, and EGR.

Range Rover V6 snapped crankshafts
RAM Ecodiesel crankshaft stays intact, but the main bearings fail


RAM changed things up for Gen3 and solved the failures.
GM went to an inline 6 for its Duramax, after engineering analysis no doubt.

But such heartache with the DEF/DPF/SCR/EGR systems that it's being phased out.