Nissan X-TRAIL Engine Problems

It's a great way for dealers to make money. I would never approve it on my car.

The CVT oil should be changed every 100,000km. As for the fuel consumption it's best to do a check yourself by measuring how much fuel it is actually using. Judging the consumption by how far the gauge falls is very inaccurate, and I wouldn't stake my life on the fuel consumption gauges in the car. Do an actual measurement and you will know exactly what the consumption is. Nissan claims an average of 9.1L/100km, 7.7L/100km on country driving, and 11.5L/100km on city use. I would expect your car would fall somewhere between 9.1 and 11.5L/100km.

It seems the problem is not uncommon with the X-Trail. The best advice is to be assertive if you take the car to a Nissan dealer and insist they fix it.

It's good to know someone is able to diagnose the problem correctly; losing all power at speed is dangerous.

It seems Nissan has agreed to fix the issue under goodwill, so I would start by going back to the company and get that happening. If you don't feel you can do that, there's no other option but to pay for the replacement air box yourself.

The oil leaks need to be fixed, but you are right about the belt. All Nissan engines after 2011 have timing chains, not a belt, so don't need to be changed. The only reason you might change the chain is if it is stretched, but that shouldn't be the case on yours with just 75,000km on the clock.

Nissan spokesman Peter Fadeyev says: "Since the late 1980s, all Nissan vehicles have had a timing chain fitted, not a belt. This chain does not need replacing as a service-related item."

You can use 91-octane regular unleaded for all situations. Using higher-octane fuels can deliver better performance and economy, but I recommend you try and determine for yourself if that's the case with your car.

Nissan is correct when it says the fuel consumption figures shown on the windscreen sticker comes from a standard laboratory test and is aimed at giving buyers the chance to compare makes and models to select the most economical. The problem is that it doesn't reflect real life, and many things can affect real life fuel consumption. That the Nissan varies so much from the sticker number is a concern for anyone thinking of buying a car, and should be a warning to prospective buyers, of the Nissan and other makes to talk to other owners and get their perspective on it.

If there are any warning lights on it could be a problem with the electronics and it’s gone into ‘limp home’ mode. If there are no warning lights on it’s likely to be a fuel issue, and not getting enough fuel to keep it running when under load, which it is when in Drive or Reverse. I would change the fuel filter, check the fuel pressure, and clean the throttle body.