# Engine cut off



## bixwaltg (Apr 27, 2009)

All, I need help. whenever I slow down after climbing a hill with my 2004 model nissan X-trail, the engine cuts off. I brought it to the dealer but they cant find the problem. Can someone please help me? what would be the solution to this problem.

Thanks in advance


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## frustrated39 (Jun 1, 2010)

I faced the similar problem when climbing up the hill and also face twice when descending the hill .The latest one is just 3 days ago happened twice with distance between 3 KM.
This is my 7 or 8 times already.
Let me share with you the things Nissan have done without a good outcome

Sent to Nissan Service centre... Can't solve at all !
Reason given: 
1.Oil Filter choke 2. Throttle body dirty (2 X service) 3. Petrol Grade 4. Sinthetic oil properties deteriorate 5.Engine oil level low (But strange the,indicator light not shown) 6.Finally request my side to change from sinthetic oil to mineral oil (service/monitor every 5 KM) ..But the problem still exist during the 4 km..

One of my family member who drive X'trail also face the same problem- so far 3 times in less than 1 year (Both our car Manufacture 2003 ~ 2004).

Therefore I begin to think this is a manufacturer defect.
Nissan in our country said they will try to rectify the problem until it solve.. how long will it take ? 
I believe there are a lot of users facing the same issue like us.

Anyone that have the direct email link to Nissan HQ in Japan?


From Penang, Malaysia.


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## X-trial02 (Aug 26, 2010)

Having the same problem too. Send car to TC but problem cannot be solved.
Penang


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## licensed007 (Sep 6, 2010)

Does this stalling problem only happen with the X-Trails build in 2003 and 2004, or are other years affected??


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## T&A Johnston (Apr 1, 2009)

To all,

This may not apply to your vehicles but worth consideration. About 6 months ago I had a stalling issue with my 2005 SE 2.5 (petrol) 5 speed X-trail with 125,000 KM. The issue started to occur at around 114,000 KM. I would be driving in any gear and the engine would just cut out. The check engine light would flash once (very quickly), but not stay on. 

I had it towed to the dealer as the car was not driveable. The engine would start, but the minute you touched the throttle pedal it would stall. The dealer over the course of 5 weeks, replaced the cam shaft angle sensors, crank position sensor, throttle butterfly, ECM (including re-flash), catalytic convertor and inspected the wiring harness. Needless to say it was covered by my warranty. The shop foreman drove the vehicle for a week and the issue was assumed to have been corrected. Upon returning the car to me it happened again within 10 KM. 

Conclusion, after having the car again towed to the dealer they inspected the entire wiring harness again as the Nissan tech line thought it might be a loose wiring connection or bad ground. Bingo, they found a corroded wiring connector behind the battery, which was intermittnetly lossing a conection causing the engine to stall. 

Worth having a look. The corrosion (oxidation) was in the plastic connector, which is hard to see but obvious once found. The dealer covered almost $7K CAD worth of repairs for a $1 part.

Cheers,

Tim


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## au_exxy (Sep 18, 2010)

*Occasional stalling*

Hello All,

I'm having a similar issue with occasional stalling too. Just like others, it happens with engine under a load or sometimes on deceleration. It seems to happen more when the engine is cold so I thought it might be fuel starvation. I replaced the fuel filter since I bought the car second-hand but that didn't solve the problem. I've read that the crank angle sensor can cause engine stalling but I'm not getting any ECU error codes generated. Has anyone solved the issue by replacing the crank position sensor even though there was no error code generated? I'm not opposed to replacing a part if it may resolve this issue. My wife drives the car and I'm concerned for her safety...

Thanks!


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## T&A Johnston (Apr 1, 2009)

Au exxy. Please see my post on the subject. There is no need to spend lots of cash replacing sensors when the solution could simply be a bad electrical connection.

Cheers,


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## au_exxy (Sep 18, 2010)

T&A Johnston said:


> Au exxy. Please see my post on the subject. There is no need to spend lots of cash replacing sensors when the solution could simply be a bad electrical connection.
> 
> Cheers,


Hey T&A,
Since my problem is intermittant, it could very well be a faulty connection somewhere on the wiring harness. I had a look behind the battery and the only connection there was the ground strap to the chassis which continues down to the engine block. Is this the connection you were reffering to in your post? I haven't disconnected anything yet and wanted to get more info from you before I do. 

Thanks for the great post... It's funny how something so simple can cause major drama. I'll be sure to look for the simple solution before I start throwing heaps of money away. 

Cheers!


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## T&A Johnston (Apr 1, 2009)

Literally it's behind the battery and is a small white (transparent) clip connection. For reference it is about 3 cm long and 2 cm wide. The corrossion/oxidation is inside the connection and looks like a white powder build-up inside. Needless to say I am sure this problem is worse in northern climates, namely Ontatrio and all the driving I do snowboarding in Quebec in January. Also, when it hits -20C and then warmth from the heat of the engine it will corode quickly. Not sure where you are, but if your in a warm climate and exposed to humid weather you might get the same effect. 

Cheers,

PS - if I get a minute I will take a pic on the weekend and post it for reference.


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## solomon 911 (Feb 18, 2014)

Hey,

Did any of you guys found a solution to this engine cut out issue when going up hill yet?
I work at a Nissan dealership and we are having one in wright now with those problems. it would be really helpfull for us to troubleshoot those X- trails with this particular problem...
Note that there are no fault codes, crank/cam sensor issues or wiring problems found on the one we are dealing with atm..

Regards


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## xr5turbo (Jul 31, 2013)

Thread bump for someone with the exact same issue, it's doing my head in, struggling to believe no one can find a definitive answer. My xtrail 2002 model also never throws a fault code, not once, so I have been throwing parts at this.

Done so far:
Ensure always using high octane fuel
New plugs
New cam and crank sensors
New coil plugs all 4
Injectors cleaned
New pcv valve
New throttle body

This problem is easily replicated so it's not as if it is intermittent, has got mechanics stumped. I have data logged via the OBD port and although not an expert cannot see any obvious issues with the likes of the O2 and maf sensors but may change them anyway.

I don't notice any vacuum leaks either, other than this it drives nicely seems to rev well enough, starts fine so not suspecting fuel pump or filter issues. Wondering about cat converter issues, partial blockage? As indicated put the motor under load driving uphill and as soon as I dip the clutch it either cuts out, or jerks around on the brink of stall, sometimes idle recovers and it smooths out. If anyone here had resolved this or the OP has please advise.

Thanks


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## kobusHwYW3 (Aug 24, 2014)

Hi Tim can we pls have a photograph of this connector? It will be greatly appreciated. As I can't find this connector behind the battery.


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## thesigncom (Jul 6, 2015)

The engine of my 2004 X-Trail shuts off when driving up hill and only uphill alone. It shuts down immediately after the gear has kicked down ... and i'll be wondering why the sudden loss of power. It become very dangerous as faster cars behind may just smash into my car. So far, no TCM technicians nor any 3rd party mechanics have been able to diagnose the problem


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## esberelias (Jan 30, 2014)

T&A Johnston said:


> To all,
> 
> This may not apply to your vehicles but worth consideration. About 6 months ago I had a stalling issue with my 2005 SE 2.5 (petrol) 5 speed X-trail with 125,000 KM. The issue started to occur at around 114,000 KM. I would be driving in any gear and the engine would just cut out. The check engine light would flash once (very quickly), but not stay on.
> 
> ...


I'm having the EXACT same problem with my 05... ripped out the battery and took off the (-) negative cable... no signs or corrosion but I still used a wire brushed and cleaned everything up... but i'm still having the same issue  Already replaced the crankshaft sensor for good measure and it made no difference  I hope I find a solution to this I need my SUV in good working order in the next week


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

That is a tough one Esberelias. Were any codes stored? Hope you figure it out. Keep us posted. Good luck with it.


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## allant30 (Sep 1, 2015)

hi, I'm new to this forum and am happy to find one that's alive for x-trail. as for the abovementioned problem, has anyone tried replacing the gas pedal that came with sensor since its a drive by-wire system. I do not face the problem as above but mine was engine light came up (p022) when car would only be able to rev below 1500 rpm and 10km/h which is basically as good as stalled. changed throttle body then ok. days later problem reoccur. sometimes after doing the idle speed relearn would solve the problem. then 1 day totally car retarded until mechanic changed throttle pedal and problem solved. (touch wood). do not touch the sensor.
before it only happened days after long journey ie 600 - 800km.


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## esberelias (Jan 30, 2014)

Yup I changed the pedal sensor and it works for a week! than same problem occurred when I was 5 hrs away from home for work..... :| And I had a fight the NEXT morning.... I ended up junking the SUV and renting a car to get home... I was heading overseas and paid 3k for me trip I wasn't losing all that money. I do miss it but I hated it after it did that to me  I am currently shopping for a R50 pathfinder


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## allant30 (Sep 1, 2015)

esberelas, agree that sometimes its best to junk it than to keep spending. cant think of anything else besides o2 sensor as that has the same effect. anyways, isn't the pathfinder another Nissan. good car though too bad we do not have it here in Malaysia as it will be taxed and priced heftily.


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## esberelias (Jan 30, 2014)

yeah pathfinder is a beefier version of the x-trail (in my opinion) my x-tail had over 350,000 KMs on it... if the could of fixed it, the suv would of went to a million km's... too bad it had to end this way. I'm going with another nissan because I liked my x-trail a lot... despite the issue I had with it.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

That is sad news Esberelias. The good news for me is yours had a 195,000 more kms than mine does at this moment. I can see how after a few issues like the oil cooler leak and this you could start to question future reliability. I liked the Pathfinder circa 2000 before it became so big. I find the new ones look like a minivan, and the previous generation in addition to the size thing, had some serious probs with transmission cooling. And with a lot of new models, I wonder how many cvts will go past 300,000 kms.

Anyway, knock on wood, ours is still performing beautifully, and has no rust problem. I have been good with preventative maintenance, and no gremlins have popped up. I keep telling my wife, I can't see the need to get rid of it, and that there is really nothing in the market at the moment that I might prefer. Closest I see is the Subaru Forester, but its so similar in many ways what would be the point. Also having read enough on this and other forums, I am aware that a new car does not necessarily mean problem free. 

Did it really go to a junk yard? Or did some mechanic buy her to fix and resell?


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## redwan (Oct 14, 2015)

*engine jerk*



licensed007 said:


> Does this stalling problem only happen with the X-Trails build in 2003 and 2004, or are other years affected??


my x trail T32, 2 liter patrol automatic have similar problem. only 7000 km run and used to have a jerk or knock, something like power loss during acceleration. even at a speed 50-60 km. this is a huge headache for me as the car is still new and the dealer could not find anything. they changed the fuel filter, air filter, mobil filter, mobil, checked all spark plugs, checked fuel pressure, electric lines and end up saying everything is fine. But i got the same jerk again today at 60km speed at rpm 2000. what to do?:crying:


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## bnjsv (Apr 12, 2016)

Hi, Today I repaired my Nissan N16 due to idle rpm issue and sudden engine stalling. 
My advise is to change Cam and Crank shaft sensors first. Both cost around AU$100. Mine is ok now.
If that does not work, then go for throttle control motor AU$ 200 and Probably ECU AU$410.
This issue is common in N16 and XTRAIL.
Just wanted to share this because I struggled a lot to find a cure for this issue.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi bnjsv,
Glad you got yours fixed. Cam and crankshaft sensor issues have been written about in many threads here. There was a redesign of the part, and for some models there was a recall. It's great when you can actually resolve a problem by replacing a part, but usually just throwing parts at problems without really understanding the underlying real issue can be a very expensive and frustrating proposition.


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## Abba (Sep 11, 2017)

Experiencing the same problem with my Nissan Serena C25 MR20 engine. Can T&A Johnston help with the photograph of the said white 3cm gadget. Mechanics have failed to locate the problem


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## hashiem 58 (Jul 10, 2018)

Nissan xtrail 2007 model manual
got same problem with van driving for few km then it switch off.

any way to solve problem

hashiem


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## RSA_Xtrail (Jun 30, 2020)

T&A Johnston said:


> To all,
> 
> This may not apply to your vehicles but worth consideration. About 6 months ago I had a stalling issue with my 2005 SE 2.5 (petrol) 5 speed X-trail with 125,000 KM. The issue started to occur at around 114,000 KM. I would be driving in any gear and the engine would just cut out. The check engine light would flash once (very quickly), but not stay on.
> 
> ...


HI

Can you please advise if you have resolved this issue? having the same on my 07 xtrail 2.0. no fault codes but cant drive? any more information on the ground wire you referred to?


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

xr5turbo said:


> Thread bump for someone with the exact same issue, it's doing my head in, struggling to believe no one can find a definitive answer. My xtrail 2002 model also never throws a fault code, not once, so I have been throwing parts at this.
> 
> Done so far:
> Ensure always using high octane fuel
> ...


After replacing all the vital parts of the engine management system and having a repair shop trying for a fix, it may just come down to an ECU problem. If everything else was inspected, especially the ground point connectors, then replace the ECU.


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## Umata Riimana (Feb 24, 2021)

frustrated39 said:


> I faced the similar problem when climbing up the hill and also face twice when descending the hill .The latest one is just 3 days ago happened twice with distance between 3 KM.
> This is my 7 or 8 times already.
> Let me share with you the things Nissan have done without a good outcome
> 
> ...





quadraria10 said:


> That is sad news Esberelias. The good news for me is yours had a 195,000 more kms than mine does at this moment. I can see how after a few issues like the oil cooler leak and this you could start to question future reliability. I liked the Pathfinder circa 2000 before it became so big. I find the new ones look like a minivan, and the previous generation in addition to the size thing, had some serious probs with transmission cooling. And with a lot of new models, I wonder how many cvts will go past 300,000 kms.
> 
> Anyway, knock on wood, ours is still performing beautifully, and has no rust problem. I have been good with preventative maintenance, and no gremlins have popped up. I keep telling my wife, I can't see the need to get rid of it, and that there is really nothing in the market at the moment that I might prefer. Closest I see is the Subaru Forester, but its so similar in many ways what would be the point. Also having read enough on this and other forums, I am aware that a new car does not necessarily mean problem free.
> 
> Did it really go to a junk yard? Or did some mechanic buy her to fix and resell?





T&A Johnston said:


> To all,
> 
> This may not apply to your vehicles but worth consideration. About 6 months ago I had a stalling issue with my 2005 SE 2.5 (petrol) 5 speed X-trail with 125,000 KM. The issue started to occur at around 114,000 KM. I would be driving in any gear and the engine would just cut out. The check engine light would flash once (very quickly), but not stay on.
> 
> ...


tim,
i also encounter this problem with my nissan x trial can you send me any image of where you located the problem. 

thanks
Umata Riimana


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## Psav (Oct 8, 2019)

Had my 2006 X-Trail towed to garage after engine quit in an intersection. Mechanic removed the Mass Air Flow sensor, MAF, next to the air box which is right above the air filter and removed a leaf and a bug. Works fine now. There is a special cleaning fluid for the MAF sensor, make sure you only use that and no other cleaning fluid.
There are 2 screws that attach the MAF sensor to the black tube supplying air to the engine. Easy to remove but be very careful removing the sensor, it is long and delicate.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

You have to make sure your air filter is properly positioned and that its box is closed properly and all 4 all four holding clips in position.
However, I am surprised your engine shut down due to the bad MAF signal, seeing you can start and run the car with the MAF disconnected. What you describe is far more like the symptoms of a failing crank sensor.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

Psav said:


> Had my 2006 X-Trail towed to garage after engine quit in an intersection. Mechanic removed the Mass Air Flow sensor, MAF, next to the air box which is right above the air filter and removed a leaf and a bug. Works fine now. There is a special cleaning fluid for the MAF sensor, make sure you only use that and no other cleaning fluid.
> There are 2 screws that attach the MAF sensor to the black tube supplying air to the engine. Easy to remove but be very careful removing the sensor, it is long and delicate.


 I remove and spray clean the Mass Air Flow sensor once every 3 months or so. Same with the throttle body valve. ( and of course, each with the correct spray cleaner). 
- I just did the cleaning on my brother's 04 toyota matrix. Third time on his car in about a year's time and i notice an improvement in smoothness/peppiness each time i take the car out for a drive here and there. The other thing i do on both vehicles is remove the pcv valve and either clean it or replace it with a new one. Just replaced my Xtrail's pcv valve for $22 ( plastic fantastic piece of crap at $22!). Matrix pcv valve costs about $27 but i so far just remove, shake it, spray clean it with thinner or brake cleaner . The pcv valve is made of sturdy, long lasting metal and could probably survive a nuclear attack...unlike the one in the Xtrail.


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## Psav (Oct 8, 2019)

T&A Johnston said:


> To all,
> 
> This may not apply to your vehicles but worth consideration. About 6 months ago I had a stalling issue with my 2005 SE 2.5 (petrol) 5 speed X-trail with 125,000 KM. The issue started to occur at around 114,000 KM. I would be driving in any gear and the engine would just cut out. The check engine light would flash once (very quickly), but not stay on.
> 
> ...


I have a 2006 X-trail Bonavista. It will not start. Nothing happens when the key is turned on. Dead. No crank. No radio. Door solenoids work as do interior lights and headlights. Where is this corroded wire exactly? There are only two wires behind the battery, the positive and negative leads. Is this harness behind the air box, the one going to the MAF (mass airflow) sensor? This was removed and cleaned at the dealership. Wonder if this harness was damaged? But why no power to crank the engine?


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## Psav (Oct 8, 2019)

Umata Riimana said:


> tim,
> i also encounter this problem with my nissan x trial can you send me any image of where you located the problem.
> 
> thanks
> Umata Riimana


Where is this corroded wire exactly? My 2006 X-Trail will not start. Totally dead.


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## xtrailcanada (Aug 14, 2021)

My 2005 t30 is now starting to do this dreaded sudden stall situation also. I have the Torque app and no faults, the car starts right up again when I pop it in neutral and go. I have a brand new engine otherwise all stock. When it happens, it's like a key cycle so I'm going have a look at the ecm power supply and see if I can wire in a light bulb incase I'm losing ignition or battery power. I'm a commercial Vehicle Mechanic so I do have some knowledge but with nothing to go on, it's tough 

Sent from my SM-G991W using Tapatalk


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## Kikelow456 (Aug 21, 2021)

hello everyone sorry for just jumping in here trying to see if anyone can help me my 1995 Nissan will not start


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