I have a 2002 Xterra with a P0301 check engine light that appears on occasion. It came on and started giving some rough performance for about 10 seconds. Directly after the engine making a bit of a shaking and slight rumble, the check engine light flashed for about 30 seconds to a minute and than flashed solid. It originally came on 7 months ago before happening again only a couple weeks ago. My mechanic checked it out both on the first occasion and then again when it happened a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to replicate the poor engine performance or code reoccurance and he tried all the likely things like spark plugs, fuel injectors, ignition coils and probably others. He told me the only way he could find the issue is if it happened predictably or in a way he could check issues right when the issue was happening. Anyway, he said that the it could be fixed if it were most anything except for engine compression, which he also said he checked and was normal. However, this doesn’t rule out that it would be the issue if he was able to replicate the problem. Since the car seems to be working normally for now. Is this a good time to start looking for a newer used car with much more predictable life and availability? I am looking at Toyota Highlanders and secondly Honda Pilots. I would value any opinions since this is a singing frog that could perhaps get worse and then be a driveability issue. Also, not sure how much more I want to put into it for future maintenance. It has been a good car for me and wondering if it’s a smart time to move on. Thank you!
Would be the time to look at avnew vehicle. The xterra is reportedly in development planned for 2028.
Check out the Honda Passport along with the Pilot and Highlander. Passport is a 2 row version of the pilot geared more to the off road segment but still comfortable.
Comes down to personal preference as I’d recommend any of those. At least this way you’ll be prepared when you hit the point of needing to replace the Xterra. We were in those shoes in 1990 when our vw died to be revived for a week.
Time for a better mechanic