Early December 06 - I noticed fluid under front differential. Investigated and found that stub shaft (which bolts to front cv) had pulled out of the front differential on the driver's side. Pushed it back in but oil seal had been damaged so it was still leaking. Took it into the dealership but they wouldn't cover under warranty due to aftermarket lift (even though they sell a version of my truck with this lift installed by the factory). Paid $380 to get a new seal installed. Late December 06 - 2 weeks after repair I found fluid under the truck again. Pushed it back in and leak stopped. January 07 - while in Mexico, my wife was driving 4WD on hard packed sand. I heard a loud bang and when I looked under the truck I found that the same shaft was out again. Turns out the shaft has splines and a small circlip to hold it in place. The circlip is undersized so it only takes about 1 pound of force to separate the 2 pieces. This most recent time occurred under load so when the shaft shot out, the splines got damaged. Since I was a day's drive South of the border I had to file and then hammer the shaft back into place. Nissan denied my warranty, again blaming the lift for the problem. I found several other people online who have had the same problem, most without lifts. I talked to a technician at a Nissan dealership in Oregon and he confirmed that he has seen several front differentials with this problem. He suspected that the cv joints don't stretch as well when weather is cold thereby pulling the stub shafts out when the wheels are turned. Most vehicles he had seen were stock. He also said that Nissan had a redesigned differential that the tech's are supposed to install when this happens. I contacted Nissan customer service and made an appointment with a factory rep. Nissan finally agreed to do a one-time front differential replacement under warranty.

- Huntington Beach, CA, USA