Why The Nissan Titan XD Cummins Diesel Flopped

In 2020, and to everyone's surprise, Nissan discontinued the Cummins diesel engine on the Titan – here's why.

In 2019, Nissan made headlines when it announced its plans to discontinue the Titan XD along with the Cummins diesel engine for the 2020 model year. This came as a shock for Nissan enthusiasts, mainly because the truck along with the unique diesel engine was only introduced in 2015.

The Cummins 5.0-liter V8 turbo diesel engine was first offered as an option on the 2016 Nissan Titan XD and generated 310 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque. The powertrain would have been a sure hit with eco-conscious consumers, as it achieved near-zero oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions. As well, Nissan offered the engine with an advanced ceramic glow plug system that kept it from freezing up, even in winter.

Sadly, its sudden demise means we're left to rue at what might have been if it had a long, successful run. Here, we detail how a promising powertrain ended up being a disappointment.

Updated April 2023: Less than five years after its introduction, Nissan discarded its 5.0-liter Cummins turbo diesel V8 engine in 2019. We've refreshed this article to provide detailed, updated information on how a once-promising powertrain ended up on the chopping block.

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Nissan launched the Titan XD grade in 2015 as an all-new model for 2016 amid high expectations, with many fans welcoming the move to introduce a "robust" vehicle that fills the gap between half-ton and quarter and full-ton pickups for the second-generation Titan. However, no sooner had the truck started rolling into dealerships than initial high public expectations quickly turned into disappointment, which dramatically affected sales. Nissan's failure to differentiate sufficiently between the XD and its competitors, as well as its inability to satisfy the demands of niche diesel-run truck consumers, whittled excitement.

Although it is a work truck, not an efficient small car, the Nissan Titan XD sacrificed fuel efficiency for power and size. Sadly, its modest towing (12,037 lbs) and payload capacity (2,003 lbs) meant there were other trucks on the market with better fuel economy and tow ratings than the Titan XD, despite its size. It also meant that Nissan's truck, along with its 5.0 Cummins engine, was neither here nor there. And as a result, buyers didn't see any value in this model.

Another issue was that although Nissan assembles the Titan in Canton, Mississippi, the Japanese automaker made several components overseas. This made prospective buyers fear they would have to pay a higher price for damaged or worn parts. Delays were also considered, given the high tariffs and transport costs.

Further, Nissan failed to promote the Titan XD. The branding strategy failed to add value to the model because there was no differentiation from rivals, and Nissan failed to communicate to its audience the selling points of this truck. Looking back, an effective communication strategy would have focused on co-branding. By putting the partnership with Cummins, a legendary engine manufacturer, at the forefront, Nissan could have taken advantage of the brand's positive brand image in the U.S.

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While most drivers agree that Cummins engines are of superior quality, several others highlight that the 5.0 Cummins engine available in the Nissan Titan XD suffered from a wide range of mechanical issues that forced Nissan to drop it. As Diesel IQ puts it, “The expensive cost of adding the 5.0 Cummins to the Titan, combined with various engine issues, and the limited towing benefit over gas trucks caused the 5.0 Cummins to be retired after the 2019 model year.”

Diesel IQ, a digital publication "dedicated to the service, repair, and maintenance of the Power Stoke and Cummins Diesel engines," identified DEF pump failure, EGR valve and cooler failure, problematic transmission, Bosch CP4.2 fuel pump failure, and turbocharger failure as common areas of concern. Shockingly, Nissan recalled around 12,000 of the 2016 Titan XD models over potential turbocharger lubrication failures, per Diesel IQ.

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There is no simple answer to this question, and it is highly doubtful that only a single problem caused the demise of the Nissan Titan XD. At this point, we can only speculate that Nissan dropped the truck due to lackluster sales, ineffective marketing, its failure to meet consumers' expectations, as well as its inability to leverage the partnership with Cummins.

Sadly, a vehicle plagued by so many faults is never going to sell in huge numbers in the U.S. market. In 2016, Nissan sold only 21,880 Titan units, according to Good Car Bad Car data. Meanwhile, in 2017, Nissan sold a total of 52,924 Titan units; in 2018, sales dropped to 50,459. These numbers include Titan and Titan XD sales.

To put things into perspective, in the first quarter of 2022 alone, Ram sold 127,116 pickup trucks. In 2021, Ram sold 569,388 pickups, which, at the time, represented an increase of 1 percent from its 2020 figures, when it sold 563,676 trucks. Meanwhile, Ford F-Series sales in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2022 reached 140,701 units, representing a 31 percent drop from Q1 2021 when Ford sold 203,797 units.

Poor sales aside, other reports attribute the Nissan Titan XD Cummins diesel engine's failure and the truck's poor performance to manufacturing, design, and assembly defects rather than the engine itself. One such issue, which also led to a class-action lawsuit, is the misplacement of the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) filler tube into the diesel fuel filler placed directly beside the DEF fuel filler. The report says this can cause the exhaust fluid to mix with diesel fuel, contaminating the fuel and damaging the fuel system.

Whatever the reason, the Titan Cummins diesel engine was a dent that blackened Nissan's reputation.

Sources: Nissan, Hemmings

Eugenia Akhim is a luxury car aficionado. She naturally gravitates towards the legendary 911 and the classic Ferrari because they are fun to drive and have a killer aesthetic. In her column, expect to read more about turbo-powered vehicles.