After reading so many *sniff* heart-breaking stories about Xterras letting their owners down, I thought I'd share a (mostly) uplifting story. I have a 2003 Xterra, and as a Reservist, I often find myself on isolated military bases with miles of open trails and very little supervision. Generally, not a good combination . Two weeks ago, I was at Camp Roberts CA National Guard base in central California for a live-fire range exercise, and had the opportunity to spend several hours crawling through some trails that were giving the heavier HMMWVs some trouble. The Xterra kicked ass and took names, and the day was going well. After a couple hours of putting my X through its paces, I decided to take a "shortcut" recommended to me that would lead me back to the 101 and on my way home to San Diego.

This is the part where I wish I had a camera :rolleyes: . I was going (probably too fast) along a tank trail over a few dry washes, and ended up coming over the bank of a wash that happened to have a small river running through it. I couldn't stop in time due to the soft sand, and ended up going over the edge. The X crossed the water without a problem, but was not able to make it up the soft sand on the other side (I later found out that the Army doesn't take ANY of their vehicles in that stuff). After several attempts to crawl out of the soft stuff, I decided to make another approach on the side of the creek (river!) that I had originally come from. Trying a slight diagonal approach was going well, until the side of the riverbed gave way and I found myself in 3 feet of water. The X started sputtering, so I shut it down. A truck came by on the same trail, so I jumped out and ran across the river to catch up with the truck, and the mud at the bottom of the river claimed my shoes.

The tough part: I ended up walking barefoot through the desert for almost 90 minutes to find a vehicle to pull me out of the water (I knew that most people on the base within walking distance would be going home within a few hours). The only camera I had with me that weekend was on my phone, which landed on the floor and ended up underwater. You might be thinking that the X let me down, but I was about to be impressed. When I finally got a HMMWV to come back to where I left my X, a few hours had passed, and the right side of the vehicle was submerged to a few inches below the bottom of the window. The water had also seeped inside the X and had partially submerged the passenger seat, and came up to the cupholders in the center console (I have custom wiring for fog lights and other gadgets running under the console, and also have my relay box and a 450-watt power inverter mounted underneath the passenger seat ). The HMMWV had a difficult time getting to a point where they could pull me, and ended up making several runs at the river bank to make sure they could get back over the top and back on to the trail. I finally got hooked up and pulled onto dry land alongside the river (but still not over the bank), and the HMMWV driver realized they would not be able to tow me over the bank and back on the trail.

Now for the happy part of this story...after sitting mostly submerged (almost to the top of my Optima Yellow-Top in the engine compartment) in water for nearly 3 hours, my Xterra started right up on the first try . The Army personnel who came to witness the spectacle couldn't believe it, and neither could I . I opened the doors and let the water drain out, and made it the 15 miles back to the 101 without a problem.

Despite needing to drain the fuel tank to eliminate the water that had seeped in (the fuel pump sender gasket was faulty, so I didnt do a good job seating the gasket when I replaced it last year), the only other problem I encountered with the Xterra as a result of this day of stupidity (other than a funky smell) was an airbag sensor fault, which I was able to clear thanks to my scanguage.

The Xterra is a solid vehicle and has gotten me out of some really messy situations, but this was by far the most impressive stunt it has pulled off to date. The fact that I ended up in water without another vehicle wheeling with me was my own fault, but the Xterra got me out of there (with a little bit of help), and not only did it start right up after spending several hours as a submarine, but it made it back up the sandy cliff (yes, mostly a cliff) when even a HMMWV had difficulty. There have been times when I have doubted my little offroad wagon, but it now has my confidence. The Rubicon trail put my stock X through its paces, and this experience has been its proving ground. Hope you all have similar respect for the misunderstood and frequently disrespected Xterra.

Lessons learned: Never decide "just because you can" that you should wheel without a friend. Never wear loose running shoes with no socks in the open desert. In fact, always have an extra pair of shoes. Heat-shrink tubing is an amazing thing, and saved all of my custom wiring (my speakers were even working underwater when I first started my truck back up). Silicon seal EVERYTHING. Damp-Rid works in places other than basements. ScanGuage is a handy little tool. Even if you think you know where you are, check out a topo map before you go wheeling. Even in the desert, you might find water. Keep your cell phone where it won't end up on the floor (although it works perfectly now, so props to LG for that). The engine might sputter, but keep going while you have spark. If I hadn't shut down, I probably could have made it out on my own.

Cheers,
RockSkier