Wow! Thank you for all the great responses on the shift knob. The NissanGorilla was definitely on the job when my truck was built. I was able to unscrew the knob, but not without damaging it. After several attempts, I ended up using a towel and Channelock pliers to remove it. The reason I asked the question is, I thought maybe there was a hidden lock-ring or something similar.

Anyway, a leather shift knob is not available for the Xterra, so I used one to fit a Frontier pickup with leather interior. The Nissan part number in the USA is 32865-9Z500 and the retail price is $39.73 (gulp!). The price is somewhat less in Mexico, where the Xterra is available with leather interior. The knob is indeed threaded, but hard to tell since the threads are deeply recessed.

Again, thanks to all!

The leather steering wheel I installed fits an Xterra SE, and is really a nice unit (includes an internal vibration dampener not found on the base wheel). The Nissan USA part number for this is 48430-9Z413, and the retail price is $237.08. I believe this is for 2001 model only. Air bag and cruise control parts are all interchangeable. This is probably not a project for beginning mechanics, due to the complexities of the airbag. A mistake could cost you an airbag, or part of your face. I followed the instructions in the factory manual very carefully.

2001 XE 4x4 3-pack 5-spd

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