The demise of the single cab type is not entirely unexpected given that the majority of pickup truck buyers appear to perceive their vehicles as crossovers with beds in the back. An oil-burner from a company like Cummins was expected to be a coup for Nissan, giving it a chance to gain traction in a market that overwhelmingly favors vehicles made by American manufacturers. However, the decision to scrap the diesel powertrain is telling.
Nevertheless, the pickup market is so large that, provided the product in question satisfies some unmet demand, even little niches have the potential to be lucrative. As we’ve discussed in prior truck evaluations, the problem with the Titan XD diesel is that it didn’t really succeed at achieving that.
As we noted earlier this year, the XD diesel trades off much of the refined ride and opulent accoutrements we’ve grown accustomed to on modern trucks in exchange for “nearly, but not quite, the capability of an HD truck in a somewhat, but not too much, smaller compact.”
The Titan XD basically falls between full-size and heavy-duty vehicles. While the diesel V8 gives the truck a lot of power, it also adds significantly to the price and the curb weight of 7,323 pounds. With the exception of the Cummins name, the Titan XD diesel didn’t have much to offer the typical buyer given the tremendous capability of today’s full-size gasoline-powered trucks. Evidently, that wasn’t enough.
However, it is a measure to how competitive the pickup industry is that Nissan is reevaluating its Titan lineup in the face of a market that still, at least for the time being, can’t get enough trucks.
Gordon Kozak
For as long as he can remember, Graham Kozak has been enamored with automobiles (probably before that, too).
In This Article...
Nissan will discontinue the Cummins diesel engine in the Titan XD in 2020.
- The Drive claims that Nissan will reduce the lineup of Titan pickup trucks for 2020.
- The Titan XD with the Cummins diesel’s final production run will take place in December 2019, a Nissan representative has confirmed to C/D.
- Both the Titan and Titan XD regular-cab variants will also be discontinued.
In December 2019, Nissan will stop producing the Titan XD with the 5.0-liter Cummins diesel V-8. According to Nissan spokesperson Wendy Orthman, the Titan and Titan XD regular-cab models will also be discontinued as part of the 2020 update, which will be unveiled later this year. This is allegedly an effort by Nissan to “concentrate on the heart of the truck market.”
In an apparent attempt to close the gap between half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickup trucks, the XD diesel model was created. However, the diesel XD became an answer to a question that we assume few pickup-truck customers were asking due to its poor performance figures, tow ratings comparable to half-ton trucks, and significant price premium over the gas engine (the XD with its 5.6-liter V-8 will continue for 2020). Nissan does not release sales data for the diesel motor explicitly, but the company sold 52,924 Titans in 2017, 50,459 in 2018, and 20,268 until July 2019.
During our lengthy evaluation, we had a bad encounter with a Titan XD powered by a Cummins engine. Within 40,000 miles, our long-term 2016 Titan XD left us stranded twice. We did not enjoy the diesel clatter, hunger for diesel exhaust fluid, or the powertrain’s general lack of smoothness while it was running. However, Nissan claims that the decision to discontinue the diesel was not influenced by reliability difficulties.
To maintain the Titan’s competitiveness in the truck battles, Nissan still has its work cut out for it. The Silverado and Sierra from GM are new for this year, the F-150 from Ford is still going strong, and our favorite, the Ram 1500, is the sweetie to beat. Even Toyota is releasing a new Tundra soon. Later this year, we will learn more about what the Titan’s 2020 update will entail.
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In memoriam a Cummins
After four years of manufacture, the Nissan Titan XD Cummins is no longer available. Beginning in 2020, Nissan’s full-size truck won’t be able to be powered by the Cummins turbodiesel 5.0-liter V-8. It’s an attempt to stop the brand from bleeding. Nissan recorded a 44.6 percent decline in operating profit from 2017 to 2018, while sales of the Titan were down over 25 percent for the first six months of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. These sales totaled just over 18,000 vehicles. Ford sold approximately 450,000 F-Series vehicles during the same time period.
From the sincere, no-frills D21 Hardbody of the 1980s and 1990s to the current Frontier, a truck that found 39,322 homes in the first half of 2019 while being mostly unchanged since its 2005 debut, Nissan’s trucks have always leaned in the opposite direction. However, the pickup market has shifted in favor of expensive, high-margin trims. The decision has left purchasers without anywhere to invest their money if they want a straightforward, affordable work vehicle. The XD Cummins made an effort to close the distance. Its failure to capitalize more on what made Nissan trucks popular in the past may have been its biggest error.
We are used to seeing models and trims come and go, but the loss of the XD Cummins feels different since it was a terrific truck that was plagued by a market that was developing quickly. It appears to be another development in the pickup’s transformation from a reliable workhorse to a typical commuter. What a shame.
Why is the Titan diesel engine the subject of a class action lawsuit?
However, a class-action lawsuit regarding the placement of the exhaust fluid filler tubes has now been filed. It claims that doing so may result in the unintentional spilling of exhaust fluid into diesel fuel tanks. Diesel fuel and exhaust fluid cannot be combined. By doing so, the fuel may get contaminated, causing harm throughout the fuel system. This has nothing to do with engine flaws.
Additionally, the lawsuit claims that exhaust gases enter Titan cabins in a different matter, according to Carcomplaints. All Cummins 5.0-liter model years from 2016 to 2019 are covered by the complaint. Owners have taken their pickups to dealers, but they were informed the trucks were in good condition.
A number of technical service bulletins are cited in the case. This, according to the article, shows that Nissan was aware of these problems yet unable to fix them. Nissan learned that some owners unintentionally filled the gasoline tanks’ filler necks with exhaust fluid. In 2018, a TSB was released.
The Five Most Regular 5.0 Cummins Engine Issues
The Nissan Titan XD diesel truck introduced the 5.0 Cummins engine in 2015. The Titan XD, with 310 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque, was created to bridge the gap between heavy-duty quarter- and full-ton diesel pickups and half-ton gas trucks. The towing capability of the Titan XD with the 5.0 is 12,830 pounds.
The 5.0 Cummins was discontinued after the 2019 model year due to high installation costs, numerous engine problems, and a limited advantage over gas trucks for towing. In addition to the engine’s depressing mechanical issues, Titan sales in general were extremely poor, especially when compared to its Ford, GM, and Dodge rivals. Sales of XD were extremely low, providing insufficient advantages over gasser vehicles, which led to its termination.
The 5.0 Cummins is a 90-degree V8, in contrast to the 5.9L and 6.7L traditional inline-6 Cummins. The 5.0 ISV has certain features in common with the Dodge truck engines, such as aluminum alloy cylinder heads and a compacted graphite iron block, despite having a separate design.
Nissan ceased utilizing Cummins?
According to a report by Automotive News, the Nissan Titan XD diesel truck, which had a 5.0-liter Cummins turbodiesel V8 engine with 555 lb-ft of torque and a theoretical towing capability of 12,830 pounds, will be canceled for the 2020 model year.
Nissan canceled the Cummins for what reason?
Diesel IQ reports that the 5.0 Cummins was “retired after the 2019 model year due to the high expense of retrofitting the 5.0 Cummins to the Titan, paired with various engine difficulties and the low hauling gain over gas trucks.”
When did Nissan start using Cummins?
When was the 5.0L Cummins Diesel engine first used in the Nissan Titan XD? Nissan Titan XD trucks from 2016 to 2019 were offered with the 5.0L Cummins Diesel engine.
Which automobiles feature Cummins engines?
Concerning Cummins Engines The Ram 3500, 4500, and 5500 Chassis Cabs, as well as the Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy-Duty pickup trucks, may all use this engine.
Ford has used Cummins engines in the past.
A legend of epic proportions claimed for years that Cummins Diesel was actually owned by Ford Motor Company and circulated in filthy garages and other places. How is that possible? Right??! We’re here to clear up any confusion; Ford did formerly control a portion of Cummins, after all.
You may buy a Ford with a Cummins engine from the middle of the 1990s until the end of 2015. You say it’s a match made in diesel heaven. Trucks of Ford’s heavy-duty F650/F750 range are powered by Cummins engines. As part of a joint venture with Cummins and Navistar, the F650/F750 were produced in Escobedo, Mexico. Ford actually provided a wide range of diesel alternatives for many years, including the PowerStroke and even Caterpillar Engines. The Cummins 6.7L engine and Allison Transmissions were initially the default options for the F650/F750 from 2011 to 2015.
OEMs frequently form non-exclusive alliances with other vehicle manufacturers. Ford frequently equips F150s with CAT 3126/C7s engines in Mexico and F250s with outdated 5.9L Cummins engines in Australia. Internationally, packagers can and will utilize any engine at their disposal; brand exclusivity is mostly determined by the market. As a cost-cutting effort, Ford discontinued buying Cummins Engines and Allison Transmission, bringing engine production back in-house. Caterpillar also fully exited the on-highway market following the failure of its ACERT emissions technology.
Returning to the original query, how did Ford come to possess a portion of the Cummins? In 1990, Ford Motor Company bought 10.8% of the company’s common equity. Even the company’s Vice President had a seat on the board (Kenneth R. Dabrowski) Then, in 1997, Cummins bought the shares back from Ford for $1.3 million, and that was that. You have to consider the Dodge Ram’s formative years. In 1989, Cummins released the Dodge Ram with the Cummins 5.9 L. Ford made the decision to invest in Cummins at a relatively early stage in the cooperation with Chrysler. In contrast to today, the competition between Ford and Dodge was essentially nonexistent in 1990. The Dodge Ram was actually saved by Cummins; the company had fallen to a dismal third place behind GM and Ford trucks. So, to finally put an end to this, while Ford did own some shares in Cummins, the two industrial giants truly didn’t have an exclusive alliance.