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Nissan Pathfinder Transmission Problems

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Comments

  • sosenskysosensky Member Posts: 7
    2005 Pathfinder. So, Friday I get a call from Nissan NA telling me that they got the diagnosis (radiator is bad and leaked into tranmission fouling it out). Remember, the dealter upon relaying that to me told me that they could get me a remanuf. tranny and an after market radiator. That's when I told dealter to tell that to Nissan.)Rep told me that Nissan needed more time to decide what to do with me. I am demanding replacement tranny and radiator, and refund of tranny flush, 2 diagnosis charges, and the fuel guage replacement. I asked Nissan to hurry because I was driving a truck that I thought wasn't operating properly. I am jumping through all the hoops and being patient. Let's see what happens with me. Thanks for your interest, and good luck with everyone else. Steven.
  • luckyducluckyduc Member Posts: 17
    Thanks for the update Steven. Please keep us posted.
  • sabowman235sabowman235 Member Posts: 1
    We too are having the same issue with our 2005 Nissan Pathfinder with 66,000 miles. It has been at the Nissan dealership for almost 2 weeks while we wait to see if Nissan will cover the new radiator and transmission. We were promised an answer last week and we are still waiting...... The dealership said the cost is $5900. We too brought it in 2 months ago because the transmission was acting up. The dealership said a radiator flush would solve the problem.....

    Lets hope Nissan will value it's customers and take care of their problem!
  • audhamaudham Member Posts: 31
    edited June 2010
    6/1/2010 ** CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN PROGRESS **

    PLEASE PEOPLE > GO TO THIS SITE AND FILL OUT THE FORM!!

    UPDATE FROM LAWYER SINCE MESSAGE #338**

    They have set up investigation pages specifically for the 2005 Pathfinder
    problems, and have asked people who email him to use these pages
    to provide basic info. The links are:

    http://www.lieffcabraser.com/defects/pathfinder.php
    http://www.lieffcabraser.com/contact/contact-pathfinder.htm

    In order to make sure there database is complete please provide the
    requested info on the online form.

    Please provide these links to anyone who would be interested in contacting us about these problems.

    THANK YOU!!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    If you think you have a warranty claim against Nissan, you may want to first try for a free or cheap consultation with a local lawyer to see what options you may have.

    A case in which the only winners are lawyers (MSNBC)

    Congress did change the law in 2005 to require independent review of "coupon settlements" but you may still do better negotiating by yourself before joining a class action suit. Lots of small claims courts have limits of $5,000 or more, which may be enough to cover most of a fix if you have time and energy to go that route.
    .
  • sosenskysosensky Member Posts: 7
    Sabowman, it sounds like we, together with many others, have very similar situations. I am still waiting too. Been waiting 3 business days since I heard from my rep at Nissan NA telling me that she was waiting for word from above. That call coming about 3 days after a call informing me that Nissan NA received the diagnosis from the dealer of the radiator failure and resultant transmission problem. To paint the picture further, like you, the dealer sold me a transmission flush months ago as a "first step" on the way to diagnosing the problem. I was never informed of radiator failure leading to the fouling of the transmission fluid. The dealer has been servicing the vehicle since it's new and never told me to keep an eye on this or advised me that it was keeping an eye on this - as if all this were rare, unrecurring, not deserving of mention. Is Nissan NA trying to profit from this by just selling owners maintenance, radiators/transmissions? I am just jumping through hoops now until I get the answer I deserve. I won't wait 2 weeks though. Good luck, and keep me posted. Steven.
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    :shades: let me ask everyone something , does this transmission radiator failure ,only apply to 2005-2006 pathfinders, or any of there cars with the same motor ,or prior to 2005 or after 2006 pathfinder's ? ,thanks just checking the information on this matter?
  • sstanisstani Member Posts: 11
    I have just found this information on the edmunds.com site about other people and their problem with transmission on 2005 Pathfinder. We have the same problem. 6 months ago our car just quit on us when we were driving and stopped at a light. We found out the coolant had got into the transmission and the Nissan dealer said we needed a new transmission, radiator , like $6000!! we took it to another car repair shop and he was trying to find a rebuilt transmission but cannot, so he has been trying to replace transmission 'parts', we still do not have our car working! I submitted my complaint to the lieff cabraser website today. Does anyone have any information about the status of what the lawyers can do for us on this situation?
  • chopin3chopin3 Member Posts: 1
    I had the same problem with my 2005 Pathfinder! Leaking coolant fluid into the transmission. $5200.00 dollars in repairs! And to top it off, the fuel sensor is gone! They have to drop the gas tank and replace it! $600.00!!
    I had to have to transmission rebuilt by a shop! I couldn't believe it! I'm hoping for a class action suit!
  • audhamaudham Member Posts: 31
    edited June 2010
    I would say this transmission/radiator failure issue does in fact only apply to the redesigned 2005 (or newer) Pathfinder models. I believe when they changed the design (which I love!) they messed up BIG TIME under the hood.

    And there is a very strong possibility that this applies to the newer Titan trucks that have the exact same design. I think there are already posts on this forum that have indicated exactly that.

    ***

    ** CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN PROGRESS **

    PLEASE PEOPLE > GO TO THIS SITE AND FILL OUT THE FORM!!

    UPDATE FROM LAWYER SINCE MESSAGE #338**

    They have set up investigation pages specifically for the `05 and newer Pathfinder
    problems, and have asked people who email him to use these pages
    to provide basic info. The links are:

    http://www.lieffcabraser.com/defects/pathfinder.php

    http://www.lieffcabraser.com/contact/contact-pathfinder.htm

    In order to make sure there database is complete please provide the
    requested info on the online form.

    Please provide these links to anyone who would be interested in contacting us about these problems.

    THANK YOU!!
  • antons911antons911 Member Posts: 66
    Very important, about to purchase Nissan Pathfinder....need to know is this radiator leakage appears to be only on U.S. Pathfinder models or world wide? I am in Europe, and looking between two pathfinders, one U.S. imported the other made in Europe. Looking on the net, I didn't see any discussion at all about this issue, but may be I missed it.
    Any idea where I can find out if European pathfinder has the same issue?

    Thanks.
  • r51doodr51dood Member Posts: 6
    I just took my 2005 pathfinder (82K miles) to dealer this morning with all the issues mentioned here (hard shift, vibration, milky radiator and coolant fluid). The dealer confirmed that radiator and transmission need to be replaced. Fortunately for me, i have the gold preferred security plus extended warranty to 100K which covers everything including rental.
    I brought this car in at 50K miles before for engine whining and fuel sensor repair which would have cost 4k. This vehicle has been really good but it has some major issues. If it wasn't for the extended warranty that I purchased, I would have spent 11k on repair.
  • jbaumerjbaumer Member Posts: 8
    I have a 2006 Pathfinde, so far no problems. I wonder if it would be a good idea to just have a new radiator put into my Pathfinder to be safe? Of course I called my local dealer and he told me that he was unaware of any problems with the 2005 Pathfinders! jb
  • r51doodr51dood Member Posts: 6
    Of course the dealer would say that they are unaware of it. When I took mine this morning, a mechanic was going to test drive my truck to verify my claim but when I told him that I checked the tranny fluid and it looked like milkshake, he replied no need to test drive as he already knew the problem. Just keep an eye for the symptoms
  • kuya1284kuya1284 Member Posts: 6
    edited June 2010
    Thank you for the link to the law office. I just submitted my information. If nothing gets resolved, I think I might just let Nissan reposes my SUV. I still owe about $12000 with about 115K miles on my 06. If I have to spend $5K just to fix this KNOWN issue, keeping the vehicle isn't worth it, especially considering that the KBB is $10000.
  • kuya1284kuya1284 Member Posts: 6
    r51dood, I read that some people spent around $5K in repairs without any extended warranty. So if the dealer quoted you $11K in repairs, and marked down your cost to $5K, I think your extended warrranty didn't do anything for you. If you don't mind me asking, how much was the total cost of your repairs? If it was around $5K, that just tells me that extended warranties for vehicles are truly pointless. Dealerships try to get you in the end some way or another.
  • 9728jim9728jim Member Posts: 10
    I have a 2005 Pathfinder with 114K miles on it. I recently replaced the U-joints for the second time to eliminate a vibration problem that occurred at approximately 40mph..... I was very nervous it was the transmission issue everyone here has been talking about. After reading all of these horror stories, I am thinking of replacing my radiator before it causes major damage. Does anyone know if Nissan fixed the issue on replacement radiators or should I look to buy an aftermarket from another manufacturer?
  • jbaumerjbaumer Member Posts: 8
    edited June 2010
    I have a 2006 with 80K miles, I was told not to buy Nissan replacement, may have same problem. I checked into aftermarket, internet prices are $200-$300. To be safe, I plan on replacing my radiator ASAP and have local service shop install it.
  • gharpmangharpman Member Posts: 88
    Nissan will screw you. You are out of warranty for the radiator, even though they are defective. I think all along you have had a tran problem, not a U-JOINT problem.

    contact the lawyers who are gettinga class action suit together.

    http://www.lieffcabraser.com/offices.htm

    and report your car to the D.O.T.

    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/

    GOOD LUCK.
  • 9728jim9728jim Member Posts: 10
    Fortunately for me it was a U-joint problem. After replacing both front and back U-joints the vibration is gone. This is the second time I had to replace the U-joints in this vehicle and it has only 114K miles on it. I am still nervous about the transmission issues everyone is having and Nissan refusing to acknowledge the issue. I am going to replace the radiator as soon as I can with an aftermarket radiator.
  • r51doodr51dood Member Posts: 6
    What I meant was, my vehicle has been in for repair twice now. The first one would have cost ~ 4k and this new radiator/transmission issue is ~7k. I paid $1200 for my extended warranty which includes rental. I say it was worth it. Without my extended warranty, the total repairs would have cost me ~11k.
  • sstanisstani Member Posts: 11
    Does anyone know what the latest is on the investigation Lieff Cabraser is doing? We have not had our car for so long, I am really getting upset about this whole thing. Our dealer told us we would have to pay $5000 for new transmission, radiator which we could not do so we have it at another mechanic looking for a used transmission which he could not find. He began replacing parts of the transmission,etc. and it is still not working!! We make payments on this car every month, pay insurance and do not even have a car. I wish Nissan would take care of this defect. I filed my complaint with nhtsa also but how long will this process take??!!
  • samurai_jacksamurai_jack Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2005 Pathfinder with 75K miles. We decided to keep it rather than get a new car payment. Still runs well. I went ahead to replace the radiator. Labor and Parts cost me $450.00. Hope that will keep it running for a few more years until we decide to get a new one. Also called Nissan, and they said they are still evaluating and are aware of this issue. I kept the OEM radiator just in case Nissan decides to do a recall.
  • kuya1284kuya1284 Member Posts: 6
    I would like to know as well. I already emptied out my Pathfinder last night just in case Nissan decides to take their car back for non-payment. I refuse to pay for it until a resolution has come up in regards to this. If nothing comes out of this, the Pathfinder will be my LAST Nissan purchase.
  • luckyducluckyduc Member Posts: 17
    The best solution to avoid the radiator and tranny cross contamination problem is to bypass the radiator and run the tranny cooling lines to a separate tranny cooling unit. This will take the radiator out of the equation. Any transmission shop can do this for you and it won't cost that much. Maybe $450.
  • stacy20stacy20 Member Posts: 15
    Well it's been a couple weeks, long enough for another 2005 Pathfinder problem! Ugh!!! My "VDC off" and "Slip" light keep coming on and staying on. Has anyone had this problem? I don't know if it's worth fixing or if it's time to trade this piece of shi* in.
  • sstanisstani Member Posts: 11
    Our mechanic did this bypass to run the lines to a separate cooling unit. My husband picked the car up and brought it home (drove it about 30 miles); next day I was so excited to drive it to work ; went out for lunch and guess what happened when I was driving the car.. it stopped working! The car would not go into gear at all, the same problem that happened the first time. There I was stuck in a parking lot until AAA came.
  • blastlaneblastlane Member Posts: 10
    edited June 2010
    Well, I guess you can add me to the long list too. It started out as a small shudder about two weeks ago. I took it in to our local trusted mechanic with copies of a lot of your posts and showed him. He confirmed that there was transmission fluid in the radiator and vise/versa. The cost of the repair is $5,000. I am very reluctant to take it to Nissan because I do not trust dealership repair departments. I filed our name with the class action lawsuit too. If I don't take it to Nissan, but use our own mechanic, if the suit goes through would we still get all or some of our money back? This pathfinder only has 67,000 miles on it. No more warranty. We are in Oregon and love this car! Called Nisan and of course they want us to take it to a dealership to be diagnosed (at my cost), then they would refer it to a "Regional Specialist" to review. I still don't trust them.
  • nathanp96nathanp96 Member Posts: 3
    I just found out that my small shudder at about 40 mph, just like everyone else sounded like rumble strips, was caused by water in the transmission leaking from the radiator. This has destroyed the transmission. I have 70k on the pathy and it started about 69k. The repairs will be upwards of 5,000 dollars. This is the second pathy i have owned, no problems from the 2002 model that i loved. I just bought this vehicle last year certified pre-owned from Glenn Nissan in Lexington, Ky. and they have been of no assistance. Please do not put yourself through this if you are thinking of purchasing this vehicle. If anyone has any idea of how to help me out of this please reply.
  • r51doodr51dood Member Posts: 6
    If you're out of warranty, Nissan will not repair it without charge. With so many complaints of similar defects, I don't know why Nissan is not doing a recall perhaps it's not a safety issue yet. I'm just very fortunate that I bought the extended warranty.
    My vehicle has been in the shop now for more than a week because they cant repair it since the transmission is in BACK ORDER (hmmmm..i wonder why??)
  • ktz4ktz4 Member Posts: 5
    My 05 LE has the same vibration problem at 45 mph, I had to speed up or slow down before it stop. How did you fix it?
  • luckyducluckyduc Member Posts: 17
    ktz4,
    If your vibration goes away when you speed up and slow down it may in fact be a u-joint issue. I wouldn't stress out until you check your tranny oil to see if it is contaminated. A bad u-joint can cause similar vibration issues... just an FYI.
  • jbaumerjbaumer Member Posts: 8
    I just purchased a new Radiator on line for $209 with free delivery, and had local service station install it for $259 (3 hours labor) and $14.95 for coolant. Total $482.95. Radiator has lifetime warranty and may be a better choice. However, this was insurance for my 2006 Pathfinder with 85,000 miles. jb
  • 9728jim9728jim Member Posts: 10
    I have a 2005 that rumbled at 40 mph and above. The noise did not go away with higher speeds when in gear. If I slipped it into neutral the noise went away. I brought it to a dealer who replaced the front and rear u-joints ($387) and the problem was solved. Hopefully yours is the same situation. You may get a better deal going to your own mechanic.
  • 9728jim9728jim Member Posts: 10
    After reading all of the issues with failing radiators and transmissions, I replaced my radiator also, before it caused problems. I purchased an aftermarket radiator with lifetime warranty from Rock Auto for $150 and replaced it myself in 4 1/2 hours.
  • luckyducluckyduc Member Posts: 17
    I wonder why the u-joints are failing so quickly? Mine needed replacement at 44k miles
  • tseyffstseyffs Member Posts: 12
    Aside from my radiator and my transmission, both my front and rear ujoints had to be replaced at less than 50k too. In addition, the car and tires make a shaking noise like the ball bearings are loose.
    I love the car, but I hate all the work i have had to put into my 5 year old 30+ k car.
  • jetmechg550jetmechg550 Member Posts: 1
    Looks like I'll have another to add to the list. Mine was doing all the above, the shudder at 40-50mph, the ecm seemed indecisive on a gear with upshifts seeming like they were held out too long and downshifts at inappropriate times, then while towing my 6x14 enclosed trailer (under 1400lbs) I stopped at a traffic light and could not get going again until I held about 3500rpm for a few seconds and it was very slow but able to get out of traffic and get the trailer off the truck. Just so happened to quit about 400 yards from a dealer where it sits now, waiting for monday for them to look at it. Did anyone else have a mix of fluids pour out when theirs went out? I left a puddle of what looked and smelled like eng oil/trans fluid/and coolant on the ground where I stopped to pull the trailer off.
  • lildavidjaxlildavidjax Member Posts: 68
    I can't believe they charged you 3 hours labor! It takes 30 minutes to install a radiator! I don't see even the "book time" saying that.( Book time is what the manufacturers manual says the time it takes to perform a certain job).However, at least you don't have to worry about it anymore! :shades:
  • 9728jim9728jim Member Posts: 10
    I'm wondering if the U-joint problem is caused by an issue with the 4wd. Occasionally I have noticed after switching out of 4wd on the fly, the indicator just blinks until I actually stop. I'm wondering if it is still in 4wd and, driving on "non slick" roads puts a lot of strain on the U-joints since tires aren't slipping slightly.
  • pepsistud3pepsistud3 Member Posts: 1
    I am in the process of buying an 05 pathfinder.. Don't all yell at me at once. My question is they are replacing the radiator and hoses before I buy it becuz it had THE PROBLEM but they won't replace the tranny. I"M getting a free full coverage warranty because I told them I thought the tranny was still junk. I'm wondering how long it will take for the shudder to come back after the tranny flush because the warranty is only for two years and I want to make sure the problem will resurface before the warranty expires. Any incite would be helpful.
  • audhamaudham Member Posts: 31
    Sorry for the delay ~ Good Question ? Not sure ~
    I know we have some people in CANADA and even Puerto Rico. I do remember seeing some locations over in the middle east ~ Arab countries UAE on the following website: www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/nissan_pathfinder
  • audhamaudham Member Posts: 31
    Been there and done that ~ It could be 3 days or even 3 months. That's the strange part ~ there is no predictable time frame. Some people had this happen prior to their 60k end of warranty period while others like me had it hit right after 100k.

    Good Luck!!
  • audhamaudham Member Posts: 31
    Of course they said that!! That is actually what their first response and/or reaction is supposed to be. "Play dumb" Too bad for them ~ Look at what happened when Toyota tried to play dumb when the first 50 - 100 people contacted them about the gas pedal sticking. Idiots!!

    :mad:
  • audhamaudham Member Posts: 31
    I have had a number of correspondence with Allen from "LCHB" on the east coast. They were inundated with reports and filings from all of us!

    Good news is that I did receive another e-mail today 6/22/10 from the San Francisco office (I am in So Cal so this would make sense) stating they are still moving forward with this and will keep me posted.

    ;)
  • audhamaudham Member Posts: 31
    edited June 2010
    Contact the lawyer!! I know they have requested to buy mine for "expert investigative purposes"
    ;)

    They have set up investigation pages specifically for the 2005 Pathfinder
    problems, and have asked people who email him to use these pages
    to provide basic info. The links are:

    http://www.lieffcabraser.com/defects/pathfinder.php
    http://www.lieffcabraser.com/contact/contact-pathfinder.htm

    In order to make sure there database is complete please provide the
    requested info on the online form.

    Please provide these links to anyone who would be interested in contacting us about these problems.
  • audhamaudham Member Posts: 31
    Poor Stacy! You've had the worst of it and your vehicle WAS under warranty!!
    :lemon:
  • audhamaudham Member Posts: 31
    You are correct in not trusting them. You may very well have had the same "Regional Idiot" that we had. We are in California. Either way they will string you along for up to 3 or 4 weeks and then simply tell you "NO".

    BE ADVISED! OUR NISSAN DEALER "ASSUMED" THEY KNEW THE PROBLEM AND NEVER ACTUALLY DID THE DIAGNOSTIC ON OUR CAR!!

    :mad:
  • audhamaudham Member Posts: 31
    Sorry peeps ~ I've been out of touch for a while. Had to make sure I worked 40hrs a week so I could make that LAST payment on my '05 Pathfinder.

    So, now it's paid and I'm afraid to drive it more than 10 or 15 miles

    :sick: :confuse:

    Positive Note > As I said I heard from the west coast law office and we are still a go
    :D
  • sosenskysosensky Member Posts: 7
    Update, Nissan NA has authorized the replacement of my transmission and radiator at its expense. I feel that I am one of the lucky ones - though I also feel I deserved it (multiple purchases from dealer, dealer only repairs). However, I learned today that I must wait as the tranny and radiator are on "back order". Anyone have any information about that? Steven.
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