Nissan Frontier Transmission Questions

sayansayan Member Posts: 2
does any one have transmission problems?
i can feel my transmission downshifting.
i get slight kick after complete stop.
there is a gap right before going from dead stop.
if going slow and lettig go of gas before change from 1st to 2nd clank noise.
car was @ dealer for two weeks and said car is supposed to do that.

Comments

  • driver56driver56 Member Posts: 408
    I have an 07 Frontier Crew Nismo with the 5 speed auto. My transmission is practically seamless when shifting, the smoothest I've owned. It shifts beautifully.
  • sayansayan Member Posts: 2
    hey thanks for responding. i just sent nissan a very lengthy e-mail.
  • richbf2richbf2 Member Posts: 73
    Hi all! for my 05 CC, when do i replacing the tran. oil? has anyone in here had experience in changing the tran.oil? pls share. How come nissan wont allow us to check for tran. oil level? :confuse:
  • asaasa Member Posts: 359
    If you have an LE, you have the automatic tranny. I have the factory service manual and it says to shift the truck into Park with the engine idling, so there must be a dipstick somewhere. Check your owner's manual and I'll bet there's an illustration in there.

    (I have the 6-Speed, so don't know what the automatic looks like.)
  • frstarfrstar Member Posts: 4
    Shifting into 1st gear when stopped, and other gears when moving meets some resistance. Is this the clutch, or a transmission problem?
  • asaasa Member Posts: 359
    Reads like a tranny problem, but the first thing that crosses my mind is the tranny gear oil. As a sidelight, the current generation Frontiers have API GL-4 SAE 75W-85 or 75W-90 specified and the oil MUST be GL-4 only. Owners have been 'upgrading' to GL-5 gear oils and have reported sluggish shifting. Supposedly GL-5's also have friction additives which are hard on synchro surfaces in gearboxes not designed for such. Be sure you have the prescribed oil in your gearbox (I do not know what the '99s require).

    The season change has also brought cold mornings and I recall that my old Toyota was reluctant to get into gear when it was cold. When the tranny warmed up, all was well.

    Just some thoughts for you. Hope they might help.
  • jarednjaredn Member Posts: 2
    hope you don't mind if i pick your brains, I have a 2000 frontier, 2wd desert runner. I'm having a similar problem to that posted earlier: alot of resistance when i try to put it in gear- reverse being the worst, then first. Mornings are the worst, but its also anytime the engine is is at a strong idle. Now also, even when i have the clutch pedal completely depressed and i'm first gear stopped at a light, i have to keep my foot on the brake because my truck creeps forward. any thoughts-might it just be oil viscosity? or does it sound like a bad master or slave? thanks for any help
  • asaasa Member Posts: 359
    I wish I knew more about transmissions. If your truck creeps forward even while the clutch pedal is depressed, I think you're right on your master or slave cylinder guess. Fortunately, they're both fairly easy to replace/repair (I replaced the master cylinder on my old car without trouble and I'm not a skilled mechanic).

    The reluctant shifter is more puzzling, but I'd take the cheap route first and replace the tranny oil and see if that helps. People often say 'oh, it's your synchros going bad', but unless yout truck has been abused or has a bazillion miles on it, I'd have a hard time jumping on the synchro bandwagon without more research. One last thought on this. My old '86 Toyota 5-Speed truck was shifting badly at one point and the dealer replaced a simple metal ring that the shifter handle assembly rested on. Over time, it had simply worn down. If lifting your shift handle a bit while you shift helps, you may have the same situation.

    Again, I wish I knew more. Thanks.
  • jarednjaredn Member Posts: 2
    thanks for the pointers, i'll start with the tranny oil and go from there. and i too am not a skilled mechanic so hearing from you gives me the guts to try it out
    thanks again
  • strvmarvstrvmarv Member Posts: 1
    Sayan,

    I'm having similar issues with my 2004 Frontier Crew Cab SC...it's very inconsistent in occurrence but is unfortunately getting worse. Sometimes when cornering the transmission will slip and once it catches the gear will slam on the drivetrain :confuse: . Just bought it...has only 32000 miles :mad: . I'm taking it in to the dealer tomorrow in hopes they will find a solution and hopefully one covered by either the factory warranty or extended warranty. I'll post my results...maybe it will help out other Frontier enthusiasts...

    Paul
  • frstarfrstar Member Posts: 4
    How much do the torsion bars affect the ride. This is a 1999 Frontier 4X4 V6?
  • dwfrontierdwfrontier Member Posts: 1
    i have a 2002 nissan frontier auto v6. it shifts into overdrive to much.it want maintain speed. it slows down when pedal is steady and shifts to overdrive and repeats over and over. only does it when warmed up. can fix it when turned off for awhile. want go faster than 65 when having problems (high rpms)4000 seems like want shift out of overdrive to 5th. causing sub 10mpg. with this mpg i could be driving a dodge duelly
  • lars284lars284 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 Frontier 2wd and my problem is it shifts into 1 & @ 2nd ok but will not shift into any other gears. It was fine no shifting problems before this happened. I just shut it off and when I got back in then only had the 2 gears,. Any idea's.
  • najawanajawa Member Posts: 4
    I had trouble with the transmission making a crunching sound when I shift. After 4 trips to the Nissan dealer, they put in a new transmission. It still makes a noise and doesn't shift easy. Anyone else have this problem or any problem with their Frontier? Thanks,
  • asaasa Member Posts: 359
    The 6-Speed in my '06 shifts beautifully so far (18,000 Miles). The only obvious thing I can think of is the manual transmission gear oil -- it is ESSENTIAL that you use ONLY a GL-4 lubricant not a GL-5!

    GL-5's are synthetics and contain an additive package which eats into soft metal parts like synchronizers and is to be used only in GL-5 designated gearboxes. GL-5s are not an upgrade for GL-4 transmissions. I confirmed this with a petroleum engineer friend (yep, for real) and with personal experience with an old car I have and it too grinded when I stupidly changed to a GL-5. When I went back to a GL-4 (Royal Purple Max-Gear) in the old car the grinding immediately went away.

    Be sure that a previous owner or the dealer didn't screw up and put a GL-5 in the gearbox. Good luck!
  • richbf2richbf2 Member Posts: 73
    I really enjoy reading your posts asa, very knowledgeable. I like to consult with you before deciding what to do. My frontier has 60k and running trouble free till' now. Recently, i have notice a constant rattling noise, especially when engine is cold(say, in the morning...or after a long day at work). I am thinking it's time to replace my trans fluid. After getting the trans flush package done at the dealer, the noise stops for few days and now it is back. Do you think i need to replace rear differential oil? :confuse: (By the way, i have not done my 60k servicet yet. I dont think it is necessary) in my manual, it states that this truck requires GL-5 synthetic. Do i have to take it to the dealer or is it a do-it-yourself task? Thanks for your advice. :) God bless
  • asaasa Member Posts: 359
    Is your rattling noise coming from the engine or the tranny?

    Some owners have reported failure of their timing chain tensioners, which then produces a rattle. If your dealer changed the tranny oil and it temporarily stopped the rattle, I'd ask them what gear oil they're using to be sure it's the right GL-4 75W-85 or 75W-90 for your 6-Speed. How does your clutch feel? Some owners have also reported premature clutch failures which result in a rattle.

    You are correct that the rear differential takes a GL-5, a 75W-140 Gear Oil. I've not needed to do this servicework yet on my '06, but Nissan's rear differential casing has drain and fill plugs, which makes it easy. You'll need to seal the threads with an RTV plug sealant. Permatex Utlra Grey RTV is suggested. Tighten the plugs to 36 FT/LBS.

    Rattles are aggravating and your sound may be coming from something other than the engine or tranny.

    You might also want to check things in your engine bay. There's an A/C line fitting up top, close to the firewall that can loosen and rattle against the firewall. Nissan has issued a Technical Service Bulletin on this one, but your dealer might not be aware of it.

    Good luck in your troubleshooting. :mad:
  • mjwinter48mjwinter48 Member Posts: 1
    My military son just bought a 2004 Frontier club cab, auto 2WD, with 70K on it. Drove from Colorado to Chicago and it worked just fine. Now, when he shifted it to D, it went to reverse, and now must be in drive, cuz it won't start (obviously not in neutral or Park) Is there a pin or something tht may have let go that connects the shifter to the tranny? Is this easily fixable or does he need a dealer or tranny shop? Can a good reputable mechanic fix it? Any ideas. He needs to get to his next duty station and is on a limited budget.
  • oralbertroralbertr Member Posts: 9
    I have a new 2009 Frontier 4x4 V6 with auto tranny. Have a strange problem - it looks like tranny doesn't like to downshift.

    Even at slow speed it stays in hi gear, so RPM goes down to about 1200RPM, engine looses power and starts pinging. Is there any way to re-program its ECU to make tranny willing to downshift at slow speed? I understand that it probably tries to save fuel, but I'd prefer it to be more responsive, right now it takes about two seconds after I bottom gaz pedal before it downshifts. It's not only annoying, but it could be dangerous when trying to merge or need to accelerate fast, since engine lacks torque at low RPM.

    The other problem I have (not sure if it's related) is engine is constantly looking for idle RPM. It goes too low and starts vibrating, then increase RPMs to suppress vibration, then go too low again, and so forth.

    It's a new truck and problem started from the beginning. I tried to reset computer a few times, but it didn't help. Tried to use hi-octane gasoline, but it didn't help either.

    Any ideas?

    -albertr
  • oralbertroralbertr Member Posts: 9
  • thomfthomf Member Posts: 2
    I have a 99 Frontier, 4x4 king cab, V6, 5 speed. In March I had the clutch replaced. Over the last month and a half the gear shift has started popping out of gear when I am sitting at an idle. It does not do this when I am driving. My shop says it might be the synchro gear but would have to drop the tranny to check it out. Oh boy. Is it possible for something else (less expensive) to be worn or out of adjustment, like something in the shifter assembly or something? Thanks
  • asaasa Member Posts: 359
    I have a (non-Nissan) book that shows these usual culprits - Worn Shift Fork, Broken Spring, Synchros.
  • frontier_girlfrontier_girl Member Posts: 1
    Hi all.
    I have an 03 supercharged 4wd frontier with an auto tranny and just shy of 100k miles. As of late, it seems that whenever I am driving through town at a fairly even speed of 35-40mph, when I press or let up on the gas pedal, the tranny shifts up or down harder than usual. I don't notice it at any other speed ranges, and it doesn't throw me to the floor or anything,.. just enough that I notice. I did notice that my tranny may have a small leak underneath, but I check my fluids constantly and it's clear and pink and I've never had to add any.
    I don't have a reliable mechanic here in this small town, so when I take it to the big city to have it worked on, I'd like to have an idea of what I'm talking about. I've had enough experiences with repair shops to know that they will often take advantage of me since I'm a girl.
    If anyone has any feedback, I'd sure appreciate it.
    thanks
  • thomfthomf Member Posts: 2
    Thanks very much for your reply. I will check those out.
  • bcjaxbcjax Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Frontier with about 90,000 miles on it. I have recently notice that when I push in on the clutch I am getting sort of a humming noise. When I release the clutch the sound goes away. The transmission seems to be running fine, I am having no problem with shifting. Also, it moslty happens in the morning after it has been sitting over night. Any thoughts?
  • billyberubillyberu Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    New to the forum and have a question. I have a 2007 Frontier 4x4 Auto King Cab and last winter experienced a blood chilling whine coming from who know's where. It was so pierecing that we had to stop the truck as I thought a bearing had locked up or something. This noise has only happened twice and both on cold days -25 C to -30 C. The first time it happened I had been driving for a hour already. The noise would get louder slightly the faster I drove but would completely go away below 70 k/hr or ~45 mph. I took it into the dealership and they said they could not reproduce the noise and then said they found some obscure bullitin and something. I do not have the invoice on hand to let you know what they replaced, but I was sceptacle anyways. It happened again a few weeks later on a cold day but I was only a 1/4 mile from my destination (work). I pulled in and it has not repeated itself. Winter is fast approaching and I am getting concerned again. Any ideas out there would be appreciated. We have a old time mechanic at work and he has a idea that a pump is being starved at cold temps.

    Thxs
  • vorpalzvorpalz Member Posts: 1
    I had the exact same experience in my '05 Frontier KC 4X4 auto coming home from an out of town visit on Christmas Eve. It was -22 deg C (-8 F) and I'd been driving about an hour. Suddenly a loud, intense whine started as I was driving along, it almost sounded like the stereo was feeding back. I shut all the electronics off, and it seemed like it was coming from below the shifter on the centre console. It would get louder as I accelerated and quit altogether below 80 km/h (45 mph). Every time I sped up, it came back, scared the bejesus out of my wife. No variation in pitch as I adjusted throttle, it would just get louder or die away. Stopped and checked under and around the truck, everything seemed fine. Made it home, but whined the rest of the trip. Checked fluids today, and trans is full @ cold temp and looks fine. Also went for a drive today and no whine at any speed. Outside temp a bit warmer @ -12 C (10 F)

    If you have any followups to your pump starvation theory, let me know... it is unsettling to say the least.
  • huff70huff70 Member Posts: 1
    i bought a supposed 2000 frontier transmission from a salvage yard but im pretty sure it came out of a pathfinder. does anyone know if this will bolt up and work in my truck( 2000 frontier, 6 cyl, 2wd, 4door)? please let me know asap cause if not im gonna go back to that salvage yard with a gun and get my money back..
  • ohsaint83ohsaint83 Member Posts: 1
    whats up dude, i bought my 09 frontier last year early january and since ive had that same problem. i hate this transmission so much, ive tried to explain to friends and family and even the dealership and no one knew what the hell i was talking about. i even sent an email to nissan about this and they never answered back, bastards. well at least im not the only one with this problem, i guess we are screwed with this situation.let me know if there is away to fix this before i go crazy. laters, take care.
  • oralbertroralbertr Member Posts: 9
    I didn't drive my truck for a few months, will try to check with local nissan dealer about ECU software upgrade, I suspect it's a software issue.

    -albertr
  • oralbertroralbertr Member Posts: 9
    What model is your Frontier? Mine is Pro-X 4x4 with towing package and larger tires - 265/R16. Maybe large tires attribute to less than usual torque at low RPM? The other thing is my engine is not broken in yet, has just about 2K miles on it.

    Still, I think shifting ratios needs to be re-programmed for more aggressive down-shifting. I'm gonna call Nissan and talk to their customer care department.

    -albertr
  • zniffinzzniffinz Member Posts: 1
    I've got the same thing in my 03 Frontier. Did you ever find out the cause? At first I thought release bearing, but it really sounds more like vibration in the tranny. Also, sometimes I do not hear it with clutch depressed but as soon as I put shifter in 1st position it starts. Always disappears when clutch is released.
  • hinsonk2hinsonk2 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 04' crew cab xe frontier and its an automatic but i think they transmission just shot. and one have any ideas why it wont rev past 3000 rpms? if you try and give it more gas it just winds out like its in neutral
  • donselldonsell Member Posts: 27
    i'm reading in this forum about people with 05 and 06 Frontiers running into problems with the radiator leaking into the transmission causing an obvious problem.

    Has this been corrected in new vehicles?
  • bob52130bob52130 Member Posts: 1
    I also have a similar issue with my '03 Desert Runner. It has a manual transmission and has always whined in the cold. I replaced the transmission fluid after I hit 100K miles a few months ago and the issue has not gone away.

    Have you had any issues getting into fourth gear without a grind? The dealer said it was a synchronizer issue that would cost me a new transmission ($3500). For a truck that hasn't given me any other problems, this sounded a bit extreme.
  • redshnedredshned Member Posts: 1
    I have a similar problem, it only does it once after starting from cold engine, close to the first time it shifts, there is a metal to metal clank, again the dealer says this is normal for my truck, its [non-permissible content removed], they just don't know what is causing it.
  • robertrolandrobertroland Member Posts: 2
    edited February 2013
    I have a new 2012 Frontier 4x4 SL automatic now 5,000 miles. I noticed right away that when Ai would accelerate and/or trying to pass it will not up shift and the RPM's depending on my speed have gone up to 6,000 before coming out and only when it is ready. So after 4 months of getting the run around finally got Nissan Corp and they seemed to care..wrong. Our Nissan dealer went BK right after we bought it so had to drive 5 hours to the nearest dealer. Before test driving it we were told its the nature of the beast. So i took the tech for a spin, at 55 I stepped on it to pass another vehicle and it stuck at 6000 rpms at 90mph and still had not upshifted. So i let up on the gas and the tech said that is why it won;t shift you have to keep it down until the computer gets to the right speed?? Well at 100 it finally shifted the tach on the red line. Now this will also happen at lower speeds the tach sticks and the engine races until it decides to shift.

    So I ask to drive another 2012 and it does the same thing. I drive back another 5 hours home call Nissan they do not as usual get right back with me, of course because they talk to the dealer first, and I get a once very nice person who has transformed herself into a cold now uninterested person who says.. this is what the specs are and we will note it.

    We are heart sick, traded in our beautiful never a problem Murano as the warranty was up for a truck as we are now on a ranch and have 6 years to drive a car that will not shift. We live in logging country and have to pass and it will not upshift to go faster when passing and a scary thing when a semi with logs is coming at you while trying to pass. Not to say what its doing to our engine and transmission.

    If anyone has any suggestions on what we can do to get this truck to shift please reply. i am 73 and have driven almost every car and truck out there and never had one that will not upshift most by just letting up on the gas.. drove a rental Ford Focus and no problem at all ...

    Nissan said also until there are more complaints or failures they can do nothing. A death maybe or two and even them my faith in Nissan is gone. THANK YOU in advance for any help you can give us...

    And just to note , I asked for this in writing and was told since it was a corporate thing they had to do some more stuff and they would mail it to me, have not got it yet.
  • robertrolandrobertroland Member Posts: 2
    You are so right there is no power you have to hit a lower gear to go faster and how does that save you gas? Not only is this happening on my new 2013 I cannoit upshift at 60 mph until the RPMs hit 5,000 got to 90mph 6000 rpms with the Nissan mechanic and it would not shift and he said I had to keep accelerating until it does??? We have to pass with logging trucks and fear we are going to die trying to do so as it will not go faster and the rpms are racing at the red line. Nissan corp said there is nothing wrong and closed our case.

    This is a huge problem. And people need to start posting here and contacting Nissan corp as the dealers are not going to admit it either.
  • donnyp2006donnyp2006 Member Posts: 1
    hey fellow frontier owner u are NOT ALONE !!!! i also have a 2012 i bought literally off the delivery truck with only 5 miles on it. i also just noticed the shifting problem when i last went up my mountian house. i have around 9000 on my dash and at first thought maybe i was alone on this strange problem. i was told at the dealer that it was because i installed an aftermarket muffer and intake box that that was the cause but being an engine biulder for years and owning and modifying well over 100+ car just of my own i knew that was bs. how are u makeing out with nissan corp? my truck only does the shift problem above 50 it seems. u can email me back directly if you like im courious about this issue.
  • bobmellbobmell Member Posts: 4
    not sure how to email you but nothing has changed. They refuse to address the problem say there is no problem. Until someone is killed it will stay that way. They were nice at corp until the Nissan dealer said there was not problem after sending me 300 miles away as ours went BK,

    Now there is another problem. When backing up and putting back in drive it does not want to engage 10 percent of the time. The tranny on this truck is defective just a matter of time before it really fails for good. Nissan is not immune all car companies are bottom feeders. Thanks for writing as more and more people need to be aware and hope this keeps getting out there. Sorry for you issue.. be careful. Bob
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