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Nissan Pathfinder Transmission Problems
carcrazy08
Member Posts: 1
in Nissan
I have an 06 does anybody hear whinning in transmission when get going tranny fluid is full truck has 68000. miles.
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I am at wit's end. My brand new 2008 Path was doing fine for the first 2 months. However, for the past week, I have been experiencing the following problem:
1. Problem: Delay when shifting from Reverse to Drive on upward slope
When the vehicle is on a street that is sloped upward, and after backing up I shift from Reverse to Drive, the vehicle will continue to roll backward (downhill) as if it is in Neutral for a few moments before it changes to Drive.
2. Problem: Delay when shifting from Drive to Reverse on downward Slope
When the vehicle is on a street that is sloped downward, and after driving forward I shift from Drive to Reverse, the vehicle will continue to roll forward (downhill) as if it is in Neutral for a few moments before it changes to Reverse.
3. Problem: Delay when shifting from Drive to Reverse or Reverse to Drive
When the vehicle is on a street that is level and not sloped, and I shift from Drive to Reverse or Reverse to Drive, the vehicle may not roll due to the lack of a slope, but it will have a delay as if it is in Neutral for a few moments before it changes to Reverse or to Drive.
The mechanic at the dealership said that this issue is 100% normal and that his personal Pathfinder does the same thing. He says it was okay until now because it was not yet broken in.
Is it true that this is typical or is it in fact a transmission problem?
(note that once the gear is engaged there is no rollback, it is only in the first few moments after switching from Reverse to Drive or vice versa.)
Thanks
also when i restart, it shifts normal for a day or 2...
i had the IDPM controller changed right after this, nothing but trouble, warranyts out,
$700, caused the car not to start or stall after 5 mins
i ihave over 112k miles.. [non-permissible content removed]..
Thanks
David
I'm with you! Thought Nissans were supposed to last! I have a 2005 Pathfinder, 93,000. Currently in the shop. Just found out that radiator fluid leaked into the transmission. Since it was internal there were no warning signs that anything was wrong. Transmission rusted out. Now I am replacing the transmission and radiator at a cost of $3,7000.
How did you hear that there was a problem with a batch of radiators installed on 2005 models? I would love to get this information to see if I can pursue any kind of refund from Nissan. I'm replacing my transmission and radiator for a cost of $3,700 on my 2005 Pathfinder for fluid leaking from the radiator into the transmission. Rusted the wrong thing. No warning signs this was even happening until it was to late.
When you say there were no signs until it was too late what was too late? Did you stall out? I am experiencing the same studdering issues between 40 & 60 mph I also have the whining sound which started first. This has been going on for a few weeks now. I would like to get as much info on this as possible. If I have to bring my pathy in soon then hopefuly a fluid flush will fix the problem but as I read through all of the posts I can see that it may be much more than I can afford.
When I stated there were no signs until it was to late. I meant that the truck started downshifting. I also experience the truck not moving without pushing hard on the gas when I stopped at a traffic light. This started about a week before I took it into the transmission shop. It wasn't happening very long. That's the first signs that anything was wrong with the transmission. The truck has been in the shop now for a week and half. So far they replaced the transmission, radiator, pump and now some electronic wiring. I would have thought there would have been some warning sign with the leak in the radiator. From what I understand the leak cause the antifreeze and the transmission fluid to mixed. So the truck did not overheat or did the antifreeze level ever read low. The only way they can tell if the fluids are mixing is by the color. This leak cause an extreme amount of rust throughout the transmission and beyond. The shop can't believe I drove it as long as I did.I would take your truck in asap to have it checked. Maybe you can save yourself from as much damage as I had.
i have been checking my tranny fluid every week just in case, since i cant afford to replace a tranny. i am at 107,000 miles.
person that posted the tranny/radiator problem was a female driver with no off road time on her nissan
Prior to the rebuild it started banging into every gear and on the way to Nissan the OD went out so it was just a matter of time before it would have crapped out. The mechanic told me that it when this happens it gets really hot. The fluid pressure dropped which made the clutches not work properly etc etc. Its a bad deal really.
Anyone have any luck getting Nissan to fork over someting for pain and suffering here?
Needless to say, after owning 4 Nissans, I have moved on. I traded the Pathfinder at a $6000 loss, and would find it difficult to ever buy another!
we have just had this occur with our 2005 Pathfinder. I was wondering how you managed to get the transmission replaced under warranty. Ours has just hit 61000 miles, was yours under the 60000 mile warranty limit ?
Shame our Nissan Main Dealer did not know about this - they just spent $1400 on changing the rad and fluid, then found out the reverse did not work - they contacted the Nissan Central Tech Specialist who told them it needed a new transmission - another $4000 - interestingly we also had the fuel gauge sender unit replaced which i noticed is another common problem on 05's !
Would really like to see if we can get the transmission done under warranty - anything you can provide to help us out will be greatly appreciated.
Should something like this not be covered under a recall ? :sick:
Sorry to hear about your Pathfinder. I was Not covered under warranty because I was at 92,000 miles. I believe that this problem is just starting to occur to most Pathfinder owners. It seems the radiators are breaking down at or near 80,000. I would fight with Nissan about having yours covered. The problems probably started before your warranty was up and since there was no way of knowing that there was a problem until it was to late you might be able to get it covered. Tell them that this is a problems that is starting to occur to a lot of 2005 Pathfinder owners. Good luck. The transmission shop has been working on my pathfinder now fo 5 weeks. There was so much damage. It went into the electronic too so we're dealing with that now. I am hoping to get it back soon. I am going to start writing and calling Nissan once I have all my paperwork together. Who knows maybe they'll eventually do a recall.
Just today my 2005 Pathfinder started not shifting into reverse unless I rev the engine up, then it will suddenly grab and lurch backwards... so I started googling "2005 pathfinder reverse" and found this thread.
I found the dipstick and checked the level this evening and it is full up. What color is the ATF fluid normally? Mine is a brown/golden brown color, there isn't any smell or rust or burning coming from it. In other words, is there any way for an average user to figure out if there is coolant leaking into the transmission fluid?
The only thing going in my favor is that I only have 57,100 miles on the rig, so I "should" be covered under warranty - any thoughts or suggestions on how I should approach the dealership on Monday to get this properly covered and not denied if they determine that I have the dreaded "radiator failure that killed the transmission" issue?
The reluctance to shift into reverser is my only symptom to date.
Many thanks, I'll keep the forum up-to-date as I go through this process.
I checked the fluids and could spot no wrong - i had the transmission fluid changed just before christmas and they saw nothing wrong with it then.
good luck - make sure you dealer puts a call in with Nissan USA and try and get it covered under warranty.
your tranny fluid should be red. i would say drive it to dealership asap to see if its covered under warranty... take a flat head screw driver and make a mark on your tranny to make sure they replace it if your covered under warranty.
if your not covered, you might have caught the problem in time.... if nissan does not cover the problem you have 2 choices. having the dealer fix it or taking it to a mechanic that will charge you less.
i would replace radiator and replace the tranny fluid 2 times over a 2 week period. dont do the tranny flush... but get the shop to do a pump and dump...... 1st have them drain the tranny fluid and fill with amount that was taken out, 2nd have them disconect the hose that enters the radiator on the bottom in front of engine oil filter and turning engine on for 4 to 8 seconds taking 1 quart of tranny fluid out and putting 1 quart new tranny fluid. it should take about 10 quarts.
once the new red fluid begins to come out of the hose its been drained..... drive it for 2 weeks and check the fluid color to see if you have any faint signs of coolant/ like you see a puddle of water and some gas that has dripped the puddle.... if you see that, then do the pump and dump again to get all the tiny particles of the contaminated.
i hate to say it but i guess all of us nissan owners need to check the color of our tranny fluid every 2 weeks untill nissan can tell us what batch of radiators where faulty from their suppliers.
Here is the technicians diagnosis:
"Check transmission fluid level/condition Found fluid to be contaminated/burnt"
"The technician did determine the transmission has failed & needs to be replaced. The failure was a result of the fluid itself & not a contamination from the transmission cooler lines in the radiator. This is good news as it is a slam dunk to order up a replacement unit."
So, I did not have the failed radiator issue and since my rig only has 57,200 miles on it Nissan is replacing the transmission for me at their expense under the original factory warrantee. I should note that I am the second owner on this rig, I’m glad that Nissan’s warrantees follow the vehicle and not ownership.
I now have a new car maintenance rule: Check the color of the automatic transmission fluid at every oil change. I drive this rig a lot (1,500-2,000 miles per month) so if the transmission hadn’t started exhibiting problems for just a few more weeks I would have been on the hook for a $4-5,000 transmission replacement, ouch.
Now I need to try and find out if they have identified the batch number(s) on the failed radiators and double-check to make sure I don’t have one so that it doesn’t become an issue down the road!
Many thanks for all of the comments and information shared on this forum, it really helped me prepare before going to the dealership to have them address my vehicle problems.
bypass the radiator and put an external transmission oil cooler on your pathfinder. The transmission will run cooler, extending the life of your transmission, and in no way can the two fluids mix, as they are now independent of one another! This is by far the least expensive way to go and you can buy this cooler aftermarket at any auto parts store with instructions included! After a long haul towing a 4000 pound trailer, the transmission cooler was only warm to the touch. The radiator was too hot to touch. Good luck! :shades:
So i guess we got lucky, hopefully some of you will do also.
The fix is to completely bypass the stock transmission cooler with at least a 15,000GVW unit. NO NOT run the new cooler in sequence with the stock cooler.
Yes, the stock transmission cooler is housed in the same unit as the radiator, but it is 100% separate.
Hope this helps.
Can you please advice (if you know) what type of external oil cooler can be used on 2005 Pathfinder? I had the same problem with transmission fluid leakage and my mechnics told me that Path has a separate AT cooler and simply disconnected it from radiator. However it seems to me not a very correct approach?! So I'm now looking for a solution to the problem.
Thanks in advance for your help...
Got a 2005 Pathfinder (Canada), Started to feel a vibration at certain speeds and rev (clearly to do with shifting), so took it in for an inspection (which I had to pay for), and said I think there is a transmission problem getting worse, but was told this is normal... Just watch how you use overdrive (stupid comment and idea from the senior technician). Two weeks later I took it back again and said no this is a problem so what is it again told it is normal for these cars. Well 4 weeks after the second visit to the dealer I went to the airport then got home and I looked under the car, sure enough liquid on the floor. Looking in the radiator & header tank and pink scum every where (not in the engine - dip stick though). Had it towed in to a different dealer (not going back to the first one after their help !), and was told the radiator had leaked into the transmission but also the transmission had gone into the radiator. Third Pathfinder they had seen do this. I Called Nissan Canada and they said tough over warranty With this Pathfinder I have also had two u-joints replaced and cam shaft tightner belt done and now this and only 100,000km’s on the clock. This was my 3rd Nissan, I am now done with NISSAN cars. Mazda here I come.
Also, I occasionally tow a light boat for maybe 40 miles round trip - I know to turn the O/D off - do you need an axillary cooler with this vehicle?