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Nissan Pathfinder Transmission Problems

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Comments

  • nissan07pathnissan07path Member Posts: 10
    Hello all,
    As stated in my previous inquiries I been a victim of the transmission/radiator problem. My car eventually died out and was never able to recover from it. I have experienced the no crank/no start problem and had NISSAN TECHNICIANS claim that it was a ECM issue and wanted me to pay $1500+ to have this service done. THEY ARE WRONG. For those experiencing this problem it is a TCM problem because of a flooded valve body. I payed the copay of $2500 and had the radiator/transmisson and the valve body replaced (part of transmission) and sure enough the car started normally again. THIS IS NOT A ECM ISSUE. Best of luck with you all!
  • litulldawglitulldawg Member Posts: 2
    I recently posted a question about my moms 05 Pathfinder's transmission going out, finding antifreeze in the transmission fluid etc. Thanks for the replies to my post I appreciate them. I now have a couple questions in reguard to the extended warranty. Was this something that she got when she purchased the vehicle or was it issued later? Should she have paperwork on it or? Once again I know I am sounding like a compleat idiot and again, pretty much am in this instance. She can't find the paperwork from when she bought the the car and I don't really know how much/what paperwork I'M now looking for or if I even need to be looking for something on it. As before, any info on this will be greatly appreciated.
  • butchbr73butchbr73 Member Posts: 325
    can anyone tell me if they redesigned transmission and radiator so the more recent 2011-12 Pathfinders will not have this problem? Have they installed a secondary transmission cooler now?
  • unrelentingunrelenting Member Posts: 42
    Has anyone experienced issues after having the radiator replaced, the transmission repaired/replaced, and an external transmission cooler added? Here is my experience and I certainly wish someone with transmission experience would weigh in…..

    I had an external transmission cooler added that was designed and classed for the size of the Pathfinder transmission. All was fine after the addition until we had to hook up our horse trailer and deliver two horses. We had done this several times before, even with more horses involved and had never had a problem. The total weight being pulled was well within the limits of the Pathfinder.

    It was warm spring day, not unusually warm, but a tad above average for Texas. About 30 miles down the road, at freeway speeds, there was a loud popping sound, a lunge forward, then in seconds the forward momentum began to rapidly slow. Before we could move to the right shoulder the vehicle shut off. Once to a complete stop, we tried to restart. The engine would not even turn over. We were absolutely dead in the water.

    We were able to contact a tow truck which arrived within the hour or so. The vehicle was pulled onto the tow bed and taken to the transmission shop that had repaired the transmission. We got a ride home and awaited the verdict. Our thoughts were that the transmission had failed.
    We were surprised when the transmission repair facility called and advised they did not find any issue and the Pathfinder had started just fine and there were no issues with the vehicle. They did run a scan of the computer system and had identified a strange but generalized code that identified that communication had been lost with the transmission control unit.

    We quizzed what it meant by lost communication and was advised that there are several causes, but no definitive indication of the problem.

    We picked up the vehicle and did not have the problem….until; we hooked up the trailer and carried a load of materials to the other side of Dallas. Guess what? The exact same issue occurred stranding my wife and two friends. I called the repair facility, and to my amazement was advised to let the transmission cool off. I called my wife and asked her to take an early lunch if there was a restaurant close by. They did, and one and a half hours later, the vehicle cranked and they were back on the road home.

    We drove the Pathfinder back to the shop. The solution? A much larger cooler was added, one that was nearly 2X the one recommended and sized for the Pathfinder transmission class. We have not had the problem since.

    Has anyone ever wondered why so many more Pathfinders fail while the Exterra and Frontier models, with the same design fail but in combined numbers, don’t even come close to the number Pathfinder failures. Even with the exact part in the design that is responsible for the cross contamination, the Pathfinders fail in a much greater number.

    Here is my question…. Could it be that the part that is failing is just the weakest link (or point) in the design, and in reality the problem is maybe excessive pressure in the transmission that is causing the failure of the part? Excessive pressures within the transmission can cause excessive heat, which is still inherent to the transmission if the transmission is repaired versus being replaced.

    Could the Pathfinder transmission be a bad design? Would the part that is failing simply be a product of the excessive pressure and heat? Can anyone explain why Exterras and Frontiers don’t fail as much as Pathfinders? Can anyone explain why such a larger (oversized) cooler is required to keep the transmission cool?

    We retained the valve body for an autopsy….?? Is the expert from Pennsylvania on this site?

    Oh by the way, what we determined and Nissan service confirmed, when the transmission overheats, it shuts down (fail safe was how it was explained). The reason why the Pathfinder would not start is because the ECM attached to the transmission was telling the ignition system the vehicle was not in park; thus the vehicle would not start. It had to cool off first…..

    Kinda like me…I am way better after I cool off. Nissan seems to have the knack of keeping me from cooling off…. In fact…I find myself many times ‘UNRELENTING’.

    I would love to see comments….??
  • mtnmattmtnmatt Member Posts: 1
    edited December 2012
    I am experiencing a lot of the same symptoms reported on this issue - improper shifting, etc. and my dealer said the transmission needs to be replaced for about $5,500. Went to another mechanic who educated me a little and said he sees this problem a lot. Unfortunately, I have all the symptoms EXCEPT the milky look of the contaminated antifreeze. The only other visible symptom of my problem is the "molded rubber piston" in the transmission that was reported by the mechanic - not Nissan.

    Has anyone had luck getting radiator and/or transmission replaced for deductible without the milky antifreeze? From the service department at the dealer, this seems to be the only way they will move forward with the warranty extension offered by Nissan.

    Also forgot to mention that I had a problem with the heat in the car in October 2011. Nissan dealer serviced the radiator (flushed, etc.) but did not really fix the problem. Didn't see too many other reports on the forum that mentinoed heat, but wondering if it could have predicted the eventual transmission problem.

    Feedback and comments welcome please.
  • sandkon1sandkon1 Member Posts: 11
    I had a problem with the heat in my 05 pathfinder early on. They gave me an excuse that the radiator cap was loose. Which I know was not true. Charged me over 100.00 to fix the problem. The stories the dealers come up with can be amusing and costly. Last year they replaced my radiator and transmission at no charge. The fluids were not milky but I was relentless with Nissan. This was before Nissan publically extended the warranty to 80,000. Now the warranty for this issue is up to 100,000 miles with copays. You have to keep after Nissan to get results. Call the nissan assist number , open a claim . Keep calling and stay on top of it. If the dealer recently serviced your car and you are not getting anywhere with them . Go higher in the dealership if not yo the top. Also . That stupid survey they send to you after your car is serviced.... Complete that and send it in. If they get a bad survey... They will contact you. Corporate gets on their case when they get a bad survey. Also when having the car serviced at the dealer. Read their interpretation of the problem you are describing. Make sure they understand what you are saying is wrong with the car.
    Don't give up , be relentless, follow through with everything.
    Good luck
  • natoyskinatoyski Member Posts: 1
    I wish I read this before I bought my 2013 Nissan Pathfinder two months ago. My Pathfinder stalled and was towed back to the dealership where I bought it from after enduring three hours of waiting time for the wrecker to show up. The engine of my Pathfinder was revving but it was not moving. I was told by the service advisor that there was a crack from the radiator causing the coollant to leak into the transmission similar to what you have described. REALLY??? Nissan is aware of this issue and obviously never corrected it? And, how can this be not a safety related issue? Your vehicle can get stalled in the middle of the road and motorist may not be paying attention and hit your stalled vehicle with you inside it. Isn't that a saftey issue. NHTSA really need to do something about this.
  • dawnma1dawnma1 Member Posts: 11
    NHTSA are supposed to be still investigating Nissan for this issue, I would file a complaint with the ODI. I had not heard of any brand new Pathfinder doing this, interesting.
  • alisonlalisonl Member Posts: 30
    Here is the proof that calling into the National Highway Safety Commission is needed in order to gain attention on these transmissions.

    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/results.cfm

    I just flipped my 2 Wheel Drive 2005 Pathfinder on December 30th in Pa. It was a 2 wheel drive, rear wheel and I was not aware of how awful it was in the snow. I am not sure if the VDC worked, I was in 3rd gear on pure snow (they werent plowing) and fishtailed, hit both walls and a car....saved the car, 4 days later, hit a snow drift going about 40,mph, fishtailed, went into snow bank, flipped it. It is now totaled. After this ordeal with the transmission, the bad fuel pump, the failed CD player, the faulty paint job, the bad O2 sensor....I am not surprised that it drove like hell in the snow and tipped so easily. The frame did save me, however, I crawled out alive and not one cut. Good luck with this vehicle. It was a journey with that pathfinder. Amazing learning lesson on cars and corporate companies, how they work!!!
  • lauracpalmerlauracpalmer Member Posts: 35
    I've been looking for another way to get the news out that is big. I found this page and not only is is growing but Nissan is paying attention to it. Not trying at all to stop using this great forum but just another way to push how bad this company is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nissan-Sucks/114651585214759
  • bmoon1bmoon1 Member Posts: 2
    I received the settlement letter also. Did I understand it right. That if it had over 100000 miles on it when it was fixed they won't reimburse you at all??? Mine had 131000. If so this is so unfair because its still Nissan's fault no matter how many miles were on it when it was fixed. Should I get my own lawyer? Any advise?? Thanks!!!
  • mona12mona12 Member Posts: 1
    YES!!! We got our claim forms in the mail today, finally it will be all over!! Eat that Nissan!!
  • katraykatray Member Posts: 7
    Long story short, this car literally ruined our lives. We received papers today about a class action suit to fill out. Can anyone tell us if this is legit and a way to recoup some of the money we spent on this disaster of a car? It's hard to know who to trust anymore. Thank you, Kathy
  • pathfinder2007pathfinder2007 Member Posts: 1
    My wife and purchased a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder with 104,000 miles on it. The second day after purchasing it, the vehicle wouldn't start and we were 2-1/2 hours away from home. After having it towed to the nearest Nissan dealership, some 30-minutes away, the service technician informed us the transmission and engine coolant had mixed causing the vehicle not to start. After the initial cost to diagnose the problem, he estimated the repair cost at $8,000, which probably translates to around $3,000 to $4,000 without all new parts including using the same transmission housing. He also informed us Nissan has had several problems with the issue involving 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinders as well as other Nissan products during this manufacturing time period. Many people pay tens of thousands of dollars on vehicles every year and expect to vehicle to last more than 48-hours, not to mention being fair in maintaining the vehicle. It is amazing to me how the agencies who are suppose to protect both the consumer and the manufacturers, allow such problems to occur and continue at the cost to the consumer especially when the manufacturers are at fault. And Nissan and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA or "nit-suh") has been aware for some time of this issue. Something as simple as repair and/or re-routing the transmission and coolant lines to insure this issue doesn't repeat. Is that so difficult for Nissan to compute? :mad:
  • clarenciaclarencia Member Posts: 5
    Yes, the class action suit is for real and has been settled. It is just awaiting closure in the court in the next few months. I believe if you go the kgglaw.com website you will find information on the suit. The paperwork was part of the settlement agreement with Nissan.
  • unrelentingunrelenting Member Posts: 42
    The papers are legit....
  • phxmotorphxmotor Member Posts: 9
    My god people~ This is a no brainer... just install a seperate transmission cooler (small radiator)... then there is NO WAY for the antifreeze and transmission fluid to mix. Case solved.
    Now.... if..... you can get Nissan to pay for it, so much the better. But the point is to fix it so it will not happen again. Case closed, just do it already.

    Reminds me of the "nails on the road" story: nails are all over the road... people can't drive...solution: pick them up... or... find the truck that had a box of nails break open and make him pick them up... problem: while you waste time tracking down the offender... your tires keep going flat... so... just pick them up... fix the problem once and for all... and go on with your day.
    Look: these are veryvery good vehicles. Don't let this simple to fix problem "ruin your day". Unless that is your idea of fun.
  • katraykatray Member Posts: 7
    My God, unless you live under a rock or work for Nissan or maybe just not paying attention. Most people with this problem had NO idea what was happening to their car when this began. We almost all spent hundreds of dollars in the beginning having tires rotated, u joints replaced, alignments done. etc. etc. Until some of us broke done on the highway 100s of miles from home. Nissan did not admit a problem at first! That is why there is a class action law suit. Simple? Ruin our day? Ruined more than our day! How about knowing what your talking about Mr."nails on the road" Nissan are not good cars and more and more people are finding that out. Also Karma is a wonderful thing.
  • luckyducluckyduc Member Posts: 17
    Nissan wants to kick the can down the road. If they were interested in doing the right thing for their customers they would have issued a recall and replaced the faulty components with a redesigned part.
    I'm in the process of trying to sell my Pathfinder and the two people that have come to look at it both knew about the defect and low balled my price by $2500. For those of you owning one of these defective models... Good luck trying to sell them. Resale value has fallen like a rock.
  • katraykatray Member Posts: 7
    We had the exact same problem. Fail safe. Towed twice, once it cost us $476. Everything the 05 Pathfinder cost us went on a credit card and we never recovered.
  • novalax6novalax6 Member Posts: 2
    edited January 2013
    Just for those of you that replaced your tranny and radiator after the seal broke destroying them. If Nissan did not properly flush the coolant system your engine hoses will eventually get soft and become comprimised by the petroleum base in transmission fluid. I had to get all of my hoses replaced and my new radiator was all gooed up with a substance a thick as Vaseline......it was the material that had been disintegrated from the rubber hoses. Keep an eye for this as it takes about a year to manifest after your transmission gets wrecked. Oh and for the record, the guys at hilltop Nissan in NJ when mine went a couple years ago "claimed" that the situation was unusual and not a defect. Bunch of liars.
  • lauracpalmerlauracpalmer Member Posts: 35
    phxmotor is clearly connected to Nissan. Disgusting to even reply in this way with this dangerous huge problem. As you wrote the majority of us had no idea of the problems until they happened. I am warning people now. There is a woman who works downstairs in this office building. I had no idea which office and because her hours were different from mine I never had a chance to see her. I was tempted to leave my business card on her car with some of the information just to forewarn her. I finally ran into her one day and asked her to email me. She did and I sent her this site, the lawsuit info and more. She is so grateful. She has three sons who just received their permits and the intention was to let them use the Nissan Path for training. As she said there is no way they would be able to control the SUV if it lurched like ours did in traffic. All that saved us while going over 40 in heavy traffic was my husband quick reaction and great driving skills. phxmotor (motor???), you picked a lousy place to spout off on. Kick us when we're down already. Great way to PO all the thousands even more. Pathetic POS!
  • lauracpalmerlauracpalmer Member Posts: 35
    If the settlement is approved, which clearly shows Nissan admits they know this is a huge problem no matter what they try to claim in the lawsuit settlement, then why are they waiting for failures instead of fixing the problem. Are they waiting for someone to die? And if it is so easy to fix as phxmotor claims then why isn't Nissan doing it?
  • cemcnamee1cemcnamee1 Member Posts: 1
    Gas gauge stopped working, O2 sensor causing check engine light, tire pressure light won't go off... worst of all, my drive shaft cracked while I was driving it, which caused the transmission to crack. Pulled over immediately. waited 3 hours for tow. Nissan dealer said its not covered under my warranty. Insurance is only paying $10,000 for it, as it was a total. Still owe lender $4000.
  • fuzzyfrankiefuzzyfrankie Member Posts: 2
    Ok but if you make adjustments to your car like that does your warranty get negated? I feel like Nissan would take every opportunity to cancel your warranty if they can.
  • teamhoundteamhound Member Posts: 1
    I bought a new Nissan Pathfinder in 2006. Nissan has had the reputation of building quality products in the past, and that was a huge factor in my decision. At about 55,000 miles, my fuel gauge stopped working and the check engine light came on. I researched the problem and found that this is a common problem. Nissan had issued either a warranty extension or some sort of recall, but never notified owners of the faulty fuel sending unit. I had to purchase a new one from the dealer at an expense of $100.00 + labor.
    Soon after that repair, the check engine light came on again. This time the code was for a cam sensor, again not covered by warranty. I am only acknowledging this repair to show the pattern with this vehicle.
    Next was the catalytic converter. This was at around 80,000-85,000 miles. I started to wonder if the years of building top level vehicles was over at Nissan.
    Which brings me to the problem I have now. Nissan apparently noticed a pattern of transmission cooler failures causing coolant to mix with the transmission fluid causing failure in the transmission as well. There is no external leakage, so if you don't know about the problem from another source, the only sign will be when the truck breaks down. I took my Pathfinder to a repair shop and was told $2000.00 to repair the transmission in addition to the new radiator and trans cooler.
    There are numerous forums online with people having this same problem. Nissan extended the warranty for the radiator, but not the transmission. They also deny any manufacturing defect and I received no notice about a warranty extension. Consumers have to be made aware of these bad business practices because manufacturers will not change if we are ignorant of their tactics.
  • xmissionflushxmissionflush Member Posts: 1
    2005-10 Nissan Pathfinder, truck, and any other similar problematic automatic transmission.
    My wife’s Pathfinder just had the “Shudder” problem. With only 76k miles on it I was surprised that anything was wrong. My wife described the problems EVERYONE has complained about on the blogs.
    I was able to recover our Pathfinder without much problems. Now I only have basic mechanics know how but enough to not pay an mechanic for SOME things—I am not a transmission technician!
    However, I want to make sure everyone knows how to correctly FLUSH YOUR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION with better then average success hopefully –this is what I did and have found:
    1. After the radiator has been cooled (actually cold. You can get burned if you open the radiator cap when hot – caution!)
    A. Open the radiator cap and see if there is any contamination of any kid. Big or small contamination should be noted. Flush your radiator and related items (over flow) thoroughly and add new anti-freeze (50/50). Make sure you use “green” anti-freeze to distinguish between other liquids.
    B. I replaced the radiator cap. If it is defective the coolant will not have the pressure inside the radiator to circulate the water cooling properly and may run hotter than normal or over heat. Now food for thought. If the water over heats, will this cause the transmission heat exchanger’s o-ring to break giving you transmission/coolant contamination? Stant part number “10233” only cost me $8.55 with tax. Good insurance at a low cost! I have seen other people replace on a vehicle’s water pump, belts, ratidator, anti-freeze to only find out the problem was the radiator cap that they needed when the vehicle would over heat. Trust me the quality of Nissan’s original cap is at leat questionable. When you see the replacement you will see the difference.
    2. Drain your Transmission fluid (screw available).
    3. remove Transmission pan and oil filter replacement. There is aprox. 16 #10 screws on the filter.
    4. Look inside the transmission pan for metal filing or similar –take a picture for future reference.
    A. If it looks sort of silky it is ok or I should say it is normal to have real fine silk like material at the magnet area located at the bottom of the pan. You may be in good shape to continue with the process and “probably” be ok (silky). This is what I had.
    B. If you have “metal” filing small and of big sizes. Ouch! Probably evidence of major problem. How can I give you a picture on the difference? Remember in high school science class with the metal filing and a magnet, if the metal filing are similar to that or bigger you may or may not benefit from the flush. I would save the used transmission fluid and I would filter it with a lint free cloth or similar for use just in case (you don’t have anything to loose).
    Note: I have read and heard that if the transmission has less then 80k miles you may do a flush with NEW fluid without any “slippage” problem. However, if you have over 100k miles and never done a transmission oil change that you are better off not doing a flush. But you should remove and water out. I would save the old oil for reuse if there is slippage. How do I do this (moisture removal)? Let it sit in a transparent container (dry 1 gallon water contianiner is what I used) and the water will fall to the bottom or slowly boil the water out. Use Sea Foam may be better.
    Notice even if you have just a bit trace of some mixture-- remove.
    5. Carefully replace the transmission filter with a new one (save that one for future reference if you are to take it to the mechanic). Mine was NOT clogged I reused it. (Clean it first though).
    6. Replace pan gasket and fasten the screws. Actually I reused my factory gasket, but recommend a new one—at least on the last flush.
    7. Place an external transmission oil cooler if you are in an hot area BYPASSING factory radiator (junk) cooler or replace radiator. Note: It is a known fact that the cooler the transmission oil is the longer the transmission will generally last.
    8. Now the most important part to me with THIS transmission (or contaminated xmission) is that you have other goodie that most transmission do not have—more on this later. I have read all sort of GOOD advice about the transmission/anti-freeze mixing (contamination) and their symptoms—get familiar with them! But I have not seen (or I missed it) on what to do if you have contamination OTHER than flushing or I should say IN ADDITION TO flushing for this transmission!
    Well it is important to remove ALL humidity out of the transmission system, including the torque converter, valve body, etc. One important information that you should know about this transmission. The Transmission Control Module is located within the valve body. How crazy is that! A computer like device. One of the things that kills electronics is high temperature. Now electronics require connectors in order to communicate with other devices external to them. Water (anti-freeze or “contamination”) is another thing that is not good for comunications, so if water is in the transmission you need to get it out. Two ways to remove water out. 1. remove the transmission out and open it out. This is where I would pay a transmission technician for. Or 2. Chemically remove water out. I used SEA FOAM Trans Tune. Why? It is a conditioner, cleans gum and varnish, REMOVES MOISTURE, smooths rough and erratic shifting in automatic transmission, cleans and DRIES hydraulics. According to Sea Foam …”Trans Tune breaks moisture down into molecules and disperses it throughout the system to aid in faster evaporation”… There are other products, but I would only use a product that will concentrate on moisture removal primarly and I would NOT use stop leak additive since may cause other problems down the road!
    Now more on why moisture removal. You see this transmission has some electric contacts inside the unit and solenoid/relays in addition to TCM. This is an electrical/mechanical item may not work properly if contaminated. You may get intermittent shudder problems. Now if the relay activates, but may not move entirely mechanically speaking you may get intermittent shuddering symptoms. Maybe, just maybe this was partially what I had. No codes, just shudder at 5th with low load at about 40 MPH. If I accelerated, it would stop, same as other wrote on blogs…
    In my case I did have slight oil contamination in the RADIATOR (barely caught it) I did NOT SEE any in the bottom of the trans oil pan. Though it does not mean there wasn’t any inside the system! At approximately $4.50, good insurance not expensive.
    9. I added Sea Foam Trans Tune, and 5-6 quarts of transfluid with the addition of the oil cooler.
    10. After slow driving as low as 10 miles I noticed reduced shuddering and after 25-30 miles the shuddering problems had go away! I wanted to make sure I went some distance to evaporate any humidity in th
  • nisnpunkedmenisnpunkedme Member Posts: 1
    I had my 05 pathfinder fixed for this issue at around 75k at a local shop that is not a "Nissan Authorized" service center. I wonder if they will reimburse for the repairs since I was unaware of this at the time. Since the settlement didn't exist there was no way I would know it has to be repaired by a Nissan authorized center. Anyone heard of people getting reimbursement for this type of situation? -Doug
  • felomonfelomon Member Posts: 2
    Nope. i am in the hole for 6000 :P
  • bw1bw1 Member Posts: 1
    any new updates on who to send complaints to regarding this well known radiator/transmission problem with the 2005 Pathfinders? Just got the diagnosis on ours.
  • jgirl82jgirl82 Member Posts: 1
    Well, I haven't had the transmission completely shut down on me but I do have some serious vibration happening while sitting still idling. It's not constant but it's definitely noticeable when it happens. I just bought this Pathfinder about a year ago and it now has 83,000 miles on it. Planning on doing the bypass this weekend and probably replacing the radiator in a couple weeks. I called my extended warranty to ask them about covering it if it does go out (to avoid having to pay Nissans ridiculous and insulting "deal") because my deductible with them is only $100. Well, guess what.......they wouldn't cover it because Nissan is offering a "deal" to get it fixed. Are you serious Nissan?!?!? So, not only am I now riding my children around in a vehicle that could just stop working at any moment and leave my childrens and my life in danger on a busy road BUT you send me an offensive offer of $2500 now or $3000 later and now I can't even use the extended warranty I paid for because you are offering said deal!! So, how many more ways can you screw your customers Nissan?!?!? I LOVE my Path, this is our second Nissan. We were seriously becoming a Nissan family but NO MORE!! I refuse to buy a product that the makers don't stand behind. Something has GOT to be done about this. Nobody in this day has an extra few grand laying around. Nissan has been nothing but purely negligent in this matter. Somehow we have to hold them responsible and I'm sorry but that settlement offer is a slap in the face. To be honest...........My Camry has well over 100 thousand miles and I'm not saying that they haven't had recalls because it has BUT THEY RECALL IT and fix it at NO CHARGE to the customer. That's how it's supposed to be Nissan. How will you survive if you lose all those repeat customers?!? We were just talking about looking at a new Pathfinder in a few months but not anymore. Unless you all man up and fix this problem for the thousands of people on so many different threads I have been reading through. Not to mention that the blue book for these things have dive bombed and now we can't even get what we owe on it because no other dealer wants to touch it with a 10 foot pole!! I am just so outraged at the behavior of Nissan with this. There are people on here who have already had to pay, without a vehicle and can't get to work to pay for said repair, people almost getting into bad accidents and Nissan just sits there, with their thumb up their ......

    Sorry, rant is now over. :)
  • alisonlalisonl Member Posts: 30
    There is a civil case opened in New York. I was sent information the mail regarding the case. I had to send in my receipts from Nissan who replaced my transmission/radiator and THANKFULLY they had on the paperwork it was due to mixing...and such. The cost...make sure you keep every ounce of paperwork and very descriptive reasoning why the parts are being replaced.
    You'd have to go back in these replys to find the actual Law Firm but I know it's in New York. What I'm getting from it is that Nissan admits that "customers are unhappy" but do not admit to the faulty parts so they may just settle anyway because they are about customer satisfaction and happiness...sickening. but corporate lawyers for ya.
  • wesbcwesbc Member Posts: 9
    Experience a catastrophic failure of the transmission this Saturday where the hose clamp failed and spew transmission fluid all over the road. Vehicle lost power and would not accelerate past 30mph. We barely made it to a parking lot with smoke coming out of the engine bay. Dealer told me there was a bulletin to replace the hose clamp so how come owners were not notify. This is a safety hazard and I had my entire family in the vehicle.

    Currently they said they will only replace the radiator and hose but not the transmission which is unacceptable. The transmission has been compromised with running without fluid. I no longer feel safe driving the vehicle. Currently have a case open with Nissan.

    Add insult to injury, the dealer have damaged my NEW Pathfinder with a nasty dent on the rear tailgate. Apparently the car was rolling backward and they had to stop it immediately and when the push on the rear it dented it. And it's not just a small dent where you can repair with paintless dent removal, it actually cracked the paint with ripples on the body which require major body work and repaint. Who moves a nearly 5000lb vehicle without someone in the vehicle to apply the breaks if necessary.

    This car have less than 3500 miles, not even first oil service and already have a major failure and now body damaged by careless dealer.

    First Nissan and likely last.
  • kenneth20kenneth20 Member Posts: 2
    My wife and I purchased the 2013 Pathfinder to tow a trailer, and drive through the mountains. It went up a steep winding mountain road with ease, we were very satisfied with it as far as that goes.

    When it came time to go back down we shifted into low to have the engine help maintain speed and to keep from overheating the brakes. The transmission never downshifted, we tried tow mode, everything we could think of to get the transmission to downshift. In the end on a 7 mile long road we had to stop 4 times to let the brakes cool.

    We called in to report our problem with Nissan, and they had us take it to the closest service center to have it checked out. The technician was very careful with his wording, and told me that it is "working as designed" which was true.

    Aside from the technician I can't seem to get anyone else with Nissan to understand the issue as none of them live anywhere near mountains.

    It is a serious safety issue, and I hope they fix it because I have always had good luck with Nissans in the past and I would hate to take it back over this because we really like the vehicle but as it stands we can not safely do what we purchased it for.
  • kenneth20kenneth20 Member Posts: 2
    We experimented with our Pathfinder, apparently the transmission will not downshift below 25mph, when engine braking above 25 it will actually upshift at 25. At highway speeds it works pretty good for the size of engine it has, but if you find yourself on a tight slow steep mountain road it can still be pretty harry coming down.
  • adartdirectoradartdirector Member Posts: 1
    How do I join n this lawsuit. I also have 2006 Nissan Pathfinder SE with this intermix problem.
  • njkielnjkiel Member Posts: 1
    My 2008 Pathfinder is now in the shop for transmission and radiator replacement. Fortunately, it only has approximately 50,000 miles on it and the 6 year warrantee won't be up until July. I guess the 25 day wait on parts and service is because I won't have to pay. I do have a problem with the fact that they will be using a refurbished transmission that will only have a 12-month 12000 mile warrantee.
  • mrstefanmrstefan Member Posts: 2
    Doug,

    They will only reimburse pass $2500 according to the settlement. I'm almost positive the lawyers got paid off because they agreed to this so-called "settlement". I'm going to every news station I can about the story and I'm not stopping until I get some satisfaction, which is a new transmission & radiator without a dime out of my pocket. They are still selling these vehicles too!
  • mrstefanmrstefan Member Posts: 2
    The case is closed and they are charging the customers $2500 if it is under 90K miles, and $3000 if it is under 100K miles. Anything other than that, you get nothing.
  • psb3psb3 Member Posts: 1
    This infuriates me! Nissan has had this radiator problem since 2005 and they never told me. I bought a 2008 Xterra and was never told about it anytime at the dealership for the last 5 years and just found out about it coincidentally after my car crossed 80,000 miles! They want me to pay $2500 to prevent it. Would they have replaced the radiator for free before that--if I had just asked? I hope you all join me in banning Nissan for life and for the life of my kids.
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    the problem has been on going and Nissan doesn't want anyone to know it because they want you to out ride the warranty miles and pay for it , right now there is a partition somewhere out there maybe Google it , and a team of lawyers are suppose to be getting some answers from Nissan's lawyers. :surprise:
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    edited May 2013
    1-there is also another problem with Nissan V6 engines made from 2002-2005 , Its the tiny brass screws that hold the butterfly throttle disk's in the swirl valve assembly on top of the engine '
    what happens is these screws were forgotten to be locktited with a thread locking compound and eventually they loosen and get sucked into the pistons of the engine and destroy the engine for peace of mind- you can take it to a dealer have it done for about $200.oo to prevent it , or just chance it that yours were done or let it cost you a new engine $4,000 if it does happen to these swirl valve screws loosening . 2- one other problem with these VQ35 V6 engines , the timing chain ,after 2002 they are all timing chain not timing belts any more , the chain tentioners wear out and cause the chain to cut into metal then snap , a big expense to fix. 3- the transmission fluid goes into the radiator and ruins the transmission , this is because Nissan changed radiator venders for this to happen ,how ever the newer Nissans dont have this problem any more ,perhaps the 4 cylinders could be perfect I don't own one and I do not know how ever the V6Q35 ??? :surprise:
  • unrelentingunrelenting Member Posts: 42
    edited May 2013
    I am not sure the case is actually complete. The last status I received was that the Judge had not signed. (That was a week and a half ago.) There was a formal objection by a third party not related to the actual case, but requires the Judge to weigh the objection. The real problem is that there is already litigation settled (prior precedent) that a drive train that lasts 100K miles is not defective. So, objections due to the 100K limit can be reviewed, but the legal precedent would prevail. In other words, short of a recall, there is not much that can be hoped for greater than 100K miles. Ever noticed or wondered why it is tough to get a manufactures warranty above 100K, that is why. The OEMs know the prior litigation caps the mileage.

    Nissan did note the word 'defective' in one of their formal court pleas...if you read the agreement that is being played out, you will see the word.

    As for your Xterra, the best thing to do is to bypass the lines from the radiator to the transmission, cap them and add a radiator cooler. Not a big deal at all. We added one, it sits right in front of the radiator. Total cost approx $400.00 or less. Once bypassed, it is impossible to have the transmission fail as a result of intermixing the fluids.

    We had a problem with our 2006 Pathfinder. When we added the cooler (sized for the transmission), it failed when pulling a trailer. What we discovered is that we needed a bigger cooler. We had a bigger one (2X) installed. Even now I think the problem is not the seal that Nissan notes as 'defective', but rather the design of the tranmission itself. I strongly feel the OEM design builds up far too much pressure and heat...thus failing at the weakest point in the design, the seal.

    And yes...the same cooling transmission design is on the Xterra and Frontier, but all of those combined (Xterra and Frontiers) pale to the amount of failed Pathfinders. The Pathfinder failures are nearly 10X the combined Xterras and Frontiers (as reported) that have failed. That in itself is crazy. That is also why I think the those vehicles were included, simply not to draw attention to the poor overall design of the Pathfinder transmission.

    Based upon data I have seen, the Pathfinders are failing at an average mileage of 93K. But, an average is an average...ie: many below 93K and many over 93K to create an average.

    What is really needed, (unfortunately) is a safety problem. And a safety problem has to be based pretty much upon someone having an injury. I have seen scores of responses on this forum regarding what could have happened', but to date....I have not seen a verified injury related to the cross contamination. Without an instance of that, hard to get a recall, and I hope there is not an injury, but you can really lay money that Nissan North America hopes there is not an injury. That would cost them far more than this lawsuit to recall all of the vehicles and make the fix at no cost.

    For us, we won't have an injury in a Pathfinder....we traded ours in. The dealer advised the vehicle would be in Europe or the Middle-East within a could of weeks. Makes one wonder.....Hmmm.

    I await the final approval by the judge. I surely understand the complaints by the vehicle owners... I complained quite heavily to Nissan North America, but to no avail....as many have. So, we sued Nissan.

    I am one of the named lead plaintiffs and have been at this for longer than 2 years. I applaud the Judge, and accepted the agreement....simply from a legal point of view (and it is all about the legalities), that is best one can hope short of a recall. And believe me, the auto manufactures and their legal teams are all about avoiding a recalls. And yes, I agree that Nissan was and is wrong about not admitting and informing specifically the problem. And, they are not about customer satisfaction and making things right.....after having 5 Nissan products in our garage over the last 15 years....we now have a Toyota....at least they tend to recall when they have an issue, unlike Nissan. All we can do is hope for the best and remember, we are just a sales number, not really a customer.
  • jk05mdxjk05mdx Member Posts: 16
    You do not need to pay anyone to prevent it as long as you are sure it has not happened. Just bypass the transmission line going through the radiator and mount an external cooler, if one is not there already. On my 2006 Pathfinder, I simply bypassed the hose going to the radiator line and now make use of the second cooler, which is externally mounted in front of the radiator. It has been over 3 years and not once have I had a problem with the vehicle. I have assisted 2 others to do the bypass. Not a pin was bought. Costs me nothing, just my sweat. So to ask for a whooping $2.5k to prevent it is ridiculous in my opinion.

    Peace!
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    [psb3] by jk05mdx
    I agree with this person get the external cooler :)
  • nowaynissannowaynissan Member Posts: 1
    Omg!!!! 2 days ago the Exact same thing hAppened - complete failure of engine on my brand new 2013 pathfinder with 3700 miles. Transmission failure and no power. On major road and family in car - dogs in car -on way to vacation. The engine completely stops accelerating , smoke started coming from the engine Transmission fluid all over road. Needed to get towed to dealership. MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD AND VEHICLE IS SEVERLY COMPROMISED BECUASE NOW TRANSMISSION HAS LOST FLUID AND VEHICLE NOT SAFE!!!!! I AM NOT GOING TO ACCEPT THIS VEHICLE BACK!
  • delpierodelpiero Member Posts: 2
    pathfinder Model year? Did you replace you IPDM?
    Recall ID # 10V517000 - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

    Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/am/2005/nissan/pathfinder/recalls.html#ixzz2Ucqogcl- v
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