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Nissan Pathfinder Transmission Problems

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Comments

  • delpierodelpiero Member Posts: 2
    I need more data to try to figure it out what the issue was.
    Were you towing? Weight? etc etc. What dealer said?
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/tomnius/pathfinder2002/Pathfinder_005.jpg

    Swirl valve butterfly missing tiny brass screws felt out and cause this on a VQ35 V6 engine Nissan
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    image
  • ronsavageronsavage Member Posts: 3
    I haven't had a problem yet,can I replace the radiator and be good ?
  • ronsavageronsavage Member Posts: 3
    What size cooler works the best ?
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    you need a 18 -24" length buy 4 to 5 " or a 18"x 10"
    actually most of them will handle the carting load of a medium size boat being pulled.
  • ronsavageronsavage Member Posts: 3
    Thank's,I'm pulling an 6x12 enclosed trailer to Colorado in a few weeks (from Atlanta)with 3 motorcycles inside. I'm looking at a 20x7.5 cooler,it looks like it should fit. Doing the butterfly valves at the same time.
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    good choice , it never hurts to go bigger and be safe especially with 3 motorcycles ans the weight of the trailer about 3,000 lbs

    and those butterfly valves its good to have them done after yor updating that truck should give you 200,000 miles of good use
  • adelerichardsadelerichards Member Posts: 1
    2005 pathfinder no start- ive exhausted all my options. Replsced ECM, BCM, after several trips to the dealership still having same issue. Can someone please tell me what I can do to get involved in the lawsuit. Why hasnt nissan recalled?! Paying 500 a month for a car that consistently wont start. Please help!!!
  • Hugo_StiglitzHugo_Stiglitz Member Posts: 167
    I haven't explored this forum much but I have to ask...Would you buy a 13 Pathfinder?

    These experiences sound awful!
  • mr2005mr2005 Member Posts: 5
    I would never buy another Nissan again 1) the transmission radiator problem and 2) they way that Nissan handled this issue.

    Anything but Nissan!
  • sandkon1sandkon1 Member Posts: 11
    I would not buy another Nissan. They don't care about customer loyalty, safety or their products. I have owned 8 other nissan a in the past. This is my last one. If I could afford to buy a new car right now, my pathfinder would be gone!
  • happygmahappygma Member Posts: 2
    We a new 2013 Pathfinder on June 6th, 3 days later it began shuttering. We took the car back to the dealership and were told that the Torque Converter had been recalled. After waiting 2 wks to get the part in and fixed, we picked it up. Within 18 hrs the same problem was happening. We took it back and they determined it was the transmission. We were told they would reppace it with a new one. Upon picking it up for the 2nd time, we noticed that the invoice said it was a "reman" part. Needless to say, we are extremely frustrated. The dealership has bent over backwards to help us, but we are not having much luck with the Executive offices addressing this very seriously. Did you ever reach any satisfaction?
  • sandkon1sandkon1 Member Posts: 11
    If you want to get the dealerships attention on the matter. Hive them a bad survey . Corporate offices are a joke. Once they assign you a claim number they are done communicating with you. If you call corporate you get voice mail and if you are fortunate enough to speak with a live person. They are clueless . My transmission was replaced with a remanufactured transmission. I still have a bad vibration . Have had one all along. They will not do anything else for me. I filed a lemon law case and was turned down. Your 2013 Pathfinder is already acting up... Keep taking it back to the dealer . You can also speak with a lawyer who specializes in lemon law since your car is new. Don't give up. Every time nissan sends you a survey. Tell them you are not satisfied. The dealers are graded by corporate with the surveys. Good luck! Keep us posted!
  • happygmahappygma Member Posts: 2
    Thank you for your reply. The Dealership has bent over backwards for us. We did get through to the Executive offices and they paid our first payment and gave us an extended warranty. That was before the second breakdown. Now we do have someone working with us, she put in a request for a new car. I just can't give up on people.
  • pthfndr_expatpthfndr_expat Member Posts: 1
    My 2006 Nissan Pathfinder experienced sudden, catastrophic transmission failure. Complete loss of motive power and needed to be towed 75 miles for repairs. Mechanic diagnosed the problem as a failed transmission fluid cooler located in the radiator assembly that allowed coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid, resulting in damaged internal transmission components and a damaged internal transmission computer.as well as the entire radiator core ad systems No warning signs leading up to or just prior to the failures. After numerous phone calls to various Nissan divisions, including the claims administrator, I was told by Nissan that they would not cover any repairs. Really deplorable customer service and several frustrating hours of calls. 3 weeks without my car and I am out $6,300 in repairs. My mechanic said he had never seen anything like it before and spent nearly 30 hours flushing sludge out of the cooling system. I considered trading it in and getting another brand. The trade in price was a joke. No dealer will touch a Pathfinder.">link title

    Outrageous that Nissan takes no responsibility for a factory defect that creates a safety hazard and costs loyal owners thousands of dollars. This is my third and last Pathfinder. <a href="https://twitter.com/pathfindr_expat
  • mainegirl1mainegirl1 Member Posts: 4
    OH hell NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • valkamavalkama Member Posts: 5
    I was a pathfinder fan and planned on keeping my pathfinder as just an offroad vehicle. That was until the transmission when out due to the radiator problem and after $4700 in repairs it would suddenly jerk violently and I would have to pull over and stop every other day or so. No one could fix it. So I had to get rid of it. The New 2013 pathfinder is not the same vehicle. Its more like minivan than a sports utility vehicle. So no, due to their dealing with the transmission defect and because its not the same type of vehicle anymore, i would not buy a pathfinder.
  • dkd1959dkd1959 Member Posts: 1
    I have 2012 Pathy and a 2002 petrol. My 02 is absolutely brilliant although somewhat expensive to run. The 2012 has given me nothing but grief. Right from the get go there was the pulling to the left still doing it and dealer has rebalanced abs wheel aligned 3 times, replaced tyres at 38k with some improvement. After four months I drove on a dirt road thought I would try four wheel drive, couldn't believe the noise from under the car, a very loud drone. Immediately pulled over and put back to two wheel, noise stopped. Nissan replaced front diff. After this about month later notice car was bleeding, lost transmission fluid from cooling system due to cracked hose. After diff replaced noticed creek ing noise, sounded like front strut or stabiliser bar, after four months and replacement of front right strut and stabiliser bar mounts Nissan tech serviceman discovered front end tie rods to chassis had either come lose or probably never been tightened from factory. In June I hooked up the camper trailer got less than two kilometres out of town and lost all power. Four weeks later car returned from dealer with new gear box, trans cooler and radiator system, all of which had also been flushed. Now I have something grinding on left full lock in reverse, dealer very cooperative and are definitely showing frustration. I am thinking my pathy has been built in between siestas. Currently planning trip to central Australia, part of the plan is towing a car trailer with a spare car on it. Absolutely no confidence in this banana car. Very very very disappointed Nissan.
  • sbondssbonds Member Posts: 1
    So reading through some of the posts, looks like I'm not the only one with a Pathfinder (2006) that refuses to start. Unfortunately for me, my car has 114,000 miles on it so it's not covered under the warranty. (Lucky for me I was in my driveway and not stranded somewhere when it happened.) There's some sort of valve shorting out in the transmission and to replace the transmission valve body, it'll cost me $3500. But that may not solve the problem. They can replace the radiator too for a total cost of $5,600 (includes transmission work). From reading comments here, it sounds like that's probably what needs to be done to ensure the car functions properly.

    My thought is the car isn't worth a whole lot more... Uggh, very frustrating. Yeah I think when we're shopping for new cars in the future, we'll pass on by the Nissan dealership!
  • mamdanimamdani Member Posts: 4
    i have an 05 pathfinder with 49K miles. i have not experienced the coolant problem yet, but want to avoid it. is there anything that can be done in advance? eg, replace radiator or replace transmission cooler or both?

    i came here because my service engine soon light came on, but glad i did!

    thanks in advance.
  • jk05mdxjk05mdx Member Posts: 16
    Bypass the transmission line going through the radiator.

    There are several suggested DIYs in the thread but the one I used involved pulling the transmission fluid hose (short one) from the radiator at the left end and rerouting it to the transmission line where the long hose from the radiator is connected. Pull out the long hose and connect the short one there and now install the long hose over the pipe on the radiator from which the short hose was pulled. This is just to cover and protect the line so that dirts do not go into it.

    I did mine more than three years ago and I have not had any issue with the vehicle since then although I do not tow, but I do carry over 500 kg at a time worth of loads.

    If you go through the thread, you will pictures to guide you.

    Cheers.
  • mamdanimamdani Member Posts: 4
    thanks, i will search for the diy.

    essentially we are "shorting" the fluid circuit so they dont mix. i guess i could look for an aftermarket trans fluid cooler. Does anyone have a suggestion that worked for them in the past?

    it seems if newer models still exhibit the same problem then this is a flaw in the design and not a bad component. replacing the rad will be of no long term benefit.

    thanks everyone for alll their posts.
  • nwfindernwfinder Member Posts: 9
    We had our transmission cooler line routed directly to the transmission cooler. Bypassing the radiator all together. A nissan technician at our local dealer did it for $25. He said he's done it to his two Nissan's to avoid the problem and avoid having to put in a new radiator. Your Pathfinder should have a transmission cooler so you should not have to buy that.
  • katraykatray Member Posts: 7
    The class action settlement going on now is laughable. I thought the settlement people were working for us but they are crooks just like Nissan. They are making it almost impossible to get any monies back. They have all they need form our receipt, the fact that we broke down 200 miles from home, towed to Nissan. Replaced the radiator/transmission etc. Two and half years ago the RO didn't say it was leaked radiator problem. Dealership has changed hands and said they will tell someone it was the radiator leak but can't "mess up their paper work". Settlement people say I need to get it in writing or no deal. Crooks, all crooks. Pathfinder ruined us. Beware
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    FIRST OF ALL YOU NEED A TRANS COOLER then a mechanic or your self can by pass the radiator
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    unfortunately it seems what your dealer wants to do for you, some people have had the entire trans and radiator replaced for nothing ,
  • phila2phila2 Member Posts: 1
    Please do not, do not buy a Nissan. My transmission failed and Nissan does nothing to help. You will be on your own with costly repairs. Go with a Toyota or Honda please
  • ymartinez88ymartinez88 Member Posts: 1
    Hi. I see your message is from 2010. After you fixed the truck, did the problem ever happen again? Also, would you happen to know if replacing the trans is absolutely necessary or is rebuilding it enough? Thank you
  • jwvigjwvig Member Posts: 1
    Did anyone ever have any luck with just flushing the trans?
    I have a 2005 Pathfinder and it just started doing the vibration at 40mph. I was wondering if I can flush it and at least get it good enough to trade it in without anyone asking questions.
  • ksanissanksanissan Member Posts: 1
    We just bought a 2007 pathfinder with 55,000 miles on it- no extended warranties here. Runs great but I am scared for the future after reading all the horror stories. I am reading about all the problems with coolant leaking into the transmission and we'd like to stop the problem before it starts if possible. I am reading about mounting an external cooler and bypassing the transmission line but since we live in VERY hot area (Saudi Arabia) I am wondering if that's wise? What about replacing the stock cooler with a copper cooler (as long as it's not a genuine Nissan part) because that seems to be where the problems begin (cracks in the oil cooler tube.) Any help would be appreciated, we are not "car people," we're learning as we go and will have to explain this to a non-English speaking mechanic which should be...interesting.
  • the_dude_101the_dude_101 Member Posts: 1
    We had a '05 Patherfinder with 115,000 miles - the issue was uncovered during a routine oil change at the dealership. A couple days prior to the service, I noticed the vehicle seemed sluggish, almost like the parking brake was deployed. The dealership flushed the engine and transmission, replaced the radiator. They did an extended road test on the vehicle, checked the transmission fluid. Everything appeared fine - no evidence of anti-freeze in the transmission. I asked what their success rate was for saving vehicles in this condition. He didn't have any data as most vehicles were beyond saving. We took it home, used it lightly, then traded it in on a new vehicle (not a Nissan). The only evidence of the issue would be a brand spanking new radiator. We received a fair trade-in price on the new vehicle. Good luck!
  • what8what8 Member Posts: 1
    Unfortunately I may be the person who purchased your vehicle. While we did some due diligence, we did not see this issue until after we drove the vehicle home and noticed the vibration which at first seemed like tire vibration. We found this board and checked the brand new radiator. When you don't disclose this issue, the next person is the one impacted...Merry Christmas. Plan to contact the dealer on Monday but have a feeling it is going to be a case of buyer beware...unfortunately we didn't know what to beware of since it was deliberately masked.
  • alisonlalisonl Member Posts: 30
    edited December 2013
    The settlement was a joke. I thought they were going for us, the consumer, I received a letter stating that I had over 100,00 miles so no go. No deal, No refund. I had 115,000 and had it in at 109,000 when brilliant Nissan workers flushed the transmission but that was not the problem...and they knew it.
    I am going to appeal it. I am beside myself the dirty in this world and the dirty that people are in corporations. This was out of my pocket, almost $5,000 and they deserve to pay us all back. Why did these lawyers go to court for a simple 20,000 mile coverage/?? The warranty was extended to 80,000 from Nissan..so the lawsuit is only covering those with mileage between 80,000 and 100,000. Im going to guess that's not too many customers. What a bunch of horrific nightmarish crap. I deserve that money back and cannot and will not accept a no. What is the difference between 1 mile and 400,000..the parts were defective. Where are the good attorneys that fight for the people......
  • unrelentingunrelenting Member Posts: 42
    If you have added a cooler, The jerking and cutoff is due to the cooler being undersized. The transmission brain is designed to cut off if the transmission gets to hot. When the vehicle cools, it will operate normally until it gets hot again. Get a larger cooler.
  • luckyducluckyduc Member Posts: 17
    I paid a local shop $70 to bypass my radiator, cap the inlet and outlets on the radiator, and connect the tranny cooling lines directly to the transmission cooler. They checked the tranny fluid and said that it looked fine. I was fortunate. I'm happy I found this site and was able to prevent this from happening to my 2006 pathfinder. Hopefully other Pathfinder owners will find this information and take similar steps to avoid this from happening to them.
  • jd56jd56 Member Posts: 1

    We have recently joined the transmission problem group as the intermix issues have struck again.

  • nissan_tech1nissan_tech1 Member Posts: 16

    @ksanissan said:
    We just bought a 2007 pathfinder with 55,000 miles on it- no extended warranties here. Runs great but I am scared for the future after reading all the horror stories. I am reading about all the problems with coolant leaking into the transmission and we'd like to stop the problem before it starts if possible. I am reading about mounting an external cooler and bypassing the transmission line but since we live in VERY hot area (Saudi Arabia) I am wondering if that's wise? What about replacing the stock cooler with a copper cooler (as long as it's not a genuine Nissan part) because that seems to be where the problems begin (cracks in the oil cooler tube.) Any help would be appreciated, we are not "car people," we're learning as we go and will have to explain this to a non-English speaking mechanic which should be...interesting.

    installing a external transcooler would solve ur problem so that the coolant never reaches ur transmission

  • soto327soto327 Member Posts: 2

    how i can prevent my nissan pathfinder 2005 coolant to mix with the transmission oil?

  • soto327soto327 Member Posts: 2

    Thanks

  • clh1983clh1983 Member Posts: 1

    Purchased a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder w/ 76k miles on it from Carmax in December 2011. (Nissan should have notified car dealers of this potential issue, but Carmax did not say anything to me). May 2013, experienced transmission failure as a result of the defective radiator (@ 96k miles). Paid co-pay of $3000 to replace transmission and radiator. February 2014, transmission cooler hose burst. I questioned the dealer regarding the potential causes of the rupture and was assured that it was unrelated to the tranny/radiator repair. Paid $262 to have the hose fixed. March 2014, RPMs began spiking, felt like transmission was slipping - made it to the Nissan dealership. Transmission replaced AGAIN! I believe that Nissan owes me my $3000 co-pay and my $262 hose repair cost back! Any mechanics out there know whether pressure spikes in the transmission could have caused the hose to rupture? Or, whether all of this is connected? Any attorneys out there: any recourse for other consumers who are experiencing second transmission failures after the initial "extended warranty" repairs?

  • holsty1holsty1 Member Posts: 2
    Just had my pathfinder auto sliping in 1 gear today on holidays ,looks like im up for big bucks ,another victim of the radiator prob ,thanks nissan love ya work ?
  • onetireddaddyonetireddaddy Member Posts: 1

    Hoping someone can help me, I'm wondering, if a dealership flushed the transmission and coolant how long would it take for the problem to be visible again?

  • cdolsoncdolson Member Posts: 3

    I have an 2009 pathfinder in March it was shuttering and jerking. I took it to our private mechanic he looked at the oil cap and seen the oil was mixed with the antifreeze. He told me that this was the 3rd one he had done. As he he checked the transmission fluid he said there is a big problem that they had all mixed together. (this was because a hose blew and we needed it fixed immediately) He did the work at this point there was 108,000 miles so over the extended warranty they put in place to cover there [non-permissible content removed]. About 3 weeks latter I had him flush the transmission again and he saw nothing the fluid was clean! However, I called Nissan corporate headquarters and they said that it was my problem it was over 100,000 miles. I try to talk to the highest person they will transfer me to(which wasn't very far). The local dealership knew because he called them for the parts. I was also told that i needed to take it the dealer ship and have it fixed i called and got an estimate of 2,000.00 for them to do it.
    Now were in July and my transmission is gone! I cant afford to fix it right now. I know there were lawsuits but it only covered this if it happened before 2013. So I'm S.O.L now because it happened in 2014. What were these lawyers thinking that they would change the design flaw and only got help for those before 2014. Nissan needs to step up and make this right for all the owners of these cars. It might be different if this wasn't my first Nissan but its my third! Does anyone know how to go about getting them to pay for this?

  • cdolsoncdolson Member Posts: 3

    I have an 2009 pathfinder in March it was shuttering and jerking. I took it to our private mechanic he looked at the oil cap and seen the oil was mixed with the antifreeze. He told me that this was the 3rd one he had done. As he he checked the transmission fluid he said there is a big problem that they had all mixed together. (this was because a hose blew and we needed it fixed immediately) He did the work at this point there was 108,000 miles so over the extended warranty they put in place to cover there [non-permissible content removed]. About 3 weeks latter I had him flush the transmission again and he saw nothing the fluid was clean! However, I called Nissan corporate headquarters and they said that it was my problem it was over 100,000 miles. I try to talk to the highest person they will transfer me to(which wasn't very far). The local dealership knew because he called them for the parts. I was also told that i needed to take it the dealer ship and have it fixed i called and got an estimate of 2,000.00 for them to do it.
    Now were in July and my transmission is gone! I cant afford to fix it right now. I know there were lawsuits but it only covered this if it happened before 2013. So I'm S.O.L now because it happened in 2014. What were these lawyers thinking that they would change the design flaw and only got help for those before 2014. Nissan needs to step up and make this right for all the owners of these cars. It might be different if this wasn't my first Nissan but its my third! Does anyone know how to go about getting them to pay for this?

  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    Nissan had a different radiator vendor from 2004-2007 then they found out the radiators were leaking transmission fluid in to the antifreeze and destroying the transmission.
    If you have one to be sure its not going to happen get a radiator cooling kit that mounts in the front of the radiator and disconnect the lines going int the bottom of the radiator ,its the fix. ;)
  • grantinigrantini Member Posts: 8
    edited June 2016
    So get this, I bought a Pathfinder new in 2005... in 2008 the tranny acted up, took it in, the dealer flushed the tranny and replaced the radiator. Just over the mileage so I had to pay out of pocket. 2010, the tranny went again, took it in, guess what, bad radiator. This time we replaced the radiator and transmission. Our dealer did it basically at their cost. In April of 2015 same thing, and same solution, new radiator and new transmission. So if you are keeping track that is three radiators and two transmissions we have put into this thing. We are getting ready to sell it, so I took it to my local mechanic (up to this point all repairs done by the dealer) and guess what?, the radiator is shot and is leaking into the tranny, which we all know guarantees the failure of the transmission at some point in the future. The last repair was done on 4/20/15 and we diagnosed on 6/3/16 so we are just over the warranty of the repair, but clearly it was leaking within the 12 months. What drives me nuts is they have clearly not solved the radiator issue. I think it goes without saying that we are going to ask (sue) for a refund of all the radiator/transmission repairs. Class action is nothing but a way for lawyers to make money, I'll hire my own lawyer and take this to the wall. [non-permissible content removed] Nissan.
  • travel4funtravel4fun Member Posts: 7
    I'm interested in purchasing the older-model Pathfinder (before 2013) - does anyone know what year, if any, this transmission problem was "fixed"? As in, are the 2010-2012 Pathfinders pretty free of these issues?
  • maxima8maxima8 Member Posts: 14
    I need help witn my transmission maxima 1996 engine code PO 745 solenoid inside the trans change twice but still same code change new dropping resistor oil change too o/d flassing 16 times but still same code help please
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 236,586
    maxima8 said:

    I need help witn my transmission maxima 1996 engine code PO 745 solenoid inside the trans change twice but still same code change new dropping resistor oil change too o/d flassing 16 times but still same code help please

    Here is a discussion that seems to match your problem:
    http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/41299/nissan/maxima/engine-code-po745#latest

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