Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Nissan Pathfinder Transmission Problems

1131416181925

Comments

  • santonio1santonio1 Member Posts: 18
    I sent an Email E-complaint to my state attorney general....i urge you all to do the same.
  • khyltonkhylton Member Posts: 2
    Just wanted to relay some interesting news regarding 2005 Nissan Pathfinder LE. I took the Pathfinder into a Nissan dealership to have them install an external transmission cooler in the hope of avoiding future radiator/transmission issues. I was told that the Pathfinder already has an external (as well as internal) transmission cooler! I purchased an extended warranty on the Pathfinder when I bought the vehicle used and it expires on 7/2013. However, Nissan told me that the Radiator/Transmission cooler warranty has been extended until 7/2014 (or 80,000 miles). The vehicle only as 39,000 miles .... so I am keeping it until the warranty is ready to expire. Not sure if others are aware of Warranty Extension from Nissan!
  • finztotheleftfinztotheleft Member Posts: 19
    I also sent my complaint to my State's attorney, Tennesee ( home of Nissan Amwrica), and the US state attorney in Washington DC
  • lauracpalmerlauracpalmer Member Posts: 35
    edited July 2011
    The problems easily average beyond 80k and so the warrenty is almost useless; if you read posts regarding those fortunate to be under 80K and have a problem it may get resolved but we are finding a lot of complaints there also.

    And, if you are not having issues yet but want to use the warrenty to avoid the problem you will most likely be refused, as you will see from a post I will paste at the end of this message.

    We took out a loan of $6000.00 to have our transmission and radiator replaced, and now our Pathfinder has been sitting at the dealership repair shop for several months waiting for a new transimission.

    The dealership repair shop has finally admitted how bad the situation is and that they are now also not getting straight answers from their own Nissan headquarters. They may not be as PO'd as those of us getting ripped off but they are a close 2nd not getting support or answers while they take the heat instead of those above who created the problem to begin with.

    From another post from this site:
    "Add me to the list of victims owning a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. I contacted Nissan in regards to the transmission/radiator issues. I currently do not have the mixing of fluids (yet) but wanted Nissan to take precautionary measures by replacing the radiator BEFORE this happens and ruins the transmission. I was told directly by Nissan consumer affairs that they will do NOTHING until the failure occurs. In other words, they want the consumer to wait until the radiator cracks and leaks fluid into the transmission (destroying the transmission) until they will even address it.
    I was told that they would not send me case to a regional representative because "NO PROBLEM EXISTS." This is a failure on Nissan's part to do what is right. They want to extend the warranty for "failures only" to 80,000 miles despite the average failure rate for this problem occurring just beyond 80,000 miles (see the link below):

    http://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Pathfinder/2005/transmission/coolant_leaked_- - into_transmission.shtml

    By insisting that they will not fix anything until the problem occurs, Nissan stands a much greater chance of these vehicles reaching the warranty mileage limitation. I will be writing a letter of complaint to the Nissan CEO, the BBB, and the state attorney general.

    Who would be foolish enough to wait until the problem spills into their transmission (possibly with their family in the car) to address this issue. That would be irresponsible of me as a consumer just as it is irresponsible of Nissan as a corporation! James of Cincinnati, OH"
  • jbaumerjbaumer Member Posts: 8
    As I posted last year, when my 2006 Pathfinder turned over 85K miles I went ahead and purchased a new radiator at my own expense and had local service shop install it. Cost me about $400 out of my own pocket but I look at the expense as insurance.
  • h20inmytransh20inmytrans Member Posts: 5
    jbaumer - GOOD JOB. It is definitely "Cheap Insurance" to replace your radiator. Don't wait for complete failure of your radiator. I tested for the leak myself by disconnecting the transmission lines from the radiator and then connecting the transmission lines together using a rubber hose to prevent trans fluid going everywhere. Then I ran my vehicle and started to see water drip out of the transmission line connections on the radiator - this should not happen if there is no leak. Unfortunately for me, I discovered the leak on my own and too late. I have to pay $6,500 for a new transmission. Just like any good thieving company, $$ is the bottom-line. I'm sure Nissan has strategically calculated that the radiator will fail before 80k miles but by the time the transmission fails, it will be 80,001 miles. NO MORE NISSAN'S FOR ME!!!!!!!!! NISSAN has made a huge mistake with customers. I'm sure they know exactly how many radiators are defective and they have calculated the # of pissed-off customers they will have and decided it is worth it. What they didn't count on was FACEBOOK, TWITTER and BLOGS LIKE THIS to get the word out.
    Do your Due Diligence!! :)
  • santonio1santonio1 Member Posts: 18
    I have opened a file with Nissan and have been speaking to person in corporate for over a month now...they assure me the tranny will be in the port of NY on july 27, at the dealer by the 5th..I am under the 80k warranty and am getting it covered...also i got a reply back from my state attorney general and said they were monitoring the complaints but to contact an attorney and pursue yourself. thats my update
  • h20inmytransh20inmytrans Member Posts: 5
    I believe the reason that Nissan doesn't recall the defective radiators is because they know that most failures will occur after 80k miles and they will save $$. But if they were an ethical company they would recall the batches of defective radiators and replace them so that their customers would not be stuck with a $6,000 bill. I'm still driviing around in 3rd gear while my dealer procures a transmission for me but I can tell you that the dealers are very embarrassed by Nissan. My dealer was so appologetic and said that the right thing for Nissan to do is to cover the transmissions for much more than 80k miles. He knows that this problem is going to hurt his dealership because they are rather small. I HOPE NISSAN PAYS BIG TIME FOR THIS!!!!!!!!
  • alisonlalisonl Member Posts: 30
    Hi, Did you actually go through National Highway Safety first and obtain a complaint #? The National Highway safety will open a case for review and provide you a number and use that number to your attorney general. That shows everyone that the issues are being reported, we are serious. The National Highway Safety is federal, the attorney general is state and Nissan is neither.

    Good luck.
  • alisonlalisonl Member Posts: 30
    I think I drove my car a lot!! its 6 years old and has almost 150,000 miles on it.

    Wanted to warn you all. My paint is peeling like crazy. I took it to the dealership and they said, yes defective and NOT environmental. They said they havent seen anything like it. So, thats on another call with their idiots for a regional manager to call me back to tell me they wont cover it because of the mileage..Im very sure of it.

    ALSO. My cd is now stuck in the player. Can eject it nor play it. It just decided to quit.

    I have a SE..so 1 single player. But I just laugh now. I call it my junker. Looks good on the outside but garbage of a vehicle.

    Do you all look at other Pathfinder owners out and about and want to talk to the driver to see if they are having the same problems?? LOL. I do..I always want to strike up conversations with pathfinder owners to find out or WARN them if they havent discovered it yet. ( :
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    This may help with the CD:

    How to Remove a Stuck CD
  • jk05mdxjk05mdx Member Posts: 16
    I bought mine in December 2009. It is a 2006 which now has over 90k miles. Thanks to all who spoke up in this forum, I knew the achilles heel of an otherwise superb vehicle. So I first made sure the radiator had not cracked before buying. Thereafter as soon as it got home, I went right under and disconnected the radiator cooler lines, using the hose there to loop the inlet of the fluid to the outlet on the other side of the radiator, and looped the returning hose from the auxilary cooler which should have gone into the radiator to the return line of the transmission. I didn't buy anything and the whole process took me about 30-45 minutes. So far no bad effect at all. The vehicle runs great and have only changed oil and brake pads. Like the saying goes Prevention is Better than Cure.
  • canvasback2canvasback2 Member Posts: 1
    Well, I have joined the club. My 05 Pathfinder's transmission finally met its match last week. All the symptoms were there, shuddering, slipping, not downshifting to 2nd gear. All this has been happening throughout the spring. I, of course, did not recognize the signs until to late. Car would not start, had it towed to the dealer (1st mistake) since I had a 100K warranty. Car has 219 miles over the 100K. Left it off late so was given diagnosis the next day. Transmission damaged and to replace would be $5200+ w/o telling me what was wrong. But was told that parts were in the warehouse. Decided to tell them to hold on repair. I went in to see the service mgr and he brought out the mechanic who was to R&R the trans. Asked if there was contamination and the mechanic said there may be some evidence of it, but 5-10 sec later when I asked if it would be covered under warrantee, he suddenly changed his mind and said there was no evidence of contamination. The service mgr then pulled up the NISSAN web site to show me that NISSAN had extended the warranty to 80K and that I should call the regional rep to find out if they would help. contacting this not so bright person in my opinion he said fax me the diagnosis and he would see what could be done. (From reading this forum, I am anticipating NOTHING). Bottom line had it towed to an independent who removed and diagnosised the trans and noted that there was indeed water in the trans. Also that there was contamination of an outside additive which I expained that that was from having the trans flushed and replaced the fluids at a Jiffy Lube(mistake 2). The additive from Samrt Blend Technologies known as MIGHTY was introduced and according the trans specialist had eaten away part of the plastic of the TCM and neutral switch. Finally, NISSAN was only to guarantee the work for 1 yr, and the independent is guaranteeing the rebuilt for 3. Cost substantially less and very fair. Maybe there will be some recourse from the dealer and Jiffy Lube but I doubt it. For a final note I asked one of the senior salesmen to give me quote on repair and trade-in for a new car. He came back with, $5000+ to repair the trans(thought dealers got discounts) and he would give me $5000 toward a trade-in. I laughed and told him that was embarassing and he would never see me or would I buy another NISSAN product
  • parkcityxjparkcityxj Member Posts: 4
    Another guy here with a bad tranny. I just turned 101,000 on my 05 Frontier Nismo and the I had failure because of cross contamination. I got an estimate today for $4,500 for a rebuild, new torque convertor and valve body. All my seals were toast from the water in the transmission. I signed up for that class action lawsuit and I'm going to call Nissan tomorrow. This blows!
  • carol72carol72 Member Posts: 4
    Nissan is totally neglecting my claim. The Regional Specialist said she called me when she didn't. My phone records prove it. They just denied me, not even warranty assistance.THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL!!!!! Thousands of people have stated that their radiator cracked and I just found out that they don't even place this radiator in new vehicles. This is Nissan's fault not mine. I take fantastic care of my Pathfinder! GM had this problem years ago and my father, a mechanic, said that he had to fix at least 500 cars with the same radiator problem. Many customers complained. I want people to just Google it and see how many people are truly disgusted with Nissan about this issue. I am truly unsatisfied!!!!!!!!!
  • gharpmangharpman Member Posts: 88
    edited July 2011
    Get rid of that piece of crap. After being a Nissan Loyalist for several years, I had enough of their indifference. Traded my 2005 Pathfinder for a Hyundai Santa Fe LTD. Couldn't be happier. Finance rates super lo. Screw Nissan.
  • finztotheleftfinztotheleft Member Posts: 19
    I ditched my PF and went to Honda Pilot! Comparable in size! Rides so much nicer, and best part.. Doesn't have a defective radiator that is a ticking time bomb.
  • gharpmangharpman Member Posts: 88
    YEA!!!!!!!!!! SCREW NISSAN.
  • jpettawayjpettaway Member Posts: 1
    same problem with tranmission raditor leaked in transmission price nissan dealer 5200 were can I sign up for the class action lawsuit calling nissan tomorrow as well I HATE MY NISSAN PATHFINDER SE
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    yes get the Nissan fixed sell it and by a reputable SUV like a Hyundai with 100 mile warranty you wont be sorry , these Hyundai's came a long way I have 156,000 on my Hyundai with just oil changes , those Nissans I will never never ever deal with them again. i actually cringe when I drive passed a Nissan dealer and feel sorry for all the poor bastards out there that had 2005 -2007 pathfinder's and the maxima's and Altima's with the VQ35 V6 engines , they even loose there butterfly screws down in the engines and are destroyed if it happens. shoooo not to many people know this. :lemon:
  • 101dave101dave Member Posts: 3
    I was expecting the worst after reading all the negative posts about this problem. But my experience was pain free. From the first call I made the technician practically diagnosed the problem on the phone, and then told me about the extended warranty and to bring the pathfinder on in. The only snag was the time frame, in which they said they would not know how long it would take to get the transmission, the radiator was in stock but the tran they said they would have to check around for. Less then two weeks they had the tran, 1 1/2 days in the shop and it was fixed. They offered a rental car from the point the problem was diagnosed. If you are ever in WA state I'd recommend this dealer. I had no reason to contact the Nissan corporation as this particular dealer (maintenance gal) was the only person I talked to the entire process and she took care of everything. She didn't have to ask any boss about the rental car, it was all very easy.
  • tseyffstseyffs Member Posts: 12
    It took close to a year and a half but Nissan refunded 100% of the cost to replace my
    transmission & radiator. I filled out the extended warantee forms, faxed in all required information and they sent me a check. Turnaround was about 2 weeks.
    Very pleased with Nissan. As a matter of fact I bought another Nissan (altima) and kept my
    pathfinder too.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Feel free to name the dealer and please write up a review about your service experience.

    Dealer Ratings and Reviews
  • santoniosantonio Member Posts: 2
    Mine is fixed...radiator and transmission were replaced UNDER WARRANTY sine i had 61k...good experience with Bertera Nissan in Auburn,Ma.
    went into sales showroom and asked what they would give me for a trade and they said $13,500 or would buy it for cash. Didn't decide to do anything yet since its paid for and mostly everything replaced now...well except CC's.
  • simp1231simp1231 Member Posts: 2
    To anyone that has had this issue with Nissan, please send a complaint letter to their headquarters, (Nissan USA, 1 Nissan Way Franklin, Tennessee, 37067) & also send a cc to NHTSA Headquarters(1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, West Building, Washington, DC 20590...http://www.nhtsa.gov/) & to the Council of Better Business Bureaus (4200 Wilson Blvd, Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22203-1838) ... this is the best way to try to get Nissan to recall this. I have been without a vehicle for over 3 wks now & Nissan refuses to help because it is over the 80,000 warranty. I was told I need both a new radiator & tranny which will cost me about $7,500. I am a self-employed, single parent & rely heavily on my vehicle for work purposes. Without it, I have had to turn down work. I went through numerous phone calls with Nissans customer support, only to have them tell me they won't recall it unless it's a 'safety issue'. I think when I'm getting on the highway & the car is stuttering & not going over 40, it most definitely IS a safety issue. I am wondering if Nissan is waiting for someone to get seriously injured or killed in one of their vehicles before they issue a recall on this. Please, everyone send letter, the more sent, the more likely we are to get this thing recalled.
  • carol72carol72 Member Posts: 4
    Complaint letters complete and mailed!!!!!
  • finztotheleftfinztotheleft Member Posts: 19
    Good luck on a response. The response I got after sending letters to three vice presidents was an admin assistant telling me to screw off, you are out of warranty, and I can call the BBB. The admin uses the same cue cards as the lovely customer service reps.

    Nissan doesn't give one care about this and they are truly crooks and thieves.

    I hope you have better luck
  • carol72carol72 Member Posts: 4
    I do have the paperwork sent to me from the BBB. I am filling it out and sending it back within a few days, There are also 3 pending lawsuits pertaining to this matter I added my name to their list. I also have contacted 5 on your side and help me Howard. Power in numbers!!!!
  • simp1231simp1231 Member Posts: 2
    I hope I have better luck too! They told me the same thing when I called, to bad & send a complaint to the BBB. A friend of mine who happens to be a mechanic told me to send letters & make sure to complain to DMV, but my state DMV only has complaints for local repair shops/dealers. Found the link to the NHTSA there though & they seem to be the ones to contact. Keeping my fingers crossed that I get somewhere with this, as I still have a loan & owe quite a bit on this vehicle. First time in my 24 yrs of driving that I have not owned a Chevy & all of my Chevys went to well over 100,000(last one was over 200,000) before I started having to replace things. While I do a whole lot of driving, the Nissan has just hit 90,000 & has been maintained well for the yr I had it. In fact, a month before this happened, I took it in & had oil changed & all fluids checked because I was going on a trip with it. There was no sing of any fluids mixing at that point.
  • knicole921knicole921 Member Posts: 1
    I was the proud owner of a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder...It was my dream truck until I noticed the car jerking and shifting very hard...This problem started at about 130,000 miles and I took it to three different mechanics that all stated the transmission was slipping and suggested to add fluid after checking the fluid level & seeing that nothing was in it...The car was leaking fliuds but no one could tell where it was coming from...I later found out that the antifreeze was leaking out and the fluid looked like a milkshake...The problem progressed until it finally stopped running at 145,000 miles...I was pulling out of my driveway one evening and as I was coasting down the street beginning to accelerate the vehicle would not move...I put the car in reverse and backed up into the driveway then shut the vehicle off...I went out the next morning to start up and nothing happened...I later had the vehicle towed to another mechanic whose findings were that the tranmission and radiator fluids had mixed and as a result locked up my transmission...He stated that it's not even worth trying to repair because I would basically have to rebuild my vehicle and it appeared as if there was a manufacturer defect as far as the fluids mixing and not being able to properly drain...With that being said "Nissan" should be ashamed of themselves and placed out of business for the inconvienience, pain, and suffering they have caused so many consumers with these defective vehicles...I am now without a vehicle and having to depend on family and friends for transportation... Kenitra Jackson Lavergne, TN
  • snowbird127snowbird127 Member Posts: 9
    edited August 2011
    Just heard back from Nissan Regional Specialist. "...unfortunately we will not be able to provide financial assistance." Denied. I wasn't asking for assistance, I wanted it fixed fully. 130K and running great. Really enjoyed the truck and thought highly of the products.

    However, I'm appalled and amazed at the company's acknowledgement and arrogance not to recall and fix this problem. $5250 was the dealer quote. Will never buy another Nissan again. :mad:

    Steve Davidson - Littleton, MA
  • snowbird127snowbird127 Member Posts: 9
    What was your Twitter hashtag???? Please broadcast... Just denied by Nissan... :mad:
  • snowbird127snowbird127 Member Posts: 9
    Just emailed and added my name.

    Also found these folks too. http://www.transmission-lawsuit.com/
    I did call and they are real :)

    Any others?...
  • snowbird127snowbird127 Member Posts: 9
    I just found these two class action suits...

    Kantrowitz Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C.
    http://www.kgglaw.com/Investor-Consumer-Bulletin/Nissan-2005-Pathfinder-Radiator- -Defect.shtml


    Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman, LLC based in Essex County, New Jersey
    http://www.transmission-lawsuit.com/
  • jordan07jordan07 Member Posts: 1
    I just thought I had horrible luck....now I am hearing all these bad things about Nissan! I have a Nissan Pathfinder 2007 and it started doing this "stuttering" thing. It has now got worse and the RPM's will go up with powering the car when I drive. When my mechanic checked the fluids, the antifreeze looked like chocolate milk!! The thought of having to put thousands of dollars into a car that I still owe over $10,000 on, well it makes me sick! Nissan needs to correct something if all these people are having the same trouble!!
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    YOUR ANOTHER VICTIM OF NISSAN
    YOU HAVE TO FIGHT IT WITH A LAWYER THATS IN THE FORUMS IF YOU SEARCH FOR HIM:sick:
  • gharpmangharpman Member Posts: 88
    Contact Nissan. they have an extended warranty (80,000 mi limit) on radiatir and trans. Be firm. keep going up the ladder if you have to.
  • finztotheleftfinztotheleft Member Posts: 19
    A friend sent me this after hearing about my Nissan disaster. Seems that the word is getting out.

    http://www.autoblog.com/2011/08/25/nissan-suv-and-pickup-owners-experiencing-tra- nsmission-failures/
  • finztotheleftfinztotheleft Member Posts: 19
    I post directly to nissan at @nissannews. I also use #nissan.
  • unrelentingunrelenting Member Posts: 42
    edited August 2011
    2006 Nissan Pathfinder..... Looks like I am another victim of Nissan's defective radiator issue. $6,000 plus cost...yet to fix. I was asked if I have had any Nissans in the past....listed 5 VIN #s since 1982. To no avail...not loyal enough for Nissan to assist. Yes, I have contacted a lawyer...defective parts, latent defect...pick a number. Nissans biggest issue may be that I am overly persistent. Not giving up yet. My prob...the TCM shorted out (transmission control unit) due to cross contamination of rediator fluid in the transmission. Hmm, let me think..... I went on line...evidently this is big deal. My warranty has expired...so have most everyone elses... What is the value of an extended warrant on a known defective part? I willl not give up......anyone out there want to get on board the train??
  • gharpmangharpman Member Posts: 88
    They have extended warranty up to 80,000 miles on radiator and trans. if no avail, screw 'em. I traded mine for a Hyundai Santa Fe LTD. Excellent. And I don't have to deal with Nissan Corp. anymore.
  • snowbird127snowbird127 Member Posts: 9
    Thanks much...
  • bad_elliottbad_elliott Member Posts: 1
    james... i'm in the same situation... i have a 06 that does not have contamination yet...went to the dealership for them to be proactive about it and replace the rad.... nope... since i'm at 57000 miles or sept. 2014.. they won't due anything.... ignorant.... send me a message if u hear anything else... thx.. greg.... vancouver b.c.
  • finztotheleftfinztotheleft Member Posts: 19
    @nissannews just replied to a twitter again telling me to call their customer service. God they are such idiots.

    Keep getting out the message about Nissan in any fashion you can. People need to know how awful the Nissan company is to it's customers. Plus Nissan needs to feel the heat from screwing us.
  • parkcityxjparkcityxj Member Posts: 4
    edited August 2011
    Pretty much all the auto blogs and car mags have been running the NY Times article. I've filed a complaint with the NHTSA and http://www.autosafety.org/ as well. @nissannews has ignored me on twitter, I posted a question on their FB page and it was promptly deleted. https://www.facebook.com/Nissan I'd like to think there will be a recall. I'm at week 6 w/o my frontier because parts have been on backorder!
  • 99accent99accent Member Posts: 237
    Its about time the public knows a Nissan has made big mistake with both the swirl valve screws coming loose and the transmission and radiator being defective , :lemon:
  • unrelentingunrelenting Member Posts: 42
    What NY Times article....?? I am in Texas...not a real reader of the Times. Maybe I should expand a bit. Do you have a copy of it??
  • kmullengolfkmullengolf Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 Pathfinder. Recently I have noticed a vibration when I hit 50-60 mph, then the vibration stops when I go over 60 mph. I have been reading a lot of posts about radiator fluid leaking into the transmission fluid. I am wondering if the vibrations that I am experiencing are a early sign of this radiator fluid problem?
  • grantinigrantini Member Posts: 8
    Our Pathfinder exhibited tranny problems at about 70k. Had the radiator replaced at my expense and was subsequently reimbursed by Nissan when they extended the warranty. Have been complaining to my dealership since that the transmission was not good. Now at 133k, it went. Of course Nissan has no interest in repairing it even though I have complained about the tranny from well within the extended warranty period.

    Considering parking it in front of my office, which is in a very busy, affluent area, with a big sign on it saying NISSAN SUCKS. Of course the dealer is a good guy and a friend so for that reason ONLY I'm reluctant to do so.

    Consulting a lawyer, hopefully we can strong arm them.
Sign In or Register to comment.