CarComplaints.com Notes: In a very limited selection on small pickup trucks, the Frontier is one of the best options except -- and I cannot emphasize this enough -- for one problem that makes it an avoid-at-all-costs pain in you know what: the radiator ruptures and leaks coolant into the transmission, killing it. Such a buzzkill.

This problem affects most 2005-2008 (and maybe beyond) Frontiers.

9.0

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$3,790
Average Mileage:
104,000 miles
Total Complaints:
189 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. replace radiator and transmission (122 reports)
  2. not sure (22 reports)
  3. replace radiator and transmission due to oil contaminati (14 reports)
  4. replace transmission (7 reports)
  5. fix it and compensate owners for full expense (5 reports)
  6. extended warranty announced by Nissan on 10/15/10 (4 reports)
2005 Nissan Frontier transmission problems

transmission problem

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2005 Nissan Frontier Owner Comments (Page 6 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #89

Apr 152013

Frontier Nismo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 89,633 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I think this is BULLSHIT!! I'm sure every nissan customer takes care of their vehicle but I definitely take care of mine! To have your vehicle jerk so hard and barely start and make all this weird movements that its so scary! On the freaking highway! No warning no anything!! I am a single women trying to make it in this ridiculous world and then to have a vehicle I paid for mess up for no apparent reason! $6000 FREAKING dollars! Why invest in a vehicle that's gonna let you down!

I am so disappointed, angry PISSED! Nissan does NOTHING! If I could I would get rid of this truck and NOT give nissan another thought! How do promote a great car blah blah blah and then thru no fault of the customer have to pay for repairs that you could have prevented some how!! I am SO mad that! Then nissan did not even offer or suggest anything to do! Had to have my vehicle repaired in a non nissan shop! This is ridiculous!! Shame on nissan!!

- Brandy M., Richmond, VA, US

problem #88

Feb 152013

Frontier LE 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 109,983 miles

Was driving home from work (feb.15 2013) in my 2005 Nissan frontier

The check engine light came on. I slowed to a stop at a traffic light. When the light turned green I put my foot on the accelerator, the RPMs revved up normally, but the trucks acceleration was extremely sluggish.

After having an ex Nissan tech, a transmission mechanic and finally a Nissan dealership diagnose my vehicle, they all confirmed the same thing, transmission failure due to coolant and transmission fluid mixing together through a faulty area of the radiator.. I had a review done with Nissan Canada to see if I was eligible for extended warranty coverage to deal with this issue (which I've read is affecting a significant amount of people) and they denied me coverage due to being over in mileage. I am now facing a $7000 repair bill to fix a Nissan engineering flaw.

- Mike K., Edmonton, Alberta, canada

problem #87

Apr 082013

Frontier LX 3.2L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 95,000 miles

Noticed the car rumbling like driving over rumble strips periodically. Also noticed that heater does not work when at a stop. Called today to have dealer inspect transmission.

- glenmaryland, Baltimore, MD, US

problem #86

May 072013

Frontier 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 91,766 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My truck was riding rough and the service light came on. Took it to Nissan and they told me i had to replace both Catalytic Converters, Transmission and Radiator for $5400. I picked up my vehicle and went home to do some research online. I found out that several people were having the same problems. A defected part that causes the transmission fuel to leak into the radiator. Also the ECM causing problems with Catalytic Converters. Instead of calling a recall they let ride in hopes of people like us finding out to late so they would not be responsible. I've been deployed to COMBAT 3 times in my career and rather be there than buy other NISSAN.

- ramos31.gorilla, Raeford, NC, US

problem #85

Apr 012013

Frontier EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 123,000 miles

Most recently, when traveling at highway speeds vehicle began shuddering and then lost power which could have resulted in a rear end collision. An independant service tech determined that the transmission fluid was contaminated. Looking back several months (before the recall and class action suit was announced), slight shuddering in the transmission was noted, but dismissed as there were other engine issues going on that were not being diagoned properly, ie; rough running, check engine light, 02 sensor issues...

The transmission issue is a known recall for with numerous complaints across the board for the 2005-2010 Frontiers, Pathfinders and Xterras. Nissan should be responsible for the replacement of the radiator and transmission. This is a catastophic defect in the design known to Nissan and should be made right to protect the safety of the consumer.

- Joe S., Pennsburg, PA, US

problem #84

Apr 012013

Frontier Nismo V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 105,000 miles

We did a partial fix on it that cost about $900 and we may have saved the transmission. It works ok now, will see how it holds out. I have a case with the Attorney General's office (against Nissan) but am not holding my breath. The Better Business Bureau already said they can't help.

I got a call from a representative from Nissan (re: the BBB case). She said Nissan was very sorry but could not help us. I said I was very unhappy, 100,000 miles is young for a truck and Nissan is legally shielding themselves from any responsibility for this factory defect. She said it doesn't matter, they still can't help us. I said that in the meantime we will be shopping for a Honda. She said that is fine with her and wished me luck. I said I would be contacting the MN Attorney General's office. She said that's fine with her, she talks to attorney generals every day. I said I hope she sleeps well tonight. She said thanks and that she was sure she would.

BUY A HONDA!

ps. If you talk to anyone in Nissan consumer affairs, you'll find out very quickly that although they speak English, they don't understand it. They will read from a script and tell you anything to avoid any responsibility for any factory defect that they know nothing about.

- Steve S., Minneapolis, MN, US

problem #83

May 012012

Frontier LE 3.2L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 109,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I bought a used 2005 Nissan Frontier from a nice lady in Sacramento, CA. It had 109K miles on it. After I bought it I noticed a vibration that would occur at 40 and 60 MPH. I thought it was in the wheels or something but it turned out to be a failing overdrive component in the automatic transmission due to cross contamination from the defective radiator. Before I went to get the pick up I checked online for any recalls. None were there because Nissan had never recalled the problem. When I entered 'transmission and radiator problems' on Nissan's there were tons of links and a lot of pissed off consumers. So I now join the 'over 100K and got totally screwed' group where there appears to be no recourse with Nissan and their sh*tty policy for compensation. If a problem is admitted to be a problem then who gives a flying f*ck how many miles are on the vehicle. It's a f*cking defective part due to faulty engineering and that is all that should matter. No co-pays and no sharing of cost. They should fix it plain and simple.

- toddca, Yuba City, CA, US

problem #82

Mar 212013

Frontier SE 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 102,200 miles

$6219 for a re-manufactured transmission because I'm 2000 miles out of their recently "extended" warranty. TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR/COOLING SYSTEM were recommended to be replaced by Nissan today because of contamination of transmission fluid by a (known but not recalled) defective transmission cooler line.

At approximately 98k the truck began to experience vibration with overdrive engaged. It felt like driving over rumble strips.

Also, the truck also had no heat when idling. I took it to a qualified local mechanic and had the radiator flushed. That corrected the heat issue. It was recommended to take the truck to a transmission shop to look at the "rumble strips" issue. I drive the truck daily to/from work and travel with my 3 daughters to and from school. My next opportunity was about 6 weeks later and I took it to Nissan. There was a recent class action suit regarding this issue and "an extension was offered which would repair the issue for $3000. This covered cars up to 100k. Because Nissan did not diagnose this issue until I was at 102,200 Miles, a low level call center denied the repair. Rather than drive the 10,000 miles per year that is apparently acceptable to Nissan, I drive roughly 12,750. That extra 35 miles per day makes it so that I have to pay an additional $3219 for something that I should be paying nothing for. The fix for the issue that destroyed my transmission is actually a roughly $500 repair or less than $100 for a DIY'er.

NISSAN was aware of this issue and should have issued a recall before their customer's transmissions started destroying themselves.

- Brian R., Indianapolis, IN, US

problem #81

Feb 272013

Frontier V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 111,488 miles

We are very angry. We called Nissan and they said to call your local dealer. We then call the local dealer and they suggest to take it to another mechanic since they would have to charge around $6500.

We did have it repaired by our mechanic who installed a new Nissan transmission.

We, then, called Nissan to complain and they said that we may have gotten some assistance if we had taken it to a local dealership. We told them we had installed a new Nissan transmission, but that fell on deaf ears. Since the problem occurred after the 100K mile marker, we were sh*t out of luck!!

The Nissan Executive had the audacity to ask me, " Is there anything else I can do for you?" They did offer me the employee discount on our next Nissan purchase. Are you kidding me? We have another Nissan and I am terrified that we will have to go thru the same scenario.

- paullascik, Alpharetta, GA, US

problem #80

Jan 092013

Frontier SE V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150,000 miles

there is an uncomfortable amount of vibrating when driving my truck, usually on the expressway when going over 50 mph. A couple weeks after my vehicle decided to automatically turn off, randomly. It appeared that the engine didn't want to start. I took it to the closet nissan dealership and their diagnostic was i had to replace the transmission and the radiator. They found fluid mixing with coolant due to leaking trans cooler in radiator. Before this issue i was a huge nissan promoter, however, now i am furious with the lack of assistance from nissan. The rep from nissan called me and said that the total cost for the repair would be 5,000$ and said that i would need to make a decision whether to have them repair my vehicle or throw it out. The lack of professionalism from their service & repair department is awful. Do you really think im going to junk a 2005 vehicle?! There should be a recall for both the transmission and radiator.

- Hector G., Orlando, FL, US

problem #79

Mar 092013

Frontier SE 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 65,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

A short time ago I received a letter stating that Nissan Frontiers had issues with radiator and transmission leaking and crashing,. Just the other day my truck started running really awful and I discovered that the fluid apparently had all leaked out from the transmission and there are signs of coolant leaks on various parts of the engine.

- kbuharp@yahoo.com, Apple Valley, CA, US

problem #78

Feb 012013

Frontier LS 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 85,000 miles

It's unfortunate that nissan doesn't resolve this major issue. It's a simple problem to prevent.

There is a transmission oil line that feeds to the bottom of the radiator. There are dozens of blogs on this all over the web.

The fittings in the radiator eventually fail, mixing coolant and transmission oil. The blogs have figured that the only reason to run the transmission oil via the radiator is to warm it up faster in cool climates (freezing temps).

I just asked a local repair shop to do the bypass for me since they can do it fast, cleaner, and they have the tools to do it. I could do it on a sat morning, but just don't have the time. The shop only charged me $80 for piece of mind - they said it's so simple, they wouldn't' even charge me the $100 they estimated since it was so quick.

Now, my transmission oil flows to the oil cooler (which is in-front of the radiator) , then right back to the transmission. It no longer feeds to the suspect radiator.

Everyone, Nissan is not going to recall this. There is no fire, explosion, or extreme safety problem. I gave up fighting with Nissan regarding this. This is not a service department problem - unfortunately, corporate does not want to address this preemptively. Too bad. Because of their stance, everyone gets upset for no reason.

Just be proactive, do it yourself of find a local shop to bypass it for you. Otherwise, you may think that you have a "good" one as Nissan is trying to make everyone believe, but eventually it will fail, causing major $$ damage.

If you tow, add a secondary transmission cooler. There's plenty of room to add one. Additional coolers are cheap. ~$130

If you have an xterra, pathfinder, or frontier with the 4.0 V6, just bypass the radiator. Then enjoy your vehicle.

-alex

- Alex H., Coral Springs, FL, US

problem #77

Nov 272012

Frontier Nismo V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 62,000 miles

During acceleration between 40-60 MPH vibration in the engine is noticeable. The truck feels like you hit rumble strips to prevent you from falling asleep. After googling, I found out this is the same issue many other Frontier owners have been experiencing and that NIssan has extended the warranty on the radiator. I made an appointment with Nissan today, will update with their report and their solution. My 2005 has 62,000 miles on it and is well under the 80k they have extended the warranty to cover. I have a feeling they will try to punt the issue though....will report back.

- lemoninva, Centreville, VA, US

problem #76

Jul 212012

Frontier Nissmo 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 106,000 miles

I made it to 107000 miles. My truck is in the shop now. I have no reliable means of transportation. This has been a real inconvenience to me. NOT TO MENTION the $3000.00 bill I am facing. I am NOT HAPPY!!!! I think that NISSAN at a minimum should pay all related costs including towing and time missed from work. Right now that is the only thing that will make me a return customer to Nissan. Other than that my business goes elsewhere!!!

- Garry C., Arab, AL, US

problem #75

Jan 092013

Frontier LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 98,000 miles

Surprised and extremely disappointed to find this issue happening to my vehicle which I purchased NEW from this dealer and loyally had the vehicle serviced and maintained at the same place of purchase. This apparently is a known issue and yet my vehicle was never checked for this problem at any of my maintenance intervals by the service department. The initial revealing of the problem was presented to me at full price of the repair. After expressing my disappointment in the findings and the quality of the vehicle to the service department I received a call back stating that I could call the customer care and have the repair performed with a co-pay of $3000 of the $6400 quoted repair. Still unhappy about what I was facing for a vehicle that had not yet reached 100k miles, I was left with no option but to call and go with the offer of partial payment. This is the second major repair I have had to have, first being replacement of timing chain at approximately 80k miles at a cost of $1500.

- wmjones6, Greer, SC, US

problem #74

Oct 022012

Frontier

  • Automatic transmission
  • 70,779 miles

Frustrating that this happen one year after my 6 year warranty, i thought my $1900.00 would be a safe thing to do, but of course i am under my 100k miles warranty by the years are passed so not covered..

- pperez, Hanford, CA, US

problem #73

Jan 022013

Frontier LE 4WD V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 114,000 miles

This appears to be a reoccurring problem Nissan doesn't want to acknowledge and recall the product. Naturally it occurs outside the warranty date. Bad design leads to bad problems.

- Scott H., Clinton, MS, US

problem #72

Dec 302012

Frontier SE 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 101,560 miles

2005 NISSAN FRONTIER V6 only 101,570 miles and the transmission cooler lined cracked and antifreeze entered my transmission. A Nissan frontier has been my dream truck with the "Nismo" package edition, but I settled for the "SE" package. I bought the truck I had dreamed of and my dream became a nightmare! When I was driving down the road and at about 45 to 50 mph, my transmission went out leaving the truck powerless and not being able to make it to a safe place to pull over!! I was stranded in the middle of the road, which was a death trap not only for myself but for my wife or daughter as well. I got out with traffic flying by me to open the hood, so I could see if I could tell what was going on. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, so I had to get a stranger to help me relocate my truck to a safer place off the side of the road. Thankfully an accident did not occur and the gentlemen was not injured helping me. Not only could myself and my family been killed or injured but I could have sued if an accident would have transpired or the gentleman was injured helping me. While I was on the side of the road I began checking the fluids and I discovered the transmission fluid was a burnt brown strawberry milk shake color. After waiting over a hour for a tow truck with my wife and sick child, and spending another hour driving home, I finally got the "death trap" back home. I was very confused about the color of my transmission fluid so I hopped on GOOGLE to research problems with Nissan frontiers transmission. Immediately the first thing I found was a list of Thousands of complaints of the same issue I had just experienced. Numerous complaints of transmission fluid cooler in the radiator cracks that allowed antifreeze to enter into the transmission, which completely ruins the transmissions.. I immediately called the DEALER ship in GAINESVILLE GA. When I called I acted oblivious to the situation. I asked the tech if the truck had any recalls and gave him the vin number. The Service tech stated that there where 2 recalls, which neither of them where on the radiator or transmission. I asked him if there was any known problems with the radiator and transmission, and of course NO was the service techs response. I inquired about the issues I discovered online and told him what I had experienced. The service tech then replied "well Nissan did extend there warranty on that problem". He then instructed me to call Nissan North America and speak with them. When I called Nissan of course someone answered that spoke English as a second language, maybe even for a third language. The Nissan representative asked all the questions the STEALER SHIP did and then asked the miles on the Nissan frontier. I replied a little over a 101 thousand. The representative stated he was sorry I was out of all extended warranty plans that Nissan offered. The last warranty he stated was 10 years/ 100,000 miles ( which ever comes first) with a copay of $3000.. I asked him just because I am 1500 miles over you guys cant help me? I am not at fault because Nissan didn't make the radiator to last. Why should I have to fork over $3000 that I do not have? The representative replied that it was out of their extended warranty window, so he was sorry they can not assist me. Then he gave me a number to the radiator and transmission hot line. I replied to him by stating, WOW THIS IS THAT BIG OF A PROBLEM THAT NISSAN PACIFICALLY HAS A HOTLINE FOR THE SITUATION? The representative just hang up.. I then called the 1877-208-9275 radiator and coolant assist line. They where closed because of MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY. My argument is why has Nissan not made a recall about this safety issue? Why has the motor vehicle safety or even the government made them fix this issue? This is a death trap and lawsuit waiting! Not only was my family put in harms way, I am without transportation which is costing me money every hour that I am not at work. The hours that I need to be working to provide for my family I am now having to spend on the phone getting the run around from Nissan. When you know that you have a faulty product that is breaking why would you not recall the product and ensure your customers are safe and remain happy? If you want to stay in business you ensure your customer are happy and will return to buy products. You can't stay in business if your customers are dead or refuse to buy your product because it was crappy and so was your customer service.. Nissan needs to make this right! I have paid enough already and my truck is not even repaired yet!!

- bubba0808, Flowery Branch, GA, US

problem #71

Jan 182013

Frontier Nismo 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 88,000 miles

Like every one else joining people who had there transmission ruined because of coolant getting into transmission. Getting onto the highway and having your transmission go while merging into traffic at 50 mph is considered not to be a safety issue I would like to see someone at Nissan do at and explain how he feels after the event. The vehicle showed no signs of any problems prior. I just wish Nissan would of just contacted all affected owners and said change your radiator or you will have this problem. $2500 to fix now under their extended warranty which could of been just a $300 fix for a new radiator. Thanks for nothing Nissan.

- Tom D., Staten Island, NY, US

problem #70

Nov 232012

Frontier SE V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 118,000 miles

Its awful that Nissan didn't recall these vehicles for this. We just bought this car used 6 mo ago and now we have to spend half of what we paid to fix a significant problem that the Nissan dealer probably knew about. We feel suckered both by the Nissan dealer and Nissan Corp.

- Jeffrey C., Cumming, GA, US

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