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 8 of 10)

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problem #49

Sep 142010

Frontier SE V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 154,222 miles

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

Started having problems with my transmission in 2010 and had it replaced in November 2010. Eight months label started having problems with the new transmission and discovered the problem of defective radiators leaking radiator fluid into the transmission. My mechanic tried flushing the transmission and replacing the radiator but now I have to have the transmission rebuilt that i just replaced a year ago.

- Frederick B., Elgin, SC, US

problem #48

Apr 012012

Frontier Nismo V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 102,000 miles

Nissan is well aware of this known issue. They will not recall the vehicles and it is a safety issue. If you are traveling at a high rate of speed and tranny jumps out of gear and suddenly decelerates it is very dangerous to others as well as the driver. This issue has been reported by MANY and Nissan will not take responsibility for their faulty radiator seal. Bad company. Will never consider a Nissan again. Done.

- Christopher R., Rodanthe, NC, US

problem #47

Mar 082012

Frontier LE 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150,000 miles

It all started a few months back when we noticed that there was a film on the radiator cap while checking the level of fluid in the radiator, thought it was odd but did not think much of if. Then we noticed that there was an odd vibration after reaching about 55 mph, at the time was told it was the drive line support , so to get buy drove the truck with the overdrive off, that fixed it for a while! A few weeks later on my way to work, I backed out of my space put the truck in drive and went no where. What the?????

So after some research and reading about SEVERAL other people having the same issue we replaced the radiator and tried flushing the transmission and putting new transmission fluid in several times... about three to be exact along with some Lucas Transmission Slip repair and it would work for a while, then went right back to the same slipping issue. Its almost like when the truck gets warmed up and the fluid gets warm it starts acting up again.

So we are still working on it and hopefully we wont have to spend thousands in a new transmission. You would think that Nissan would do a better job of taking care of their customers. This is our 8th truck form Nissan and we keep going back for a reason! We usually never have problems, just regular maintenance and wear and tear and with all the other recalls that we have had done, you would think that Nissan would be more on top of this, especially knowing that after changing radiator manufacturers in 2005 and then having all of these reported issues and a class action law suite currently against them, they would take care of their customers better!

- Daniel M., Carl Junction, MO, US

problem #46

Jul 052011

Frontier SE 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 128,000 miles

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

I fell in love with my 05 Frontier, after time went by well lets just say the trans is just JUNK!!! The motor is strong but what good is that NISSAN? It started to jerk when it would try to auto shift into 5th, cruise control stopped working also, so i turned OVER DRIVE off and it wouldn't jerk, drove just fine but only OD off! Then OVERHEATS, SLIPS a few times, COMPUTER FAILED $1100 AND NOW SHIFT SOLENOID'S SHIFT FROM FIRST TO FOURTH AT IDLE! Still can drive it in 4th gear NO SLIPS AND ALSO NO POWER.............THANKS FOR NOTHING NISSAN!!!!! I am a college student, i also have a motorcycle. Guess who gets wet when it rains......Gets old when you show up to work and school wet, oh and TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS you can buy a paper weight from Nissan!!!! WHILE THEY STILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE AND ACT LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENeD....................Should have got a Chevy!

- Edward J., Hot Springs Village, AR, US

problem #45

Jul 182012

Frontier SE 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,500 miles

My truck is outside of the warranty so Nissan wants to charge full parts/labor to replace my radiator and transmission...$CHA-CHINGGG$... I don't think so.

- Devin D., Fresno, CA, US

problem #44

Jun 122012

Frontier SE 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 141,000 miles

I am going out of my F---ing mind with this truck. Now today truck starts shifting strange then transmission starts slipping. So instead of doing what I needed to do for the day I have to turn around and try to make it home cause I had my two kids with me. I finally get home and open up the hood and there it is again milky transmission fluid mixed with radiator coolant. You just don't know what was going through my head when less 9 months later this is happening again and I don't have the money to fix it. Nissan needs to fix this and recall all 2005 frontiers!

- claudedga, Macon, GA, US

problem #43

Sep 092011

Frontier SE 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 90,000 miles

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

Last year around september truck started shifting bad then looked under hood and had milky looking substance in radiator coolant then saw hundreds of complaints online of people having these same problems with 2005 nissan frontier trucks. then had to spend all of savings and then some to come up with $6000 to repair. Nissan please fix your defects and do it free of charge or reimburse people like me who spent every dime i had on this problem!

- claudedga, Macon, GA, US

problem #42

Jun 152012

Frontier SE V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 66,000 miles

My 2005 Frontier truck 4.0 V6 is at 66,000 miles and I have had no problems with the transmission cooling lines rupturing in the radiator (lucky me), but I just got tired of thinking about this potential problem. I changed my coolant at 30K and 60K miles, so maybe that's why I've had no problems. My 8 year Nissan extended warranty will be up in 3-2013. So a buddy of mine helped me install a new CFS aftermarket radiator part # 3196 from Texas Auto Radiator in Dallas. $120 with tax + a gallon of new coolant. Not bad. This was not hard to replace but get a helper. You need two sets of hands to get this done. All the fittings and mounts are in the exact same place as the original. You will have to remove the mounts from the original radiator and attach them to your new radiator, but it's just 2 screws. Easy. You will sleep well when this job is finished and you no longer will have to worry about your original Nissan radiator failing on you.

- Regis P., Dallas, TX, US

problem #41

May 182012

Frontier LE 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 91,000 miles

Add another 2005 Nissan Frontier to the list.

My daughter noticed the truck wasn't shifting properly so we took it in for service. The local Nissan dealer gave us the bad news that the transmission was totally destroyed by a faulty radiator. They wanted to replace the radiator, REPLACE the transmission (they said they dont do rebuilds...LOL!) and oh by the way, the timing chain idler pulley also needed to be replaced so they wanted to pile on that repair as well. The cost for all this....are you sitting down.....$11,000.00 ! ! ! Not kidding. That is more than half the price of the truck when it was brand new.

Even though this is a known problem, the dealer would not give me any break at all on the parts or labor. Naturally I didnt have them do the work....so they had the nerve to still charge me the $50.00 diagnosis fee and to add insult to injury, pulled me aside and suggested I take it to another car dealer to see if I could pull a fast one and trade it in. Are you kidding me! Not only would I not feel right doing that to someone else, but how low can you get!

So I called around and would up going to a local tranny shop and had the work done for about $4000.00. Funny that I was happy to get that estimate after what the dealer wanted to charge me. The tranny shop was well aware of the problem and said they do around 10 to 15 a year for the same problem.

Sad part is, it WAS a very good truck up until this point. I WOULD have been a Nissan customer for life until this happened. But Holy Cow, I think I would rather have had this thing nickle and dime me over the years than have this disaster happen all at once!

I am a reasonable person. Nobody is perfect. Design flaws, especially in a car or truck happen to even the best companies out there. But when it does happen, owning up to the problem and standing behind their products is what separates the leaders from the rest of the pack.

- Al K., Apex, NC, US

problem #40

May 262012

Frontier LE 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 107,384 miles

click to see larger images

radiator causes transmission failure radiator causes transmission failure

I NOTICE THERE WAS A MILKY SUBSTANCE IN THE RADIATOR OF MY TRUCK. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON LINE IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF NISSAN FRONTIER OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I CALLED TWO NISSAN DEALERS NEAR MY HOUSE (GARDEN GROVE AND COSTA MESA) AND THEY ARE WELL AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. I ALSO CALLED ABOUT SEVEN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOPS AND MOST OF THEM ARE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. NISSAN DEALERS SAY THEY WOULD CHARGE ME AROUND $7000 TO MAKE THE REPAIRS. THE INDEPENDENT SHOPS SAID THEY WOULD CHARGE ME ANYWHERE FROM $2000 TO $3500 TO REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION. I CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE MY TRUCK FIXED AT THIS TIME AND AM LOOKING TO MAKE NISSAN USA RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. I CALLED NISSAN AND THEY SAID I NEED TO HAVE THE TRUCK INSPECTED AT THE NISSAN DEALER AND THE CHANCES OF THEM TAKING LIABILITY FOR A FAULTY RADIATOR ARE SLIM. MY TRUCK HAS A LITTLE OVER 107,000 MILES ON IT WHICH IS OVER THE 80,000/8 YEAR WARRANTY. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE OTHERS THAT ARE FACING THE SAME SITUATION AWARE OF NISSAN'S NEGLIGENCE. NISSAN AS LOST A CUSTOMER AND MANY OTHERS AS I AM WORKING HARD TO LET AS MANY PEOPLE AS I CAN AVOID MAKING A NISSAN PURCHASE. IF NISSAN DOES NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS I WILL BE LOOKING FOR OTHERS LIKE ME TO BOYCOTT NISSAN AUTOMOBILES!

- Joe H., Midway City, CA, US

problem #39

Feb 282012

Frontier Nismo 4.0L V6

  • CVT transmission
  • 62,650 miles

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

click to see larger images

radiator causes transmission failure radiator causes transmission failure radiator causes transmission failure radiator causes transmission failure radiator causes transmission failure

I am not angry at nissan, I am just disappointed with them. Nissan use to be more than a car company, they were a source of inspiration, but now I am not sure what to think. I really hope Nissan makes right by the people who have supported and allowed Nissan to flourish.

- David O., Hayward, CA, US

problem #38

Feb 052012

Frontier SE Crew Cab

  • Automatic transmission
  • 82,600 miles

NISSAN WON'T PAY TO FIX SAYS SINCE I DIDN'T HAVE NISSIAN DEALER DO REGULAR SERVICE ON IT. NEVER WILL BUY ANOTHER NISSAN

- jamesk1757, Brunswick, GA, US

problem #37

Jan 152012

Frontier 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 87,000 miles

Purchased the truck new. At 87000mi, felt like I was hitting chatter bumps in the middle of the expressway when on a slide grade at around 60mph. Took to mechanic, who recognized the problem. The mechanic bypassed the main radiator for the towing package radiator for the transmission and then flushed the trans 2x over a 2 week period (which isn't cheap). The problem has started to moving into shifting between gears and I am being told to expect $7k for a new trans.

- Joel S., Ringgold, GA, US

problem #36

Feb 132012

Frontier Nismo V6 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 88,000 miles

Hi there, I have been reading pages upon pages of complaints about this issue with the 2005 frontiers leaking radiator fluid into the tranny. I just called the dealership and they said that they fixed the problem. I just have to pay them $570 + labor to install a new radiator and the problem is solved. Isn't that AWESOME!?! They knew there was a problem and they fixed it, but didn't do a recall because there hasn't been enough legal action taken against them. I SAY CLASS ACTION LAW SUITE! Why not? They changed the radiator design, but won't even cut a break on the cost of the repair? If they knew it was a problem and came out with a fix, I would think that they would at very very very least offer a discounted solution as a way to avoid angry customers and not have to do a recall. But nope, they don't really seem to give a crap. Guess I'll just fix it without them, and stay away from Nissan in the future...damn you Toyota, why did you have to be so much more expensive! I would have bought you if it weren't for that 20+% price difference.

- bluedog_yz400, Gilroy, CA, US

problem #35

Feb 102012

Frontier SE 3.2L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80,400 miles

My truck started to run hot,so I check the coolant level. It was low so I added some. I didn't notice any leaks,either. A few days later I noticed that the transmission would bang when it shifted. I check the fluid, & found out it was full of antifreeze. Now the transmission is slipping.

- mikeblv, Stewartstown, PA, US

problem #34

Aug 112011

Frontier 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 97,400 miles

I took my frontier into Jeremko Nissan in Spokane. Was told that I had to replace the Trans and Radiator at the cost of $5800. Told them that I had seen on line 45 plus pages of this same problem with the frontier he told me that he knew about the problem and that i should contact the Nissan corprate office to see if they would cover it. Consumer affairs called me back told me they would look into it and call ne back as I have seen this is what they tell everyone. they of course did not cover it but they told me to try to get the Dealer to cover it since I just bought it from them 9 months ago. They had the office manager call me and he told me to come in and pick out a different truck and he would just take the loss. I thought they had great customer service boy was I wrong when I found a truck it was a downgrade compared to what I had. It was 2 years newer but had less options than my truck. The truck cost $1200 more than what I paid 9 months ago so I thought I wought have to pay some money out of pocket but when he told me he was going to give me $9000 for my truck as a trade in, which was $7700 Less then I paid. i told him this was unexeptable he said he had to cover the cost of replacing the transmission. so much for them taking the loss. I would like to contact the guy on here that mentioned the class action Lawsuit. How do I find out about this?

- cokematters, Spokane, WA, US

problem #33

Mar 252010

Frontier SE 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 78,000 miles

Started to notice vibration while shifting at 78,000 miles, carried in for repair at 81,000.

First called dealership around 78,500 miles after seeing complaints on internet, was told they had never heard of antifreeze getting into the transmission before. I was told by local transmission shops they were lying, because they had tried to repair some for the dealership, and would not hold repair, better to replace with transmission from Nissan. After replacing, Nissan extended warranty to 80,000 miles but I had no record of taking it to dealership prior to the 80,000 miles so I had to eat the $4,0000 dollars.

I am currently trying to trade for Toyota!!!!!

- kevinms, Meridian, MS, US

problem #32

Jan 102012

Frontier LE 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 82,151 miles

i called the nissan dealer because aamco told me, i would need to change the radiator and the timing senors, as soon as possible because he has been seeing a lot of problems with these parts. so i don't have anymore problems with coolant leaking in to my transmission or the motor locking up on me. i called the nissan dealer and ask the why there is no recall on these problems and the said they haven't had enough reports on these problems, i think there crazy if you look up the problems with nissan they would see there is a big problem. i guest they think people have all this money to fix there mistakes.

- Barbara R., Grovetown, GA, US

problem #31

Aug 302011

Frontier Nismo 4.2L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 88,000 miles

Radiator leaked into the transmission, had to pay 800 for the radiator, NOW have to pay $4,800 for the transmission....92,000 miles on it now. Nissan did NOTHING.

- Michael L., Longmeadow, MA, US

problem #30

Sep 142011

Frontier LE 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 81,000 miles

Upon reading all of the horror stories on this web site I was having another service that needed to be done on my truck, which you may see under the engine catagory. I DID NOT have any issues with my transmission but i did have an upgraded radiator put in my coolent and radiator fluid were fine but I did choose to spend a few hundred dollars (replacing the radiator) to avoid a few thousand dollar problem. I thank the people on this web site for all the insite and helping me to avoid a potential catostrophic problem. Do not get me wrong i am not happy with Nissan when it comes to backing their product but I do love my truck and its performance. As i wrote in another catagory save your parts and work order from your mechanic so when recalls happen you may be re embersed.

- joseph b, Warwick, RI, US

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