I was on trip to beach . entering hwy 17 (70 mph speed limit) traffic my 2007 Nissan frontier transmission failed to respond to an increase in acceleration and truck slowed instead of increasing in speed. I moved to right of highway on emergency lane, stopped, place transmission in park. motor seemed to be ok. I placed truck in drive and proceeded on trip. upon returning home I placed truck in Nissan dealership in Salisbury n.c. and was told a cracked radiator cooling line had ruptured and my transmission and radiator would have to be replaced at a cost of 2500.oo I had no choice but have the truck repaired. this could have caused a accident . my entering 70 mph traffic and truck failing to increase speed due to transmission failure could have cost our life., my truck had 68000 miles on odometer.

Results of COMPLAINT ACTIVITY REPORT Case # 37136289 Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee, Inc

Consumer Info: Johnson, D. Business Info: Nissan North America, Inc.

135 Street One Nissan Way

, KY 4**0 Franklin, TN 37067-6367

800 647 7261

Consumer's Original Complaint :

2007 Nissan Frontier needing $6,500.00 in repairs due to a known radiator cross contamination product defect. Truck is 200 miles over warranty.

I'm writing out of concern for my Dad. He is 70 years old and on social security. He owns an 07 Nissan Frontier that was worth approximately $10,000. Due to a known radiator cross contamination problem his truck needs a minimum of $6,500.00 in repairs. It needs a new radiator, new transmission, EMC control panel & something else, I can't remember. Due to a class action suit my Dad was never aware of, Nissan attached an extended warranty to his VIN # for the cross contamination repair. He was never made aware of the extended warranty either.

I have already spoken to a Regional Customer Service Representative and she stated that the truck was 2,000 miles outside the perimeter of warranty and Nissan would not do anything to help my Dad. His truck is not 2,000 miles over the warranty, it is only 200 miles over. (I've read on-line that the majority of problems occur right after the vehicle rolls over 100,000 miles.) She stated that even if my Dad's truck was in the perimeter of the extended warranty he would have to pay a $3,000 co-pay. He can't afford a $3,000 co-pay. He's not the owner of a luxury vehicle for a reason. Secondly, I can't believe that Nissan knew about the product defect and did not warn my Dad. The Regional Service Representative stated that the class action suit did not require that Nissan contact my Dad. What? Nissan knew he could be in danger if the truck quit while he was driving, but they didn't contact him because the suit did not force them.

When my Dad's truck broke down he had to pay a tow truck $150 to get it to an independently owned garage. The repairman knew right away what the problem was because it was such a common problem in Nissan vehicle's and one he had repaired several times. The repairman adheres to a religion that does not have TV's in their homes. I realized that if this repairman, in such a small community, without media access, knew of the defect based on the number of repairs he had done, then it was a really BIG problem. I got on-line, read about the Class Action suit, called Nissan, and they suggested Dad have his truck towed to the closest Nissan Dealership 87 miles away to see if their service tech diagnosed the same problem. This cost him another $150. That brings his total out of pocket to $300. The service tech diagnosed the same problem. Now he owes the service department $105.30 for diagnosing the problems. This will bring his out of pocket to $405.30. Since the Nissan representative said Nissan was not going to help him with the repairs he is going to have to pay another $150.00 to tow his basically worthless truck back home. That brings his total to $555.30. My Dad will not be able to sell the truck, or trade it in. When he gets it home, at best, he can sell the truck for scrap metal.

Please Keep in mind that my Dad is 70 years old and on social security. When he gets his truck back home he will have spent $555.30 out of his pocket and be stuck with a truck that still needs at least $6,500.00 in repairs. If I had the money I would have his truck fixed, but I can't afford it. I am angry because I feel like my Dad has been hoodwinked. I can't believe that the media hasn't brought more attention to this issue, especially since Nissan has not shown any concern or regard for the owners and informed them.

The complaint case number given to me by the Regional Customer Service Specialist is 24138974.

Consumer's Desired Resolution:

My Dad and I are requesting that Nissan cover the full cost of repairing his truck. My Dad has already paid $300.00 out of his pocket and is willing to pay the $105.30 bill at the Nissan Service Department. He cannot afford $6,500 or even the $3,000 co-pay. If Nissan does not step up and cover the cost of repairs for his truck the value of his truck will be the going price for scrap metal. Of course Dad was not aware of the problems with Nissan radiators and transmissions because somehow this has been kept very quiet. Had the facts been disclosed to him and he chose to buy the truck then he would have had to assume the cost of repairs. But, he did not knowingly buy a defective truck. It's a shame that Dad had enough confidence in the quality of Nissan trucks to buy one and they did not have the decency to contact him about the cross contamination problem. What will be an even bigger shame is if Nissan refuses to cover the cost of repairs caused by a long standing product defect, for a senior citizen owner.

BBB Processing

10/03/2016 web BBB Case Received by BBB

10/05/2016 KWB BBB Member Complaint Reviewed by BBB Operator

10/05/2016 Otto EMAIL Send Acknowledgement to Consumer

10/05/2016 Otto EMAIL Inform Member of Complaint

10/12/2016 WEB BBB RECEIVE BUSINESS RESPONSE : Thank you for contacting Nissan North America and allowing us the opportunity to review Ms. Johnson's request regarding her father's 2007 Frontier. We are sorry to learn of Ms. Johnson's experience and apologize for any inconvenience or frustration the situation may have caused.

So that we may provide the best service, a Regional Specialist will contact Ms. Johnson by the close of business on October 13, 2016, to review her concerns further. Should Ms. Johnson have any questions before then, she is welcome to contact Nissan Consumer Affairs at 1-800-647-7261 (Option 7) and reference case number 24138974.

Thank you.

10/12/2016 KWB EMAIL Forward Business response to Consumer

10/18/2016 WEB BBB RECEIVED CONSUMER REBUTTAL : (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)

The same Nissan Service Rep whom we had previously spoken to called my Dad and offered a big Whopping $2,500 toward the $6.500 needed to get his truck running. Of course he doesn't have any choice but to refuse the offer because there isn't any way he could come up with the other $4,000. He is 70 years old and on Social Security. He could just as likely come up with 4 million. I'm sure this offer came at the directive of the North American Nissan Headquarters. They should be ashamed. The Nissan truck warranty commercials currently running on TV make me nauseous. In my Dad's experience his Nissan truck became absolutely worthless in regards to use as transportation, just after it rolled over 100,000 miles. Actually, 200 miles over the 100,000 mile warranty. As I stated in my complaint I learned from blogs about this well known, long standing, transmission & radiator cross contamination Nissan product defect when I searched the internet for answers after my Dad's truck broke down. Nissan was forced to address this issue after a class action suit and attached a 100,000 mile warranty to defective vehicles, but did not tell the owners. My Dad can't sell his truck or trade it. He can't go out an buy another one when he is stuck with this hunk of junk. He's going to have to pay the bill at the Nissan dealership for diagnosing the problem and PAY TO HAVE HIS TRUCK TOWED HOME! He will then be out $555.30. HERE'S THE REAL KICKER...NISSAN REFUSED TO BUY BACK THEIR OWN TRUCK!!! My Dad did not even suggest a price. Just the mention of it brought a swift, "NO." That in and of itself should tell you every thing you need to know. Yep, Nissan has won, they have saved themselves some money. Probably sitting somewhere exalted in themselves. While I watch my Dad park his truck somewhere hoping he will have the money to get it running again, someday. When I know he will have to eventually have it TOWED to the scrap metal yard. (Just a thought...that may make a good YOUTUBE video.) The thoughts of how my Dad has been treated makes me livid. I'm thinking about putting a sign on his broken down parked truck explaining the circumstances surrounding his Nissan truck. I do know I am going to tell as many people as I can about my Dad's Nissan truck experience, whether it be verbal, written, social media, etc., so others do not find themselves in the same position by spending their hard earned money on a Nissan vehicle. For the sake of hard working Americans looking to purchase a vehicle the BBB rating given to Nissan should definitely reflect how Nissan treats its customers. Re: No warning about defective vehicles and unwillingness to pay the full cost to fix their defective vehicles, etc. PLEASE BBB DON'T HELP NISSAN SWEEP THIS UNDER THE RUG. Had my Dad even had an inkling of the problems with NISSAN vehicles, from a reputable source, he wouldn't be in this position today. Nissan could have admitted their defect, repaired the defective vehicles, and built an enduring reputation as a trust worthy company who really cares about their customers. Talk about customer loyalty after such a noble act! But, instead they chose, in my opinion, a shifty position to dealing with the defective vehicles. In the back of my mind I wonder if anyone has ever been seriously injured or Heaven forbid lost their life due to a defective Nissan vehicle and the family never realized the cause. I read somewhere that some car companies compare the cost of litigation to the cost of repairing defective vehicles to decide which is the most cost effective for them. Needless to say which one they normally choose. Some companies lack the ethics/morals to self-regulate. It is up to you to help protect the consumer. PLEASE!

#NEVERANISSAN

10/19/2016 KWB EMAIL Forward Consumer Rebuttal to Business

10/27/2016 WEB BBB RECEIVED BUSINESS' REBUTTAL RESPONSE : We appreciate Ms. Johnson and Mr. Hamilton's patience while NNA reviewed their request for financial assistance with the radiator and transmission repairs.

Our records indicate Mr. Hamilton's 2007 Frontier is outside of both the Radiator Assembly Warranty Extension and the manufacturer's five years/60,000 miles Powertrain Warranty. We are appreciative of his patronage and for that reason, we offered to contribute $2,500 towards radiator and transmission repairs. At this time, NNA is not in the position to offer additional assistance as Ms. Johnson's father has already declined our original offer.

Should Ms. Johnson's father decide to accept Nissan's offer, he is welcome to contact the Specialist directly and reference case number 24138974.

Thank you.

10/27/2016 KWB BBB Send Consumer Rebuttal - No New Offer - ANSWERED

10/27/2016 Otto BBB Inform Business - Case Closed ANSWERED

10/27/2016 Otto BBB Case Closed ANSWERED

10/27/2016 BBB MORE INFO RECEIVED FROM THE CONSUMER : IMO Misrepresentation in response to Nissan...

There was not a 'first' offer probably the reason response did not state the $ amount of 'first' offer. Didn't state how few miles he is outside of warranty. He's only two hundred miles 'out of extended warranty.' State 'Not in the position' as through there is some law or regulation preventing Nissan from helping my Dad. Nissan is definitely in a position to help my Dad, but just refuse too.

I own a 2007 Nissan Frontier, I just experienced the problem that many here have complained about. Took my truck in because it felt as if the transmission was slipping, was advised then that this is a known problem with Nissan Frontiers. Engine coolant is leaking into the transmission causing them to fail. I had to replace the transmission at the cost of 895.00 or so and still not sure of the status of the transmission. Was told by the dealer to contact Nissan NA, got a call and was told since my truck had 133,015 miles it was not covered under warranty.

I have never received anything from Nissan advising that this is a known problem or any type of recall notice. This in my opinion is bad business. If consumers had been made aware of the design flaw I am sure they would not hesitate to have their vehicles repaired.

This needs to be investigated to the fullest and consumers should be reimbursed for the repairs they have had to pay for.

I purchased a 2007 Frontier in 2007 and have put 164,000 miles on it. All my services have been at the Nissan Dealership at the recommended intervals. My transmission just failed and the estimated cost of repair is just under $5,000.00 and the dealer won’t do it for anything less than $6,500.00 is unreasonable and unfair. Being that Nissan was aware of this ongoing problem with this model vehicle and not warn the owner of said vehicles is absolute malicious negligence.

If I had been warned of a known and or potential problem that could have been remedied with a cost of around $500.00 versus $5,500.00, I would have taken the option of replacing the radiator in a heartbeat.

Nissan should have had the decency to warn its customers of such an issue even if it was not a recall. Just to inform their customers that potential high cost repairs could be avoided if a lower cost replacement of the radiator was performed.

Very unsatisfied 4 time Nissan owner

After having a local transmission shop check out the transmission, I was told that this problem of water getting into the transmission is a very common one for this vehicle. I asked if there was a Nissan recall or anything and they were not sure. I had them fix the radiator (Which seems to be the culprit) and we were hoping that the transmission and computers etc. would not have been affected by the water. Unfortunately--not so. Seems like the computer is whacked out now and will probably have to get transmission replaced. Total for this + work performed already about $3,500.00.

Spoke with Dealer, said they could not do anything and then called Nissan home office in N.A.

Absolutely no help even though they lost a class action suit, I found on the internet, but because my truck has over 100,000 miles on it! No help!

PS, since I bought the truck used Nissan said it was not their job to notify me or He may have said they would not have been responsible for notifying me when and if a recall was made. I am not satisfied and feel Nissan should take responsibility for an obvious manufacturers defect!

I own a 2007 Nissan Frontier, recently the truck started shaking and rumbling as the transmission changed gears. This usually occurred during first and second gear. The truck also seemed to have no forward drive as I was entering a highway. Took truck into dealer to get it analyzed! HA, how surprised I was to learn that the transmission had radiator fluid in it and the radiator had transmission fluid in it! I really thought it was a joke and the dealer just wanted to make money (since I'm a women). The dealer assured me this was not a joke and I would need to replace the radiator with a new design, replace the transmission because it was shot due to the radiator fluid and I would also need a new thermostat. COST $5,300 without tax!!

The dealer told me to Google it, that it's all over the internet! So I did. Nissan never had a recall and never notified me this could even be an issue. Nissan knew about this problem and refuses to take responsibility! Nissan was involved in a class action lawsuit, and a Federal Judge agreed with Nissan's offer, but never notified it's consumers. The deadline to file is WAY over!!! Had I been aware of this issue sooner I could have had the radiator replaced with the new design and saved myself some $$ and a huge headache.

I truly believe this is a Nissan design flaw and that Nissan North America Corporation should pay for the damage to my vehicle. If Nissan North America felt it necessary to make a radiator redesign than it certainly knew there was a FLAW! This should not be MY problem, it should be Nissan's problem! I'm so angry, I'm calling and emailing every Nissan Executive until I get reimbursed for their design flaw. I will fight for 30 years or until I die (whichever comes first)!!!!!!

I have never evan heard of this problem till i started researching... What happens is that thier is an inercoller inside this make and models radiator that connects to the transmission and that seal apperently just wares out and cracks witch mixes your radiator fluid with your transmission fluid. this mixture gets in the entire colling system, witch will cause atleast a new radiator and possibly a new transmission if you dont stop driving the vehichle imediatly. this is a heavily expensive and leanthy procedure to fix...It is absoulutely redicules that the investigation on this matter over the past 5 years has not bin a recall yet!!

Bought my Frontier as used in 2010 and was 2 payments from having it paid off. #@&*$%!!!!

Really loved my truck until the radiator caused a fatal error in the transmission. Replacement costs look to be $4500. Somehow, I had never heard of this radiator-transmission problem until it had already happened. I was blown away at all the Frontier owners with the same problem.

Shame on Nissan for knowing about this possible disaster-in-waiting and not making sure that every Frontier owner new the possible risks and finding remedies.

Drove a very short distance near my work and heard a bubbling sound in the engine compartment, knew immediately something was wrong with the radiator. A few seconds later it was like a small explosion and I was able to park. The goo coming from underneath was unlike anything I had seen before. I had USAA tow it off, dealership said crack in the radiator caused fluids to mix and corrupt the transmission and found out 15 days later that nothing would be covered. Didn't know about the massive, wide-spread problems with this exact scenario. Dealer didn't know, insurance and adjuster never said anything. Wasn't until a small town mechanic told my mother-in-law, that we heard about these issues from other Nissan owners. I am hesitant to have factor parts put back in it if, according to others, the same problem could re-occur.

Two years and less than 20000 miles after having the radiator fail and ruin the transmission and giving Nissan $2500+tax to fix it there was oil in the radiator. Brought the vehicle back to the dealer who said that it was just residue from the previous failure. Vehicle has now just over 100000 miles and is no longer covered under Nissan's extended warranty but is sluggish and rough at 40 miles an hour... I am pretty sure they just brushed me off until they wouldn't have to cover the repairs, wanted me to trade it in on a new truck but I will never buy another Nissan vehicle! Hopefully I can trade this POS in before it fails completely...