I just purchased this vehicle two years ago. I have had nothing but repair problems since. I have had three sets of front brake calipers, rotors and pads of course. It's non-stop repair and I am sick of this truck.
Wish I would have known about this issue before the leak happened. It is a very easy fix IF you do it before the transmission cooler begins to leak. Otherwise, expect to drop 5-6K on a new tranny and radiator. The way Nissan has jerked costumers around on this issue and on the timing belt tensioner issue, I will never buy a Nissan again.
My father-in-law brought his truck in to the local Nissan dealership since the "Service Engine" light had been on.
They found that the radiator had a leak in it and was getting into the transmission. The technician said it would cost $6,000 to have the radiator and transmission replaced!
My father-in-law is retired and doesn't have that kind of money to spend on an issue like this. He could probably buy a decent used car for that amount and would never have that kind of problem!
I used to like Nissan. I was a fan of the brand. But after encountering this problem with them, I don't think I'll consider/recommend purchasing a vehicle from them.
Truck cannot be driven and is at the mechanic's while I try to figure how to pay for the repair costs. I still have a significant vehicle loan so fixing the problem is my only recourse. The extended warranty offered by Nissan does not seem to apply / provide any relief due to my truck's age and mileage. Not sure what to do but very angry and frustrated.
My story - This vehicle was originally my demo while I was employed at a Nissan dealership for which I had worked there for 26 years. About every 4 years I would get a new demo as part of my pay plan. [nice perk]
The vehicle in question is the 2008 Nissan Frontier that was given to me for my use as a demo in 2008 as a new vehicle with zero miles on it. Being with the dealer all work was performed by the factory trained Nissan techs at no cost to me. [another nice perk] Fast forward to 2012.. The owner of the dealership in 2012 decided to sell the dealership due to age/retirement. This put me out on the street to find employment as well as other employees of the company.
On March 2012, the company offered me to purchase this 2008 Nissan Frontier that now had 85,000 miles on it. It was in excellent condition and over the many years I had great experience with these trucks. They were always reliable for me. From March 2012 to Sept 28th 2015 I put more miles on it while I performed the required service to the Truck. The current mileage as of Sept 28th 2015 is @ 161,000 miles. Most all of these collected miles are highway use as I had commuted to and from work was about 60 miles both ways. I also work with the Boy Scouts as a Scoutmaster for a local Troop which on the weekends put miles on the truck as well.
The only major issues that I have had with this vehicle since 2008 @ 100,000 miles was a rear axle carrier bearing had worn out and a left front wheel bearing being replaced. All the other mech. stuff has been the normal brakes, tires, oil changes etc.. all performed by myself. My back ground has been a master certified ASE mechanic for over 20 plus years...
On Sept 28th 2015 in the early morning just after leaving my house, the transmission bucked a few times and then the check engine light came on in just a few seconds. I drove right back to my house to which I had not driven far. When I arrived home, I went to check the transmission fluid [this model you have to use a 10mm socket to be able to remove the dipstick] and found some antifreeze in the transmission, I further check the radiator and found transmission fluid in there. That is when I discovered the trans cooler had failed internally allowing the mixing of fluids. At this point I was not sure if the transmission would be ok if I just flushed it and put in fresh J matic transmission fluid and replace the radiator. I decided to check the website to see what a used or new trans would cost if this might be a route I may have to take.
This is when I discovered that Nissan, the manufacture of this vehicle had a problem with a defective part, which was a radiator trans cooler. It seemed to me that Nissan was not doing much in the early stages of this defective part, so a class action law suit had to be brought against Nissan. The websites I kept reading had mixed complaints from some very angry Nissan owners where they had to pay some or all of the money to get the problem corrected. After 100,000 miles you were out of luck. After reading about this, I became concerned with the next steps to take. One question I asked myself was how long would my transmission have lasted if the cooler had not failed? By the transmission cooler failing due to a defective parts I would have never found that out as it has forced me to park this vehicle. This is primarily due to two kids in college.
No money for trans..
I know I'm not alone and there are other Nissan owners who have had and or are currently in my situation. I was not included in the decision process with Nissan and the class action law suit. This truck is not only used for my transportation to and from work, but to use it for the Boy Scouts on camping events etc..
On Sept 28th 2015 after reading about the Nissan owners complaints, I reported it to Nissan Consumer Affairs on the day it happened and open a case # with them. N.C.A. told me to take the truck to a Nissan Dealer to have them confirm the breached trans cooler. I contacted my local Nissan Dealer and spoke with the service Manager who point blank told me that I would be wasting my money and that after he checked with the Nissan's District Service Manager, Nissan would not be picking up any expense.
Meanwhile, Nissan Consumer Affairs keeps calling me to get it in to get it checked out to which I asked N. C. A. if they would pay the check out fee if it was a defective part as per the law suit, because if I did I would be throwing $115.00 into the trash can. Nissan would not step up and at least pay the check out fee. [I had already confirmed the trans cooler had failed by my own testing] the only recourse I have is to contact the local media and other sources to bring this to more of a public awareness in how the big car companies ignore those customers that helped get them to who they are today. Maybe I need to park this vehicle on a trailer next to Nissan dealers with bright yellow signs/markings stating how Nissan is treating their consumers.
Frontier, I bought it not even a month ago from a small dealership, took it to Nissan dealership to get oil change and I come out with transmission & radiator no good due to factory defect, never mention on car fax.
After having the vehicle for only 9 months the vehicle's radiator failed pushing antifreeze into the transmission causing the transmission to fail. The vehicle will not even start. I had to have it towed to a transmission specialist for a diagnoses. He told me that this is what happened. I was never notified to any problems with the truck.
To my understanding, there was a Class Action Lawsuit done on some of these vehicles but since I was not on the "list" I am out of luck.
not much to say, i love my truck take great care... tranny started slipping , took it into dealer for service and was told that its not a recall item and that they had extended warranties and at 90k i gotta pay. so i gotta fix it, its my work vehicle and if i dont work i dont eat so im gonna truly think long and hard about what to do after shes right, but one thing is for sure: NISSAN AS A COMPANY WHO TAKES CARE OF THEIR CONSUMERS IS A TOTAL AND UTTER FALACY, DAMN ME FOR NOT BUYING AMERICAN.
Nissan should cover this the trans ecm is in or on valve body a estimate on trans is 4800-5000 dollars not includind a radiator thats been modified to not cause this problem again. Im afraid to pull anything now with this bypassed an my aux cooler only cooling trans. People jusr dnt hv 5000 to give away for a defect nissan knows about. theres alot of vehicles ive seen having this issue. also Toyota prerunners my friends busted last week ridiculous. I want mine fixed or pay me an ill have it fixed come on.people i think yall agree.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I just purchased this vehicle two years ago. I have had nothing but repair problems since. I have had three sets of front brake calipers, rotors and pads of course. It's non-stop repair and I am sick of this truck.
- Chris C., Media, PA, US