CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2005-2007 Pathfinder appears to have a widespread defect where coolant leaks into the transmission, causing transmission failure around 90,000 miles. Repair costs are typically upwards of $3,500.
According to the New York Times & a class action lawsuit, the defect actually extends through 2010 model year. More info here.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
106,216 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Nissan has a recall on the transmission only up to 100,000 miles. I purchased the vehicle at 98,000 but did not know about recall. I contacted Nissan and since it is over 100,000 they will not fix their mistake on engineering this vehicle. So I now have a vehicle that is setting in my driveway and will not run! the transmission is completely useless and I do not have $6000 to fix it!! I feel Nissan should be liable for the faulty vehicles no matter what mileage considering it only happens in higher mileage. Nissan has told me that they will not fix it and it is now my responsibility to do so.
Driving in town roughly 25 miles, the truck slowed down, you hit the gas to excel and it stops eventually. The mechanic says the transmission coolant leaked, mixed and need to replace the transmission and trained and leaned the radiator.
My Pathfinder locked in 4WD while switch was still in 2wd and would not start back after towing to dealership I find out it is the radiator leaking into the transmission and both will have to be replaced at $4900. If my wife would of been on a road with more traffic it would of been bad for her and my two year old. We have only owned the car for a year and nothing but problems out of it and our Altima. We have always been Nissan owners but will never buy again this is evidently a really common problem and Nissan's customer appreciation is awful.
Transmission went out on vehicle while it was in motion causing vehicle to stall and difficulty picking up speed to merge into 65mph highway traffic almost resulting in a collision. When vehicle was towed to transmission shop, they informed me that these Nissan Pathfinders are known for having bad radiators causing water to enter transmissions making the transmission to suddenly go out...I then had it towed to a second shop and they confirmed radiator went bad. Radiator was replaced but transmission is completely out due to the radiator.
1st - fuel gauge does not indicate whether tank is full and service engine light is constantly on. Informed that this was a common problem, but no recall for my vehicle. Will cost $1,000 to replace, still have not done. 2nd - was driving my 2005 Pathfinder on highway, alone with my 2.5 year old daughter, rpms surge, car won't accelerate, forced to pull over in the middle of nowhere ok, towed to Nissan dealership for $200. Dealership says that radiator and transmission both need to be replaced. Do a google search to find that this is a common issue on this year, make and model and repairs total approximately $4,800. Since my mileage is at 101,500, 1,500 miles over warranty, Nissan will offer no copay. Why is there no recall" does somebody need to be seriously injured or killed for this to happen" shame on Nissan for putting people in danger. Had my car serviced at Nissan dealership where purchased, no one ever informed me of this problem so I could have taken care of it before it was too late.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine service when the contact was told that the radiator was leaking fluid into the transmission. The contact stated that the transmission had been hesitant. The dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 102,500.
It appears the radiator failed leaking coolant into the transmission. When I asked the mechanic about it he said that now your transmission will fail soon. I have been reading that this is very common and has happened alot with this year and model which I believe to be totally not acceptable.
Was exiting a side street onto a high traffic road turning left, crossing oncoming traffic. Vehicle lurched forward then lost all forward acceleration. Leaving me in oncoming traffic lane. A separate vehicle nearly impacted the front driver door of my vehicle, sliding to a stop. Upon vehicle inspection at the local dealer, it was determined the radiator that houses a transmission cooler failed and mixed anti-freeze in with the transmission, causing the vehicle to degrade quickly, causing a spurt of vehicle acceleration due to a large transmission slip. This could have cause a very serious injury or death had the other vehicle made contact with my vehicle.
While backing out of a parking space my check engine light came on and it felt like my transmission was slipping. I had the vehicle towed to the Nissan dealer. They told me the radiator failed and the radiator fluid seeped into the transmission fluid causing everything to fail. 80, 000 miles is the warranty. I am just over that. They are offering me a $2500 co pay but I feel they should take care of this problem. There should be a recall on the radiator to prevent this problem.
I was driving on a highway back from getting groceries in a town 45 miles from me. All of a sudden the car started revving. I took it off of cruise control and tried pressing on the gas. Nothing happened. I pulled off to the side of the road and called a tow truck. After several hours sitting on the side of the road in the dark and by myself, I got it towed back to my town, 35 miles away. I found out that the transmission had gone out. I took it to a transmission shop and they told me that it was the cooling system had leaked into my transmission and fired the tcm. It will cost me $4600 to fix it. I found out that there is a recall on this problem after the fact of it happening and now they refuse to fix their mistake. They will cover up to 80000 miles for the recall and up to 100000 miles with a deductible of $2500. And nothing after 100000. Why did they not inform us of this problem" does anyone have a law suit going on this"
Failed transmission fluid cooler located in the radiator assembly that allowed coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid, resulting in damaged internal transmission components and a damaged internal transmission computer.
The Nissan Pathfinder complete shut down down and then would not go into reverse. I restarted the vehicle and the slip light was on--the car would not go into reverse. I then parked the car and returned next morning and the car electronics apparently reset (apparently) and the car would go into reverse. After driving for 10 km, the slip light came on and I drove it promptly into Nissan repair (overseas). The repair center informs me to not drive the car--possible damage to the transmission and that we need to get a part called valve assembly 31705ea30A; I must have this shipped, and cost for repair labor is $1,000 larie (667.00 usd). The issue is that the car died out as I was entering into a parking lot and a car hit me in the rear--luckily I was not on a highway when this happened. I have minor rear bumper damage>approximately 200 usd; I would have been seriously injured as well as my wife, if this had happened on the highway or in major traffic flow. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the transmission failed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and it was determined that the coolant from the radiator leaked into the transmission and caused the transmission to fail. The transmission would need to be replaced. The failure and the current mileages were 90,000.
My wife observed issue with gas or brakes for last couple months. I thought it was brakes and I had just bleed and replaced fluid which helped. On 6/20/13 I made left turn on my home street and transmission did not respond. I was stuck in middle of road and luckily no cars were approaching. At first I thought car stalled and tried to restart but realized the engine was still running. At that moment I knew what it was (failed transmission from cross contamination). I drove directly to reliable Nissan in albuquerque where they verified the bad news. This really proves this is a manufacturing defect. My car has all proper maintenance and only has 54600 miles. I am the original owner. The vehicle looks brand new. I had just talked to both service managers from both the local dealers about my fears about this possibly happening. Even had them check and they said the radiator was ok. I am only 50 days past my 8 years and with only 54600 miles Nissan refuses to provide any good will. I am still stuck paying 2500 dollars. Nissan keeps insisting this is not a safety issue. Loosing propulsion is a safety issue. Even in driving school I was trained that power, can avoid a possible disaster just as well as brakes. This is fact. Too many close calls reported on this issue and its sad that our government only acts when cars explode and people die. I have noticed that this issue is increasing exponentially putting the risk of death and injury a more probable outcome. From last February almost 29 percent more cases reported in just 4 months. I worked with my dealers trying to avoid this. Did all the trans oil changes, radiator flushes and asked if I could do anything to avoid this disaster and also had them inspect my radiator just a few months back. And yet, my brand new looking, meticulously maintained Pathfinder needs a new transmission and radiator.
I just bought this car, and had a problem with transmission to begin with, following with the fuel level sensor (just started), I had to replace the transmission, radiator, now I have to replace the fuel sensor, and 2 days ago the plastic heater receiver that is located in firewall of car had melted, and all anti-freeze had gone and the motor got overheated (why plastic made", instead of brass??"), so the dealer said that I had to replace the whole piece ($250) plus labor, it is incredible how this car company called Nissan is loosing their prestige since started to assembly in us, it is just making more money out of the people with all these crappy parts they are using. We need the federal government to be involved and give us back the money spent on these manufacturing defects as soon as possible.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that radiator fluid leaked into the transmission. As a result, the transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 134,000.
I brought our Pathfinder in to our mechanic for an oil change and inspection. He said that the radiator is going bad. Specifically the coolant that is attached to the transmission. He said that we should not drive the vehicle, as it could blow the transmission. We are lucky that he did such a thorough inspection, as we had no warning signs. I googled the problem and found your website, and that this has been an ongoing problem with Nissan. Our mechanic said he recently had to replace two radiators, one on a 2009 Nissan Pathfinder and another on a Nissan (truck)...I can't remember the model and year.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Elizabethtown, KY, USA