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.
Our 2005 Pathfinder lost all power while driving on a local highway in our town to take our daughter to school. It has an automatic transmission and would not change out of first gear. We live up on a slight hill, and it honestly felt like I was pulling a semi behind my vehicle just to get it back home without requiring a tow. Needless to say we had to keep both of our children home from school that day because this is the only vehicle we own. It angers me that Nissan refuses to make a recall on this issue!! this transmission issue has caused us to be without a vehicle for almost a month now!! it's not always easy to find people that are willing to help you out long term!! this is a huge inconvenience to our family, & we don't have the money to pay out of pocket to get this fixed. A local mechanic near where we live said he has seen this issue tons of times, and has fixed numerous amounts of Nissan vehicles due to the crack that causes the antifreeze & transmission fluids to combine and mess up everything in the transmission over time. With this being an issue on Nissan's part, I feel that they should pay to have the problem resolved!!! my husband is out of work due to an injury and will be out for an undetermined amount of time. I work part time at a local bbq restaurant in our town, and don't bring home very much each week. I pray the corporation will do the right thing and finally recall all the vehicles affected by this. $3500 dollars is the best we can find & when it gets fixed, the person we have spoke with said they will bypass the radiator when the transmission gets reinstalled making sure we never have this problem ever again!!!! sadly we don't have the money for the repairs or I would not be making this complaint. If anyone knows of any information that I don't know of please let me know!!! I am desperate to get my vehicle back!!! we have no one to help. Thx
I needed to change all sensors because check engine light and the dvd and slip light stayed on.now it will not start all the time and if it does it will die in the middle of traffic.it had to be towed to dealer.
8/31/2016 - check engine light came on during normal driving, I brought it to my local mechanic for inspection which showed the transmission has failed. This is due to the radiator and transmission intermix problem is how Nissan notes it and validated by my call to the local Nissan dealer. The car is outside the Nissan extended warranty period for this issue which is 10 years but well under the 100,000 miles as it has 80K miles at time of event. Nissan is unable to offer any financial assistance so the out of pocket cost to repair ($5-$6K) makes it not worth the repair so I'm stuck with a car that to date I have maintained very well. There was not warning signs and I am sure this problem has been going on for some time as it does not happen overnight. Very disappointing that Nissan does not take ownership of the problem that has plagued hundreds of Nissan Pathfinder owners.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the radiator failed and caused coolant to penetrate the transmission. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer to have the manufacturer warranted radiator replacement performed; however, the repair did not correct the failure. The radiator coolant penetrated the transmission and caused the engine to overheat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the radiator and the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.
- Toa Alta, PR, USA
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The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving 25 mph, a burning odor emitted from the vents. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000. Updated 12/01/16
Contamination of transmission fluid on 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. Color of coolant is purple and cloudy in overflow and radiator. Transmission has started shuttering between 35 - 45 mph. Symptoms began at 130K miles.
Coolant and transmission fluid are mixing! the transmission is starting to skip and the coolant is milky/ creamy looking and I added 3 quarts transmission fluid 7days ago and now have to add more. The coolant is being pushed out of the overflow do to the transmission fluid and coolant mixing together.
2005 Pathfinder drives great at lower speeds, but occasionally sounds and feels like I'm going over rumble strips at speeds higher than 40 mph. Took it to Nissan and was told that we have the well known issue where the radiator cracks and leaks into the transmission, ruining both. The car has 95,000 miles on it and Nissan will do nothing to help. The Nissan dealership wanted $6,500 to fix. Now I'm reading that this could have been avoided with a work around. This should have been recalled, or at the very least, information given about the work around to fix prior to the trans going out.
Vehicle has service engine light came on. Vehicle would not shift gears properly while in traffic and occur sporadically. Diagnostic code revealed P1754 a known issue with transmission and radiator.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle vibrated roughly. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission and the radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.
The coolant from the radiator leaked into the transmission in turned destroying the transmission. Shorted the safety feature in the transmission to where it would not start. I was still making payments on the vechicle when this happened. Nissan told me that it was a 100K and there was nothing they could do about it. I ruined my credit and 2 years later I am still having my check garnished for this horrible recall.. they repoed the vehicle and sold it for scrap and left me holding the bill because I could afford a $7000 fix!!! someone needs to be held accountable for the horrible recall
Approx. 1 year ago I noticed that my engine coolant had trans fluid in it so I looked online and found the extended warranty. I then took the Pathfinder into hamilton Nissan in hagerstown md. They replaced the radiator and installed a rebuilt transmission. About 3 weeks ago I noticed that the Pathfinder was not shifting into overdrive. Now the transmission will not shift into overdrive and now slips in and out of 2nd and 3rd gear. This is very dangerous. I was almost T-boned this morning because the Pathfinder would not go into gear while the trans was in drive, which is why I am submitting this complaint.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving 40 mph, there was an abnormal vibration to the vehicle. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the radiator fluid leaked into the transmission. The contact was informed that the radiator, transmission, and transmission cooling lines needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000. The VIN was not available.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Benton, AR, USA