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.

2005 Nissan Pathfinder drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2005 Nissan Pathfinder Owner Comments (Page 6 of 23)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #350

Mar 282015

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 120,058 miles

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

The radiator on my Pathfinder has cracked and allowed coolant to get into the transmission fluid. This has ruined not only my radiator but also my transmission.

- Searcy, AR, USA

problem #349

Mar 192015

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 109,000 miles
Nissan needs to formally recall several vehicles with radiator/ transmission problems. In my case while I was driving my vehicle suddenly came to a stop while I was on the road driving at a speed of 55 mph. My vehicle shut down and I tried to turn on luckily it turned on and began to run again. I pressed on the accelerator it did not run more than 20 mph. I decided to tow my vehicle to a local mechanic to have it diagnosed since I was terrified of it shutting down once again in the middle of the road. My mechanic diagnosed my vehicle and concluded that fluid from the radiator had leaked into the transmission. Nonetheless, he expressed to me that this was nothing new he had seen with these vehicles. He told me that he had fixed a couple in just this last year. According to his past clients Nissan failed to do anything to correct the problem regardless of the potential hazard. I visited the dealer in which I have purchased the vehicle and explain the service man my concern. He clearly told me that my warranty was over and that the lawsuit against Nissan to be reimbursed had ended in 2013. I told him that my vehicle frequently comes to their service center for maintenance and if they were aware of the failure in theses vehicles once they reach their 100,000 miles why did they fail to correct the problem before it occurred. It surprises me that Nissan failed to inform any of its consumers of the problem when it was going through a lawsuit. He then proceeded to tell me that he could not help me and referred me to corporate office. I was told I would be called within two days. I received the call back from Nissan simply telling me my case was reviewed and they could not do anything due to the fact that my warranty is over. Nissan is putting the lives of their consumers in danger and is hiding behind their warranty guidelines to avoid correcting their engineering errors.

- Lakeview Terrace, CA, USA

problem #348

Sep 102014

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 118,000 miles
Re: transmission fluid mixed with radiator fluid causing transmission to fail. Had to rebuild transmission. I received no notice of the class action lawsuit re: Nissan transmission/ radiator leak issues. In September of 2014 my transmission started to fail. I had it looked at by two different shops and they advised a radiator and transmission replacement. This cost me: $5400 out of pocket. I now read that Nissan had a class action lawsuit and would cover some cars. My car however, is over 100,000 miles and Nissan is not offering any compensation. This is totally unacceptable and I am beyond frustrated with Nissan.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #347

Mar 142015

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 158,874 miles

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

While driving down to the title department the day after I purchased my newest vehicle I've ever owned I was hit with the sad reality of an untrue man selling me his problem my transmission has antifreeze in the fluid it will drive fine until it heats up and the fluid gets to the transmission it is not safe this should be a recall they no it's a problem and also my seatbelt light for passenger seat even when someone sit in that seat the sensor does not work.

- Rockwell , NC, USA

problem #346

Jan 232015

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 133,000 miles
I took my Pathfinder into a local shop because I started hearing noise coming from the transmission at around 45 mph. I was informed antifreeze got into my transmission fluid due to a radiator failure. The shop replaced the radiator and flushed the tranny. Over a $600 bill. The shop hoped it would fix the problem without rebuilding or replacing the transmission. No luck!! now I am looking at another $4000 plus on something that should never have happened. I was told by many shops including the local dealer that this is a known problem. If proactive by the manufacture could have been fixed with replacement of the radiator. Instead, Nissan decided to extend the warranty. Never informing customers to have inspected for premature failure of the radiator or tranny.

- Estill Springs, TN, USA

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problem #345

Mar 092015

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 173,000 miles
Me and my 6 month old daughter were going down the road when my car lost all power and was like it had been shifted into neutral. My brakes weren't working properly but I got us off the road and had the car towed. After our repair guy checked all the wiring and ran test and pulled the transmission pan off the radiator coolant had leaked into the transmission full resulting in the gears messing up and the entire car undriveable. We knew about this problem and had contacted Nissan 6 months prior to check the recall and was told this vehicle had been fixed....obviously not. If it had been fixed it wasn't fixed properly or it would not have failed again many trips have been taken since then and now we are over 100,000 miles and it's a $3800 fix because Nissan either lied and it was never fixed to start with or didn't correctly fix it the first time.

- Toccoa, GA, USA

problem #344

Oct 132014

Pathfinder

  • 130,000 miles

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

The radiator leaked into the transmission causing a transmission failure.

- Parachute, CO, USA

problem #343

Dec 042012

Pathfinder

  • 90,000 miles
Radiator coolant getting into transmission causing the short circuit, transmission computer is inside the transmission which destroys the transmission causing replacement, radiator replacement, thermostat and computer sensors replacement. Cost for replacement in this Pathfinder approx. $5,500 - $6,000 and the remaining loan on the Pathfinder is almost the same amount! according to the local dealership this is a major default of Nissan and a major problem with more complaints than they themselves can count. This Pathfinder belongs to an 83 year old man who uses this transportation to travel with his 80 year old wife to and from 90% medical use, now he can not afford to have the repairs and to no fault of his and due to Nissan's default and will not agree to fix the problem, the Pathfinder can no longer be used and the loan payments are still coming in.

- Muscle Shoals, AL, USA

problem #342

Feb 112015

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 93,000 miles
I began to hear a noise and hesitation in gear change. Told tires but continue to hear. Had a oil change at twin city Nissan. Rep advice coolant in transmission would charge $3000 to repair and warranty on radiator expires soon. Radiator and transmission and fluids flushed for $3000 cost to me. Contact 1800 Nissan 1 and told over 368 complaints its manufacturing defect he advice can't. help.

- Port Arthur , TX, USA

problem #341

Jan 232015

Pathfinder

  • 158,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving approximately 45 mph, the transmission seized and the check engine warning light illuminated continuously. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the radiator fluid leaked into the transmission, which caused the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 158,000.

- Atoka, TN, USA

problem #340

Jan 062015

Pathfinder

  • 117,400 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine sensor light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that fluid from the radiator had leaked into the transmission. The transmission and radiator would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,400.

- Sanford, NC, USA

problem #339

Apr 102013

Pathfinder

  • 189,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 189,000.

- Pittsburg, PA, USA

problem #338

Oct 252014

Pathfinder

  • 154,565 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan path finder. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 154,565.

- Pomona, CA, USA

problem #337

Aug 152014

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 77,280 miles
The vehicle lagged shifting and shifted abruptly. Also the vehicle vibrated. When I took it to an auto shop (not a Nissan shop) they indicated the radiator had a crack in it and fluid was leaking into the transmission I took it to a Nissan shop and they said they are having problems with the 2005 Pathfinder and they would fix the problem but it would cost me $3000 and there would be no warranty on the fix. Seems unfair if, as they admitted at my local Nissan shop, this was a manufacture defect.

- Billings, MT, USA

problem #336

Sep 152014

Pathfinder

  • 122,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle shook violently when shifting gears. The failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.

- Mary Esther, FL, USA

problem #335

Oct 072014

Pathfinder

  • 96,000 miles
Transmission failure making a left turn with oncoming traffic. No warning, no prior, noise or vibration, just a sudden total failure. The cause has been diagnosed as the leaking coolant from the transmission radiator. The current Nissan 'extended warranty' is not sufficient given the nature of the problem and the risks associated with a transmission failure during driving.

- Tulsa, OK, USA

problem #334

Aug 142012

Pathfinder

  • 72,000 miles
As I was pulling out onto a busy street the transmission slipped and my two small sons and I nearly got nailed by angry oncoming traffic that honked, yelled, and inappropriately gestured at us to get out of the way. We could have been seriously injured as well as others. This happened more times than I can even remember. It also shudders and slips while driving at 40-50 mph. It is dangerous! why doesn't anyone do something! I had been trying to figure out the problem since 65,000 miles and at 80,300 miles we found trani fluid in the radiator. After googling the issue and learning that it was a part a of a classaction suit I was pissed that I hadn't been notified. I am a struggling mother of two and I am still paying for a car that I haven't been able to drive for the last year because I can't afford to fix it! I feel this is unacceptable and there should be a recall in place!!!! lives are being endangered!

- Koloa, HI, USA

problem #333

Jun 232014

Pathfinder

  • 95,300 miles
I had the vehicle's tires replaced and within a few days there was a shudder like rumble strips. I took the Pathfinder back to have the tires looked at. Repair shop replaced the wheel bearings. The shudder still persisted. I talked to a friend who owns a transmission repair shop and he told me about the radiator leak/transmission problem. He said to check the engine coolant for milkiness and search online. The coolant is milky and after reading all the other complaints, my family is scared to use the Pathfinder. I think a recall should be issued because the transmission is failing because of failure of the cooling system not wear and tear. A failing transmission is more likely to cause an accident than a failing cooling system. Also, Nissan's extended warranty seems to end to early to be effective.

- Branchburg, NJ, USA

problem #332

Sep 242014

Pathfinder 4WD 6-cyl

  • 143,140 miles
Transmission failed while driving on city streets. Car would not shift out of low gear, forcing my wife to get home on road shoulders with emergency lights on. Thankfully very light traffic on a weekday afternoon. Researching online, found that this is an issue with the Pathfinder, radiator coolant leaking and causing transmission failure. Never notified regarding any recalls or such.

- Sun Valley, CA, USA

problem #331

Sep 092014

Pathfinder

  • 91,200 miles
The vehicle began a slight shudder when shifting and within a few days while passing a truck on the freeway at 70 mph it shifted very hard and responded as if it was in neutral. Any application of the accelerator caused high RPM but gave no additional power. I was forced to put on my emergency flashers and maneuver through three lanes of traffic as I had lost all power and could not was just coasting along the freeway. It was a very dangerous situation that fortunately ended safely no thanks to the car. It was later determined by my mechanic that the radiator fluid had mixed with the transmission fluid and caused the transmission components to fail. After spending $1000 on the first repairs to replace the radiator and flush the transmission 3 times it ran for a week and began shifting very hard again. It is now in the shop being considered for a transmission replacement. Hearing about the investigation and similar experiences by others it is a wonder why this issue has not been officially deemed a safety recall seeing as how my safety was definitely in jeopardy at the time of the failure.

- Greeley, CO, USA

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