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.
My transmission is going out took it to the dealership and they change the transmission oil and a month later is still doing the same. Take it to another mechanic and he said the transmission oil was black and smelled old. The dealership ask when did I last change the oil and I had forgot the I had the quick lube place flush the transmission a couple of years ago. Call them back and told them what the other mechanic said and I took it back to the dealership and he said that not to bad we can only get so much out. The other mechanic flesh it and change the oil. I'm still having trouble with my transmission it goes real slow when backing up. I have keep my car up real good because I don't have the money to keep buying a new car.
I purchased the vehicle from carmax in 2012 w/ 76K miles on it. No warning about possible radiator issue. In may of 2013, radiator fluid had leaked into the transmission and resulted in transmission failure at 96K miles.(thankfully, I was not merging onto a highway). Paid $3K co-pay to have transmission and radiator replaced. February 4, 2014, transmission hose blew while driving on the highway. Was assured that it was not related to the previous repairs. Paid $262 to have it fixed. March 9, 2014, was driving on highway, rpms spiked, acceleration was sluggish, made it to Nissan dealership - transmission failure (less than 1 year later) - 105K miles. I was very fortunate that these transmission failures did not occur while attempting to merge onto a busy highway.
Suddenly the car no longer accelerated. Nothing was coming or showing me that something was wrong. Stopped at a gas station and turned off the engine and on again then the "service engine soon" light came on. Tried to accelerate but nothing, everything was running smoothly but the car was just not accelerating. Suddenly it started going really slow but 500 feet on the road I had to pull over since the speed went no more than 20mph on a 40mph road. I tried pushing the gas pedal to the limit but nothing. The day before I went to Nissan dealership for a diagnostics which I was charged $105 for. They tried to get me to trade in my car for a new one. They recommended I get the oil pressure switch repair as well as something with the coolant flush and transmission flush. I was going go take it tomorrow but this happened I don't know what to do. The reason I took it to Nissan in the first place was because I was told my model and year were found to be erroneous with transmission.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the engine rpms increased as the transmission failed to respond without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis, who stated that radiator fluid leaked into the transmission and caused internal damage. The mechanic also stated that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
In short the transmission in my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder is and has failed. I was in a very dangerous situation on the hyway and jeopardized my family's and my life. The defective transmission/radiator breakdown is a serious situation and a known issue with these vehicles. My radiator fluid leaked into the transmission and failed. The amount to repair this vehicle and make this a safe vehicle is more than we can afford. I feel this faulty product should be recalled and necessary repairs made or a reimbursement made on behalf of Nissan.
Truck started having a hard time changing through gears, however when trying to go to 60mph truck will not change and the RPM just claim. Happy this did not happen on the interstate or when changing lanes. Took the vehicle to local mechanic and was told the coolant seal in the transmission has failed causing coolant to enter the transmission fluid. Repairing the this could cost upwards of $2500. Nissan offering no help on this matter.
Transmission went out in my vehicle. Has been shaking and having trouble for a while, but finally "died" on December 20th. It is from the coolant leaking into the transmission (something Nissan is aware of, but makes no amends to fix). This is a costly fix and not one I can pay anytime soon. If I am unable to get to work then I can't buy parts and labor.
I had transmission failure while driving. I lost all but 1st gear with no warning. I had it towed to a transmission shop whom stated that there was coolant in the transmission fluid. They advised me that the cooler in the radiator had broken and allowed coolant to mix with the transmission fluid. I have not got a bill yet but it will be upwards of $3500. I had gotten two letters from Nissan that extended the warranty but both times I was to high of a mileage. Seems that if they extend a warranty for a problem twice than they know they have a problem and should do a complete recall. I also had the fuel sending unit go out and I repaired that due to Nissan wanting a high dollar amount to fix it. I have had it with Nissan and them not doing anything to help the customers when they know there is a major problem.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that radiator coolant was leaking into the transmission. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the mechanic confirmed the failure. The transmission was replaced. The manufactured was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Radiator fluid has leaked into my transmission, due to a factory defective radiator. My transmission is damaged and will not shift into 5th gear. The transmission will have to be repaired or replaced along with the radiator.
Vehicle was not wanting to accelerate immediately. Took it in for an oil change and had air filter replaced, and check the check engine light. That gave a bunch of codes that all related to transmission. Took it to transmission specialist who said that the radiator cracked and leaked into the transmission. Work to be done is replace radiator, rebuild transmission, and install external coolers. Shop said this is a known issue with the 2005 Pathfinders. Cost is about $5000. They said this also ruined the computer on the transmission.
On 1/17/14, while driving my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder on a busy highway, the service engine light came on without warning and the vehicle immediately slowed to a crawl.I was able to pull off the road and avoid a serious accident. I live close by and was able to make it home. We took our vehicle to our dealer the next day. They told us they would look at our vehicle on Monday. In four hrs., the svc.rep.called and said the radiator failed and damaged the transmission.they found a whining sound and said the timing chain needed to be replaced. The cost would be $3,200 for the transmission and $2,000 for the timing chain. Why did they rush to inspect the SUV" we wonder if they jumped on the opportunity to make a large repair. Prior to this, we took our SUV in for scheduled maint.in 8/13 at this dealer. We were told everything was fine and no repairs were needed. The mileage is now 82,300 miles, and we planned to keep it for many more years. We called the Nissan hotline and spoke with the reg. Cust.svc.rep. She said there was nothing Nissan would do and offered no assistance. We discovered that Nissan was involved in a class action suit that was recently settled regarding the transmission problem. The Nissan radiator/transmission cooler litigation, case no. 10-cv-07493. Why weren't we notified by Nissan about this problem immediately" per the suit, the cost for repairs over 80,000 miles is $2,500. If this problem was identified during our scheduled maint. We would have avoided all these problems and expenses. This makes us wonder if Nissan and the dealer conspired to keep this info. Quiet until after the vehicle passed 80,000 miles. We also discovered a new class action suit filed on 6/26/13 involving the premature failing of the timing chain. We will pursue every opportunity to get reimbursed for these problems that Nissan was aware of.
I noticed that the temperature gauge was reading a little high so I took it to a friend and he said there was oil in the radiator when the cap was removed. He recommended that I take the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer said I had to pay a co-pay of $2500 to replace the radiator and the transmission because the warranty had expired.
Vehicle revved erratically, then jerked then cut off. Took vehicle to dealer who diagnosed the problem as "radiator full of oil and transmission fluid and smells burnt-fluids mixing-need transmission.
While traveling down the highway at approximately 40 miles per hour I felt like I was riding over rumble strips in the road. The road was smooth, so that was not the problem. I later found out that I had a transmission problem. Upon further investigation, I found that the radiator coolant fluid leaked into the transmission and destroyed both the transmission and radiator. Upon further investigation I found that this is a problem experienced by many other Nissan Pathfinder owners (years 2005 - 2010). This is definitely a manufacturing defect not recognized by Nissan.
Purchased this SUV from a private owner who replaced the radiator and transmission cooler years ago, had it confirmed from their mechanic and when I drove this Pathfinder it has a bump in the trans. Was told by Nissan of paducah, autozone of paducah that it was the cat converter was plugged. Replaced the cat converter, still has the bump/slip in the transmission. Found out through several websites and forums that Nissan needs to do a recall on this problem. I've been part of Z clubs in the usa for over 25 years and a loyal Nissan owner and can't believe Nissan won't take care of this problem in their SUV's and small trucks...
Transmission failed at intersection leaving vehicle unable to move. Problem was caused by radiator fluid mixing with transmission fluid. I contacted Nissan about the issue and they denied any claim for repairs. Nissan has known about the issue and settled the claims for a small number of people. They made it basically impossible to recover any damages because they require a deductible of $3000 before they pay anything. They also will not cover anything above 100,000 miles.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Farmington, NM, USA