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:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
101,844 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.
We purchased our 2007 Nissan Pathfinder on May 21 of this year. Today makes 39 days we've had it. On the 32 day we noticed it was having some roughness in the transmission when changing gears. It felt like we were running over really rough roads or rumble strips. It continued to get worse the longer we drove it. Then around a week ago I put it in reverse and it continued to roll forward. I immediately drove home to inform my husband. When he checked the transmission fluid it appeared to be empty. When he further checked it and cleaned the dip stick it was a tanish colored liquid that was showing up. I went to google and found that many others with this same or similar vehicle was having the same problem, and that the problem was a leak in a radiator hose that runs thru the transmission and leaks fluids back and forth. My husband went to check the radiator and sure enough there is transmission fluid in the radiator and it appeared in the engine as well. So now we have transmission fluid, water, and antifreeze in our transmission, radiator and engine. Nissan needs to step up and take care of this problem. Its clear that this is a flaw in their workmanship. We were told by Nissan to bring our Pathfinder in for an evaluation and be prepared to pay $2,500 dollars. Needless to say we are paying a payment already on a vehicle we have had for one month. We cant afford this kind of repair. So now were stuck with a car we cant even drive.....updated 09/03/15
The radiator leaks fluids into the transmission, intermixing the fluids. This is ruining the radiator and transmission, causing the vehicle to overheat and leak. This makes the vehicle not safe to drive.
The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the radiator had a crack and leaked fluid into the transmission. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the radiator was leaking into the transmission and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000. The consumer stated the vehicle stalled. Updated 08/19/15 updated 10/07/15 updated 10/11/2017
- Jacksonville, FL, USA
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I was driving back home from my daughters doctors appointment. It was during rush hour traffic time. As I was trying to accelerate I felt a jerk on the card and the O/D light start flashing. I was almost home so I kept driving to make it home. Did not want to B stranded in the road with my daughter. As I pushed on the gas it did not want to accelerate an more, all the lights started flashing and we pretty much strolled into the nearest gas station. I put it in park and waited a moment and tried to see if it would cut back on, but it didn't. I had my vehicle towed to the mechanic shop and he said it smelled like radiator fluid. After doing diagnostic he said problem was to due to a crack that leaked radiator fluid into transmission. So now I have to replace my transmission and radiator and computer. Cost would be over $5,000.
Radiator failure (known Nissan defect) caused coolant to mix with transmission fluid and destroyed the transmission. This was a $4,600 repair. Nissan covered $0.
Purchased 2007 Nissan Pathfinder brand new. Brought to Nissan dealer due to check engine light on dashboard. Diagnosis performed and determined radiator/transmission fluid/coolant leaking into transmission. Estimated repair $6000 to replace radiator/thermostat/transmission. At 140000 miles, Nissan states no longer under powertrain warranty. Declined service.
I noticed my 2007 Pathfinder's heater would only work when the car was moving but, figured it was something insignificant and would get it fixed soon. I then started to notice my transmission slipping and stalling out around 40 mph. I decided I better get it into the shop before I was stranded somewhere. Before taking my car into the shop, I figured I'd check the internet and make sure there weren't any recalls on the heating system. I typed in "2007 Nissan Pathfinder" on google and it auto-filled "transmission problems" - not a good sign. Apparently, Nissan was aware of the faulty radiators in these vehicles which leak antifreeze in to the transmission and destroy the drive train, yet did nothing about it.. post after post described the exact same issues I was having with my car - people were describing how their cars were getting stuck in high or low gears going down the highway and it scared me to death! I immediately called two local Nissan dealerships and gave them my VIN and mileage. I was informed, due to some worthless settlement with Nissan, my portion of the cost would be $3,000. Here is what most infuriates me about this situation: 1. Nissan was obviously aware of this issue many years ago so why didn't they recall the radiator and save us this trouble and expense" does someone have to die before something is done? I'm sure it's only a matter of time with vehicles getting stuck in high gear or stalling out on the interstate! 2. who did this class action suit help exactly? sounds like Nissan definitely got the bigger end of the stick. When it all boils down, I'm guessing they are out very little, if any, money at all. 3. what happened to customer service" this isn't just bad service - it's bad business. It's absurd that car companies are allowed to sell faulty vehicles without repercussion.
Radiator transmission coolant leak. Radiator fluid leaked into the transmission and transmission fluid leak into the radiator due to a faulty radiator coolant line. Transmission is now slipping at third gear. Nissan dealer quote to replace both radiator and transmission $6,600 change.
I noticed my vehicles transmission slipping when I was driving it around 3rd to 4th gear. Further review found that my vehicles radiator coolant is leaking into my transmission. The radiator fluid is leaking into transmission and transmission fluid is leaking and mixing in my radiator.
Transmission fluid and radiator fluid mixing somewhere along the transmission coolant route, causing extensive damage to the transmission. Required replacement of both major items.
Vehicle brought in for oil change at the Nissan dealer where purchased and serviced. Told that my transmission was suspect, may need to be replaced due to cross contamination of coolant and atf. Dealer would not address the problem.
The transmission began to slip and the radiator fluid overflow cannister started to expel a purple liquid. Car was found to have a cracked transmission cooling tube in the base of the radiator and the antifreeze had mixed with the transmission fluid. Found out on line that this is a very common problem that Nissan refuses to acknowledge as a defect. Radiator replaced and cooling system flushed along with the required transmission flushing and fluid replacement. Repairs became very expensive. Only hope transmission doesn't fail next.
Discovered a small pool of purple liquid under front left tire of my 2007 Nissan Pathfinder in the garage yesterday. Thought that must not be good, so I started doing some research online. Behold, discovered it was most likely a radiator leak and most likely leaked into transmission as well. Took the vehicle in today, and my concerns were confirmed. Radiator replacement = $800. Transmission is working normally right now, but from what I can tell the damage may already be done and its only a matter of time before catastrophic transmission failure +$4000. The issue I have with this whole situation is Nissan is very aware of this defect, yet did not issue a recall. All they did was extend radiator/transmission warranty. This warranty does not apply to my vehicle being over 100K miles. All Nissan had to do was issue a recall, fix the defective radiator (probably a $500 fix for them) instead, they ignored it, and the customer is stuck with a $5000 fix they did not even see coming due to them not notifying us about it. I am not pleased.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Cleburne , TX, USA