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.
9.2
really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$3,980
Average Mileage:
114,550 miles
Total Complaints:
232 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
replace radiator and transmission (152 reports)
not sure (42 reports)
replaced radiator and transmission (17 reports)
replaced radiator (13 reports)
bypassed radiator, added an external tranny cooler (2 reports)
bypass trans cooler/add external cooler/replace pcm (1 reports)
Nissan Settlement - Please visit this website to see if you qualify for reimbursement or for nissan to pay for so much of the damage.
Radiator Assembly Customer Satisfaction Program - Nissan has decided in the interest of customer satisfaction, to further extend the warranty for the Radiator Assembly on all 2005-10 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions.
On a small percentage of vehicles, an internal crack on the oil cooler tube may occur leading to internal leakage of engine coolant. While the majority of vehicles will not experience this issue, for customer satisfaction purposes, Nissan has decided to further extend the coverage of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty on the radiator assembly, subject to certain customer co-pays that vary with age/mileage.
The New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage on applied vehicles for the Radiator Assembly (original terms 3 years/36,000 miles) will be extended from the current extension of 8 years/80,000 miles to 10 years/100,000 miles (whichever occurs first), including damage, repairs, replacement, and towing resulting from this issue.
With the additional extension, the following warranty coverage and corresponding customer co-pays will now apply:
Up to 8 years/80,000 miles (whichever comes first): No customer co-pay
After 8 years/80,000 miles (whichever comes first) up to 9 years/90,000 miles (whichever comes first): Customer co-pay is $2,500
After 9 years/90,000 miles (whichever comes first) up to 10 years/100,000 miles (whichever comes first): Customer co-pay is $3,000
As with the prior extension, this extension of warranty on the radiator assembly will cover damage caused to other affected components, including the vehicle transmission, as a result of an internal leakage condition in the radiator assembly. However, existing powertrain coverage applicable to the transmission (5 years/60,000 miles) otherwise remains unchanged.
Nissan Radiator Assembly ATF Contamination 2005-2010 Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder - Have you filed a complaint with the US Dept of Transportation, the number is 888-327-4236 and the website is safercar.gov, according to the representative I spoke to the issue of the ATF fluid contamination is still under investigation but more complaints and data are needed to issue a safety recall involving the radiator assembly and transmission contamination. If you have not done so please file a complaint. Nissan needs to take responsibility for the defect rather than passing the repair cost to the consumer and dodging the issue!!!
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2007 Nissan Pathfinder Owner Comments (Page 3 of 12)
I bought the car used in October with 119,000 miles i put 4,000 miles on it and I noticed the transmission was slipping so I added a little more tranny fluid and it slowed down a bit. Then one day the radiator hose busted and I happened to notice there was a little bit of a milky white substance in the radiator which I researched on and found out the tranny went bad.
Went to turn on my 2007 Nissan Pathfinder and it wouldn't start. Nissan is telling us radiator fluid mixed in with the transmission. Now they want to charge us $6,000 to fix the damn thing. We purchased the car less than a year ago. Really wishing I had done more research on it now. NEVER will I buy another Nissan again in my life.
Transmission Shop consulted with a personal contact at our local Nissan Dealer, they stated that they will cover 100% of the repairs on vehicle's with < 125,000 Miles on the OD. My Pathfinder has 155,000 Miles on the OD. The problem has been fixed and I seek at 75% reimbursement from Nissan Corp.
AFTER HAVING THIS PROBLEM ALREADY 9 MONTHS EARLIER, I WAS ALREADY BEYOND FRUSTRATED. ON THIS GO AROUND, MY PATHFINDER JUST SHUT OFF AND WOULDN'T TURN BACK ON. NOTHING WORKED. IT WOULDN'T START, NO LIGHTS, NO HORN, NO ALARM...NOTHING! I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE SAME REPAIR SHOP THAT REPAIRED IT INITIALLY. (BY THE WAY, THE SAME THING HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME I HAD TO PUT MY TRUCK IN THE SHOP). PRIOR TO HAVING IT TOWED, I GOOGLED THIS ISSUE. I FOUND SOMETHING ON YOUTUBE THAT DESCRIBE ALL OF MY VEHICLE'S SYMPTOMS TO THE EXACT. HE EXPLAINED THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH NISSANS THAT THE COOLANT FLUID LEAKS INTO THE TRANSMISSION CAUSING IT TO GOOK UP IN THE RADIATOR. SURE ENOUGH, I LOOKED IN MY RADIATOR AND SAW THE GOOK THAT WAS DESCRIBED. I MENTIONED ALL OF THIS TO THE MECHANIC. HE HAD MY TRUCK FOR 5 1/2 WEEKS AND WITHIN THE 5TH WEEK, HE TELLS ME THE SAME EXACT THING I TOLD HIM IN THE BEGINNING. LUCKILY THE T.C.M. PART HAD A WARRANTY AND IT WAS REPLACED WITH NO EXPENSE. I STILL HAD TO PAY $264 FOR LABOR. I JUST GOT MY TRUCK BACK YESTERDAY AND NOTICE THIS GOOK STILL IN THE RADIATOR. I WAS TOLD, THE MECHANIC SHOULD HAVE FLUSHED THE RADIATOR. ANYWAY, I REFUSE TO TAKE THIS VEHICLE BACK TO THIS GUY. I'M JUST PRAYFUL THAT I'LL BUYING A NEW CAR SOON AND TRADE THIS THING IN A.S.A.P.
- Tamara K.,
Ocala, FL, US
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I bought this 2007 Nissan Pathfinder from a prominent dealership in Frederick in August 2014 with 87K miles. In July 2015, I had the wind shield washer-fluid reservoir replaced for $450. In December 2015 the radiator was replaced for $880. and on January 13, 2016 the car broke on my way to work. It was towed to the nearest dealership. After diagnostic, I was informed the transmission is broke and cost of repair is $5800. It has 106K miles presently.
Nissan's so called extended warranty for the famous transmission issue on the 2007 Pathfinder is a joke. They should be held accountable for this known issue.
We noticed the shuttering, tough shifting and lack of heat early in 2015 with around 89,000 miles and had it looked into. In December, the truck gave out and is no longer operable. It is currently in the Nissan Dealership Garage to be fixed. We are looking at a substantial co-pay of $3,000. I am making sure they fully fix the issue including replacing all hoses and flushing all systems the coolant flows through.
This is a major and common problem with several Nissan models & vintages as I can see thru the internet. How can a transmission design be so POOR to allow cracks to happen in the transmission cooling section in a radiator?
I bought this car new with 96 miles on it on February 26, 2007. after the transmission in our 2002 Honda Odyssey failed. On 2/27/2015 (ONE DAY after the warranty expired), I noticed a rough ride in the cabin (it felt like going over a rough strip, like the ones in front of toll booths), trouble shifting, and the heat only working while the vehicle was in motion. Then, on 3.5/15, the car would not go into drive. I had it towed to the Nissan dealership, only to find the warranty EXPIRED! They told me that the coolant leaked into the transmission, and they even showed me the "milkshake" mix of the antifreeze. I had to pay $2,000 OUT OF POCKET! Then, the dealers saw that I was starting to regret ever choosing Nissan, so they gave a smashing $1,500 off a brand new 2015 Nissan Pathfinder! I'm the kind of guy who gives second chances, so I took it! Guess what? Now BOTH cars are experiencing transmission problems! I WILL NOT fall for that trick EVER again, just like I won't EVER BUY ANOTHER NISSAN EVER AGAIN!
Update from Nov 18, 2015: The 2015 Nissan Pathfinder was totaled in a rollover accident. I'm planning to replace it with a Chevrolet Traverse. All my previous cars (with the exception of the Yugo, of course) were Japanese, so I'm going to get my first American car. Hopefully it's better than my Pathfinder!
The car was running fine then we heard a strange "clunk" noise when it was accelerating. We brought it into a mechanic who could find no problems. Two days later my wife was driving home at night and the car dropped into 1st gear. We brought it to another mechanic who informed us that it is due to a known problem with Nissan's where coolant leaks into the transmission and destroys it. We need to replace our transmission and radiator. Nissan has extended their warranty for this situation but is requiring a $3,000 co pay! Absolutely ridiculous since they have known about this for years and should have done a recall to fix the radiator issue before it got to this
It all began with a vibration when I accelerated at about 1800rpm's...I knew something was wrong. About a week into it while waiting in line to put gas, I noticed my car was over heating. I quickly turned it off and waited as soon as it cooled off I drove it home. My husband checked the radiator and he said I had no water. I had already been checking the internet for common problems.
So, at this time my car is at the mechanics and they are in the process of repairing the radiator...the mechanic says that they will flush my transmission twice but after reading all the reviews I have my doubts that this will take care of my problem. I'm still financing my car and about to go more in debt and requesting a personal loan to get this fixed.
Nissan should really do something about this since its common on most all of their SUV's. What other ways will they listen?
Nissan lawsuit settlement is a farce. There is no compensation for the problem after 100,000 miles, which is when the problem usually occurs. Leaving the owner to pay 3-5k to repair.
WHEN I LEARNED THAT THIS WAS A POTENTIAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, I ALREADY EXPECTED AN EXPENSIVE BILL. THEN I GOT THE DIAGNOSIS AND WHAT IT WAS GONNA COST ME AND I CRIED. THE PART ALONE COST $700. I HAD TO COME UP WITH THAT FIRST. AND THEN LABOR COST WAS AN ADDITIONAL $600 PLUS. IT WAS MONEY I DIDN'T HAVE TO SPARE.
BUT WHAT REALLY ANGERED ME WAS WHEN I RESEARCHED THIS PARTICULAR PART AND THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM WITH NISSAN VEHICLES, SPECIFICALLY THE SUV'S, I REALLY GOT MAD. I READ THAT NISSAN IS AWARE OF THIS MANUFACTURING PROBLEM AND HAS OFFERED LITTLE TO NO RELIEF; NOT TO MENTION THEY'RE STILL MAKING THESE VEHICLES AND EVEN THE NEW ONES ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. THIS IS AWFUL.
This is my second Nissan Pathfinder that this has happened too. The last vehicle had it happen twice. Car was in an accident. I was told that problem went only to the 2006 Nissan Pathfinders. So I purchased another one 2007. Had over 75,000 miles at purchase. Had it for a couple of years, and first felt like the transmission was slipping had it flushed and it was working ok for about two week. Now it seemed to overheat and spew antifreeze and transmission fluid all over the place, and stops on the road without notice.
I'm posting this complaint online because Nissan doesn't stand behind their product and this will be the last Nissan car I purchase.
Pretty sad to have this problem and the expense comes at a bad time. Even sadder that Nissan didn't give us a warning about it. Nissan Canada says that we will be responsible for $3000 of the repairs. We had issues getting it towed to the Dealer. Dealer now reports that it will be 4-6 weeks just to get the new transmission, as they are back-ordered. I can't believe a replacement vehicle isn't supplied. GM supplied us with a replacement vehicle when our ignition recall was going on. Any others care to share there thoughts?
From researching online, Nissan knows about the problem and will not offer much in terms of a fix. They offer a weak payoff that only applies if you are under a certain number of miles or year. Who owns a vehicle (that is their primary or only transportation) and only drives an average of 10k a year?!?!? For an issue that's known and acknowledged by a manufacturer, this should be fixed at their expense, not the consumer's. It's completely wrong, and that they can get away with it is equally wrong. I loved my truck up until the breakdown; would never buy or recommend Nissan based on this. Not because it happened - but because of how they chose to ignore the consumer, leave them stranded, and not offer real assistance in such a circumstance.
I FEEL IT IS UNFAIR THAT NISSAN WILL NOT RECALL THIS ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE. I PAID CASH FOR THIS VEHICLE LAST YEAR AND HAVE A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND ANOTHER BABY ON THE WAY! I HAVE NO WAY TO PAY $3500 TO HAVE A TRANSMISSION REBUILD AND I SPENT ALL MY SAVINGS LAST YEAR PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE!
ALL OF A SUDDEN THE TRUCK STARTED LEAKING ANTI FREEZE AND ONCE I HAD THE CAR TOWED IN I WAS TOLD THAT THE RADIATOR HAD CRACKED AND THAT OIL HAD MIXED IN WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. THE SHOP INSTALLED A NEW RADIATOR AND FLUSHED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. 5 MONTHS LATER I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD WATER IN MY RADIATOR AND IT WOULD COST $3500 TO REBUILD A NEW TRANSMISSION I NOTICE THIS IS A TREND WITH THIS MODEL VEHICLE AND I FEEL NISSAN SHOULD TAKE SOEM RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE DEFECTS. I INVESTED $10,000 TO PURCHASE THIS VEHICLE AND NOW I HAVE NO MEANS TO TRANSPORT MY CHILD WHO HAS SPECIAL NEEDS TO HIS THERAPY AND APPOINTMENTS. I AM FURIOUS AND FEEL NISSAN SHOULD MAKE RECALL THE MANY VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE.
I have been experiencing transmission problems. It slips when accelerating and some times won't down shift properly. So due to the problem I did a web search and found this cracked transmission line allowing coolant leak in to the transmission, so I checked the reservoir and radiator and both had oil contamination. I then called the Nissan dealer and they claimed to have no idea what I could be talking about. The class action lawsuit filed in Late 2012 stated that all dealers were notified. I was never notified and now have over 100,000 miles on my Pathfinder which opts me out of anything.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Time to set up to the plate Nissan, have had other Nissan & Datsun cars in the past. Hate to have this be the last Nissan I purchase!!!!
- John G., Cypress, TX, US