CarComplaints.com Notes: While there are fewer "radiator leaked into transmission" complaints for the 2008 model year, they are starting to pile up. Buyer beware.
Nissan has extended their radiator warranty on 2005-2010 Pathfinders to 8 years/80,000 miles. However the average mileage for transmission failure for earlier model years is 95,000 miles, which conveniently (for Nissan) is just past the limit of their extended warranty. Owners beware.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
105,967 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.
Crack in defective radiator allowed coolant to mix in with transmission fluid. Coolant caused transmission to fail while driving it. transmission changed gears on its own and would not shift properly and engine just shut down
Bought vehicle I-??m second owner it was sold as is from a dealership with airbag lights on after a certain amount miles check engine light came on said I had e -regular voltage to fuel injectors 1 gear started slipping then loss of power when accelerating next revolutionary trans-sensor went and now when I start the vehicle the A/T ECU Fuse keeps blowing out and the radiator coolant has transmission fluid mixing into it.
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the vehicle downshifted independently. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving to his destination. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the transmission fluid needed to be changed. The contact took the vehicle to a second independent mechanic and was informed that the radiator and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that upon placing her vehicle into reverse, the vehicle shut-off without warning. The vehicle started rolling backwards. The contact and her son exited the vehicle, to manually stop the vehicle from rolling back and hitting a building. The contact then had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, where the mechanic replaced the engine coil block however, the vehicle started to overheat at start-up. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was white smoke coming from the engine while the temperature gauge showed a high engine temperature. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 93,500.
- Durham, NC, USA
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Airbag light had come on indicating an issue, but also light and controls on the steering wheel are failing. Vehicle has never been in an accident and there is no reason for this failure. ABS brakes activate randomly without warning preventing and causing the inability to stop. ABS can not be stopped unless I stop and turn off my vehicle and start again. Very dangerous. Cant stop when I need to. During city driving on a dry surface and approaching a stop light my brakes failed several times with the ABS activating and making it impossible to stop. Random and without warning. Front differential cracked for no apparent reason and didn't provide any warnings, pinion seal leak appeared less than two years. In addition vehicle was in service for evap system 11 times in the first year without resolve. Gad consumptions was horrible and below any suggested mpg. Tire sensors have never worked and failed to alert low pressure in tires. Tire pressure has been unstable no mater what tires are installed or how many sensors are put on. Stability in steering is sloppy when going over any kind of bump in the road. Unstable when driving. Speed can cause problems when driving curves. Rollovers are definitely possible without much speed when on ramps and curves. Use extreme caution.
While driving, from a stop, a loud clunk occurred and the vehicle would not shift out of low gear. Upon arrival at home and inspection, it was noted that the coolant was contaminated with a dark fluid. The vehicle will not engage any gear at this time and is not drivable. Research indicates that suspected cause is cross contamination between coolant and transmission fluid, most likely due to radiator deficiency.
Transmission failure due to coolant being leaked into transmission housing causing failure of transmisson and causing module to blow fuse to keep from harming engine. The engine died at signal light and had to be towed to mechanic. There I was told transmission and radiator had to be replaced.
Transmission overheating, tool to mtn view Nissan chattanooga ten & they replaced the fluid & anti freeze fluid. I mentioned that I had read of this type vehicle having these issues with the radiator coolant getting into the transmission fluid & causing this problem. The service rep told me that my vehicle was not designed like that & just the fluid needed changed. I had them do that & the next day driving it overheated again. I took the vehicle to East ridge transmission & they told me that the transmission fluid contained radiator fluid & that the transmission, radiator & fluids all needed replaced. I had them do that & it did repair the problem. Nissan knows of this defect & should reimburse me for it.
While driving, the vehicle started to stumble for a second, then all of a sudden felt like it had almost no power. Wouldnt accelerate well, didnt shift normally, and didnt feel like it was running as well as normal. When we parked the vehicle, I turned it off to hopefully "reset" whatever may have malfunctioned. When I tried to restart the vehicle, it wouldnt start. The starter wouldnt even try to start the motor, like it wasnt even getting power. Being a mechanic by trade, I jumped out to see what was going on, and had my wife try to start it while I watched & listened... as she turned the key to start it, I could hear the starter relay click to send voltage to the starter, but the starter wasnt responding. After further examination, I found a blown fuse in the fusebox under the hood. It was the "A/T ECU" fuse. This is where things get bad. I replaced the fuse to get us home, but as soon as we got home and shut the vehicle off, I tried immediately to restart it. Again, nothing happened... no crank, no start. Same fuse was blown again. After a little research, I found that fuse is on the circuit to the transmission control module. This module had malfunctioned and now blows the fuse every time it is replaced. That led me to drop the transmission pan to check it out, and what did I find" transmission fluid all clouded up and contaminated with radiator coolant. How did that get there" after inspecting that, I found that the radiator had failed and allowed coolant to mix with the trans fluid. This coolant is also damaging the clutches in the transmission, as it causes the vehicle to put extra stress on them due to the way the vehicle shifts now. Then I realized numerous people with Pathfinders, titans, and many Nissan vehicles had the exact same problems. Now I'm upset because I have a truck with an expensive problem that Nissan should be liable for, and should fix.
Transmission failure due to antifreeze coolant cross connection into transmission fluid cooling system. Cost to repair $4,700. 2008 Nissan Pathfinder SE 4.0 4WD. Transmission failed while traveling a 4 lane divided state and federal highway moving straight. 03/08/2020
Transmission was slipping in first gear. Has when into limp mode many times. Have had the fluid change a couple times. Once it was slipping in the middle of a busy intersection. Had it remove and rebuilt. Antifreeze was found in the transmission. How many reports before they recall these vehicles.
Vehicle rough shifting and all of the sudden went to a safety mode and wont start anymore. Apparently is a transmission problem caused from the radiator oil cooler. Mechanic identified the situation as a safety recall.
Tamara recall. Vehicle in motion 60mph jumped from 2wd to 4WD automatically. Vehicle then locked in 5th gear. Mechanic stated radiator fluid mixed with transmission fluid, then both control modules expired. Vehicle will not start or crank.
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving at least 40 mph, the vehicle hesitated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics who confirmed that radiator fluid leaked internally into the transmission. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer stated that there was no recall and they could not assist because the warranty was expired. The failure mileage was 122,000.
I was driving my Nissan Pathfinder 2008 on the highway with my 3 children's when I noticed high vibration coming inside the car I was not sure what's going on I took the car to Nissan dealer I was told my radiator broke and mixed coolant with my transmission cost to repair $5800.
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving approximately 45 mph, all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle lost acceleration. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic who determined that radiator fluid leaked into the transmission fluid and damaged the transmission. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Spokane, WA, USA