Radiator defect causes leakage into transmission. Transmission fails and vehicle abruptly stops unpredictably on the freeway.

- Newport Beach, CA, USA

Monday June 2 my husband told me something was wrong with his 05 Xterra. He said it sounded like it was driving on rumble strips in the road. We went online to find that there have been several complaints brought against Nissan for folks experiencing the same issue. We contacted our local Nissan dealer. I spoke with [xxx] and he informed me that there is a known issue with 05 Xterra's where the radiator fluid leaks into the transmission which will in turn cause the engine to cease. He then indicated to me that there was a class action law suit that settled back in Jan 2013 that if the vehicle was under 100,000 miles all would be covered all but $3,000. That's what we would have to pay to have this fixed knowing that this is a defect on the vehicle that Nissan has known about as it effects 2005-2010 Xterra's, pathfinders and frontiers. Yet its us that has to pay out of pocket this astronomical amount of money. Anyone over 100,000 miles would have to pay in full which ranges $7000 - $10,000 depending on the state you live in. You can't tell me that this is how a company stands by their name. This was literally almost a total loss on this vehicle but luckily enough we were 300 miles under the 100,000 mark. How is this ok to charge folks these prices for something that is a defect on the company. To date, we were never notified nor was a recall ever put into place. There are thousands of folks filing complaints on this matter. We should not have to have this worry how we will come up with this amount of money and by all means we should not have to borrow from 401K's to afford what we rightfully did not damage ourselves. I will never, we will never purchase another Nissan again because they did not stand by their name. All we are asking is that something be done to return our money that we so rightfully shouldn't have had to put out. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Baltimore, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the check engine warning lamp illuminated. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was making a loud knocking sound and was hesitating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage were 168,000.

- Irondale, AL, USA

Driving on highway and transmission failed. Nearly had accident getting car off of road. Problem exists do to factory defect of radiator leakage into transmission fluid. Requires new radiator and other repairs and new transmission. Estimated repair cost = $6,800.

- Quincy, IL, USA

I was driving one morning and at the front of my neighborhood is a hill. I had to stop and wait for traffic so that I could go. Once I put my foot on the gas I couldn't go anywhere, the engine just revved. So I had to back all the back to my house. My husband is a mechanic and told me it was the transmission. We have now found out what the problem was being that the coolant is getting into the transmission and ruined it. Now, at the time I find that there was a settlement, my vehicle has over the 100,000 mile limit. From what I read, the majority of the vehicles are over the 100,000 mile limit when the problem occurs. Something needs to be done about this because it could cause a fatality if you are driving and suddenly can't go anywhere fast enough and get hit!

- Austell, GA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated there was a loud noise heard from the front of the vehicle intermittently. The authorized dealer was unable to replicate or diagnose the failure on several occasions. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the timing belt was repaired however, the failure recurred. The contact was also advised that there was a leak in the engine. Additionally, when the hood was opened the cap to the transmission overflow was missing and was replaced by the dealer. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for further inspection and diagnosis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000. The current mileage was 65,000.

- New Rochelle, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated there was a loud noise in the front of the vehicle intermittently. An authorized dealer was unable to replicate nor diagnose the failure on several occasions. The vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer again who diagnosed that the timing needed to be reset. The timing was reset and the failure recurred. The vehicle was also leaking fluid; the hood was opened and the cap to the transmission overflow fluid was missing however, the dealer replaced the cap. The contact continued to hear a loud noise intermittently. The vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer for further inspection and diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000. The current mileage was 65,000.

- New Rochelle, NY, USA

Manufacturing defect in radiator caused transmission failure that could have been quite dangerous under some circumstances. This has been widely reported by huge numbers of Nissan owners of various year models and styles. Nissan refuses to be accountable for the failure and denies acceptable service to their customers on this issue.

- Arthur City, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration power and would not exceed 25 mph. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the transmission had failed due to being contaminated by coolant. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 102,000.

- Mission Viejo, CA, USA

When driving at highway speeds, vehicle would start to shudder and thud into gear. Had vehicle checked out and told there was a defect in which the connection between radiator and transmission malfunctioned and coolant mixed with transmission fluid, thereby destroying the transmission and radiator. I have found that this is apparently a very common problem of Nissan Xterras from 2005 to 2010 that I had no idea about. This really should be recalled on all affected vehicle, because it is such a common problem and if one has over 80K miles they still pay half for the repair and if over 100K miles there is no warranty coverage from Nissan. The warranty extension was the result of a class action suit but is not enough when full repair can be $6000 and there has been no warning from Nissan that this is a potential problem to look for.

- Fort Thomas , KY, USA

Transmission has a jerk, and it turned out to be due to the oil and coolant mix in the transmission. This has been an ongoing issue and several complains have been filed, no extended warranty, dealer or anybody is covering the cost. It is a very expansive repair and I can not afford to fix on this financed vehicle. Nissan must pay for the repair.

- Rochester Hills, MI, USA

I was driving on an interstate highway where the speed limit is 70mph. Car begins have a large rumble. Can't tell if it the rear end, the drive shaft or transmission. There is no pattern to the rumble and it continues for several weeks, so I take it to an auto repair shop. They tell me that I have water in my transmission fluid, which was caused by a cracked line in the radiator. I am told to check on the internet, because this is a big problem that lot of Nissan Xterra owners are facing. So, I check it out and the issue is huge. I bought the Xterra about 2 years ago and during that time was never contacted by anyone warning me of this issue. Now, at the time I find that there was a settlement, my vehicle has over the 100,000 mile limit. From what I read, the majority of the vehicles are over the 100,000 mile limit when the problem occurs. My vehicle still will drive and only get the rumble occasionally, but I now know it's fate. It's ashamed that I could not have been warned by Nissan before facing costly repairs. Nissan could have saved us lots of headache and money if we had know and been able to be pro-active before the damage was done.

- Angier, NC, USA

Transmission locked up intermittently, then stopped shifting all together. Replaced transmission, but quit again after only a week of driving. Turns out the cooling system was leaking into transmission and causing parts failure. Had to replace radiator, and, multiple transmissions parts for 2nd time.

- West Monroe, LA, USA

Transmission failure while merging into traffic almost causing a crash.vehicle was running fine then suddenly would not accelerate. Vehicle has no indications of problems prior to this incident. Transmission fluid was contaminated with engine coolant according to the shop that repaired it.

- Milton, FL, USA

The vehicle doesn't move, despite acceleration, no engine light. Went to the dealer and after diagnosis they said the radiator was cracked and the transmission was leaking. The cost comes to $7500. Contacted Nissan they say its not within warranty. Theses is a defective design on the radiator. Updated 05/01/14

- Shoreline, WA, USA

Internal radiator transmission cooler cracked leaking coolant into the transmission and destroying it, rendering it useless. The transmission failed on me while I was driving and the vehicle gave me absolutely no warning lights or any indication of an issue occurring with the transmission. I had no advance notice so I was unable to avoid any damage to my transmission.

- Poplar Branch, NC, USA

Transmission failure due to a problem well known by Nissan. Coolant entered through a failed radiator and causes failure of the automatic transmission. Timing chain failure also well known by Nissan.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

I took my car into the shop because of a rumbling noise and shake that was happening while driving. It feels like hitting the safety strips on the edge of the road by the shoulder. The mechanics pulled things apart and identified that there was radiator fluid and engine coolant leaking into my transmission. There were also metal shavings mixed in with the fluids.

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

Radiator coolant and oil mixture and due to that, the transmission makes the car vibrate to an undrivable point affecting the driver ability to conduct a safe operation on the road including busy highways.

- Gautier, MS, USA

I was driving down a mountain in Tennessee on a family vacation, when my transmission failed because the coolant was leaking into the transmission fluid. In order to get to a safe location I had to drive in reverse to a driveway which could have caused me to be in an accident with a young child and my fiance in the car. Upon further research I realized that Nissan has over 500 complaint on the same issue and it was never resolved. I paid 4800 dollars out of pocket in order to replace the transmission and radiator.

- Columbus, OH, USA