CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2005-2007 Xterra 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.
The same defect exists in the Pathfinder & Frontier as well. And 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:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
103,203 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.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that radiator fluid was interchanging with the transmission fluid and causing failures. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the radiator needed to be replaced. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The manufacture was not notified. The failure and the current mileage was 103,000.
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.
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.
Driving with family on interstate 5 on the right lane going 60-62 mph. Without no light sensor warning from the Xterra or no other warning whatsoever, it slowed down drastically from 60mph to 30mph, and I can see fast moving vehicles passing me. There was a huge semi truck behind us, he started to flash his high beam on us from behind. I try to accelerate but it would not, it just make a very loud engine sound. The semi truck so close behind us, I got scared, I signal right to pull over to the shoulder and doing so we almost got hit by another car that was merging to the freeway because the Xterra was very slow. We pulled to the shoulder, put in park and the Xterra has a weird smell coming out of the engine front. I try to shift to drive but it didn't move. I try to shift to reverse to park the Xterra in a better position off the freeway but it didn't move. Two hours later, the tow truck arrive. I was extremely upset our entire family could have been kill because there was no warning light.
There is a manufacturer's defect with the radiator in which it cracks and leaks fluid into the transmission, which then destroys the transmission. When we called Nissan to ask if they were going to stand by their product, they told us there was nothing they could do for us.
- Birmingham, AL, USA
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"service engine soon" light came on at 106000 miles. Immediately took it in to get it diagnosed (the next morning). They said that the radiator was leaking radiator fluid into the transmission, and therefore, I would need a new radiator and transmission. This apparently seems to be a problem with 2005-2010 Nissan SUVS and Nissan is doing nothing about it. The class action settlement does nothing for us.
My 16 year son was driving home at 11:00 pm on the interstate when, with no warning, the car lost all acceleration power. He was able to get the car to the side of the road and turn the car off and on and got it into 3rd gear. It would not work in drive. He proceeded very slowly for a short distance until he would lose acceleration power. He had to continue to turn the car off and on the highway multiple times to get it home that evening. He continued very slowly with his flashing lights on. It subsequently had to be towed. Thankfully, it did not result in a crash on the interstate. The car is black and it was very dark. It would've been very difficult for someone immediately behind him to react on the interstate. My son's safety was severely compromised. The problem turned out to be the radiator/transmission problem Nissan is already being investigated for (NHTSA action number DP12004). It required a new radiator, a new transmission and a new transmission computer as this was all ruined with the catastrophic failure of the radiator. The cost of repairs was $4632.97 including the tow charge. Nissan has been aware of this problem for quite some time and even settled a class action lawsuit for this very issue a few years ago. Had they voluntarily recalled the vehicle and fixed the problem, my son would not have been put in this dangerous situation and the costs would have been minimized. I desire for Nissan to be held liable for this - you have received literally hundreds of the very same complaint. Please conduct a recall on the Xterra, pathfinders and frontiers you know are impacted. We were fortunate not to have a crash resulting in injury or death; the next family may not be so lucky.
I started to notice a problem while driving on the highway and thought it may be a engine oil issue. I knew there was something wrong because it did not feel right when driving the car it on the highway. Attaining the speeds on the highway was difficult and slow. When braking it was also slower to react. I took it too Nissan thinking it an easy fixed, I paid $700 dollars to fix whatever they could analyze. I thought the problem was solved, but no. Then I was hit with a $3000 to replace the transmission and radiator, which was known about back in 2010. What a rip off Nissan, you knew there was an issue and you neglect to inform your customers. I hope you go bankrupt now!
When I am driving on the highway doing 65 or 50 miles an hour the car would slow down and cars behind me would almost hit me. This car was on a recall for the transmission and was fixed. The same problem came back on the transmission and Nissan would not fix it. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
I was driving my 2005 Nissan Xterra down the highway around 65mph when I noticed the vehicle would not accelerate when pushing the gas pedal. I was able to maneuver the vehicle off the road just before the steering wheel locked up & the vehicle went dead. Had it towed into dealership, was told the transmission had failed & would have to be replaced. Issues caused from faulty radiator drainage into transmission fluid. I have read of countless other reports of this same issue. This year vehicle should be recalled by dealership to correct this recurring problem. It wont be long before someone loses control of their vehicle due to failed transmission & hits another vehicle or kills someone!
The car had been driving fine and then all of a sudden it would not shift into a higher gear. The rpms would just increase. At times the car would not even go into any gear what so ever. Finally managed to get it to a dealership where they told me it was the transmission fluid mixing with the radiator fluid. Told me I needed both replaced and quoted over $6500 for the fix. Check engine light was on at the time, but I was also having a problem with the fuel gauge (also another known problem in Xterras).
When driving at various speeds I began to notice the engine bogging down when changing gears. Upon taking it to my mechanic I was told that there was a leak between the transmission and engine coolant systems. The fix would require a replacement of both systems totally approx. $6000! apparently this is a "known issue" with 2005-2010 Xterras. Upon contacting Nissan I was told that since my vehicle was over 100,000 miles that there was nothing that they could do for me. If this is a known issue, and a rather major one at that, I'm not sure why there hasn't been any recalls or some kind of fix.
I had a complete loss of motive power and needing to be towed to a shop. The shop diagnosed the problem as a failed transmission fluid cooler located in the radiator assembly that allowed coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid, resulting in damaged internal transmission components and a damaged internal transmission computer. There were no warning signs leading up to or just prior to the failures. The transmission and radiator now need to be replaced.
Transmission kept slipping from 4th gear to 3rd, then back to 4th. It was brought in for transmission service and learned the radiator was leaking fluid into the transmission. The radiator needs to be replaced and the transmission rebuilt. Nissan is aware of the issue occurring in 2005-2007 models, but have done nothing to correct it, nor have they notified owners of this serious problem.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan model Xterra. The contact stated that he replaced the radiator as a precaution to avoid radiator fluid from mixing with the transmission fluid. The contact had not experienced a failure. The current mileage was 83,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that the transmission failed, causing the vehicle to decelerate while the contact was attempting to accelerate. The contact's personal mechanic inspected the vehicle and found the radiator smoking. The mechanic also noticed that the radiator fluid had mixed with the transmission fluid. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 149,000.
Just bought auto from used car dealer day before. Drove it 30 miles pulled in visited then went out to start auto. Would not start traced back to blown fuse, changed fuse tried starting again, blew fuse again, one more time then when auto started smoke came out from under hood. After 3 months of replacing electrical wiring from frying narrowed down to radiator and transmission (fuse that blew) the coolant had backed up and tore up transmission. If it had been on the road there would have been a full blown fire on a highway with possibility of human damages.
While turning back into traffic my 2005 Nissan Xterra jerked as I began to accelerate over 20 mph. Once I got the vehicle to the speed of traffic it began to have troubles shifting gears and accelerating. While the vehicle was at a steady speed I didn't notice any other issues. As I slowed to an exit the vehicle started to jerk and not shift properly. It also had trouble accelerating. After having these issues I checked my fluids and found a milky like substance was in my transmission and my coolant. I researched the problems I was having with my Xterra and found that it was very common and realized that their is a crack in my radiator which is causing the contamination of my transmission and coolant. I have had this vehicle for just about two months and it is very upsetting to know that I may have to pay for a new transmission and radiator which is more then what I paid for the vehicle.
Driving Xterra on highway when SUV started to hesitate when moving forward in traffic....SUV would hesitate, rev...and not shift out of gear easily upon acceleration. Took SUV to mechanic and found out the radiators engine coolant was leaking into the transmission fluid causing the problem. I lucked out and did not damage the transmission, however; I am having to replace the radiator due to the Nissan known defect. I was never given any letters or notified about this mechanical problem and now will be paying under a $900 for fluid flush, new radiator and new fluids. This is not ok for Nissan to not notify the vehicle owners!!!! I expect repayment from Nissan on their faulty mechanical equipment.
When I drove it to work, there were a few delays while shifting gears. After half hour driving it, I heard water splashing sounds. I turned off the radio and I heard the splashing sounds even more clear. In the same time, I smelled electronic burnt like smells. Since I was on the express way, I couldn't stop right away. Then, 15 minutes later or a total of 45 minutes driving it, there were smokes from the front. I was so shock and worry if the car was going to blow up. I felt panic because I couldn't just stop in the middle of the driving lanes. Thankfully, other cars slowed down for me and let me passed. I pulled up in the nearby dairy depot's parking lot, but I was 20 minutes away from my workplace's city. It was so cold and windy, but since I was worry if the car would blow up, I got out and stood in the cold. Also, the tow truck was delayed for 2 hours and I had to missed work. The car shop told me that the radiator causes the transmission issues and all fluids are mixed together. When I researched this issue, I came across many others who had the same issue. I am shocked that it's very common. I feel so discourage to ever trust Nissan again. This car was my investment as I have $7000 loan remaining on it and I just fixed all four shafts for $1000. I have always done comprehensive maintenance to it. So, where did I go wrong" how can Nissan does this? why there was no recall that would have regained customers' trust that it is safe to drive Nissan??? why Nissan has to wait for a mountain of complaints before agreed to extend the warranty and even that was only for those under 100K mileage? does it mean that Nissan can't make a car that last more than 100K??" not only Nissan jeopardizes my safety and others, now my investment in Nissan has turned into a chunk of debt for me. This is so wrong!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Rosemount, MN, USA