I am now yet another unfortunate victim of Nissan's 2005 Xterra radiator/transmission problem. I initially noticed something was wrong when my xterra would feel like it wasn't catching while driving between 40 and 70 mph. If I let off the gas and then hit the gas again, it was like the transmission was missing and the vehicle felt like I was rolling over a long road grate with a lot of vibration. I noticed this for a month or so. However, I took it right to Nissan right after the time I was merging onto an interstate and tried accelerating, with the transmission completely missing and the vehicle behind me almost running into the back of me while I could not accelerate into traffic. The Nissan service shop informed me that this was a known problem with the radiator fluid mixing with the transmission fluid. Since I am at 93000 miles, it was a $3000 repair to replace the radiator and transmission. What really unnerved me was reading these message boards, only to discover that Nissan knew this was a problem. They could have notified the owners and done a $300 preventative fix. Since Nissan chose not to notify owners of this, I now have the repair cost rather than the preventative cost, which is absolutely ridiculous. I spoke with Nissan about this several management levels high, but to no avail. Since this class action lawsuit was settled (I was never notified about any kind of lawsuit), Nissan feels they have no further obligations to make this problem better. It appears the only way to fight this at this point to file a complaint with the highway safety people so that hopefully a retroactive recall will be issued so I can be reimbursed for Nissan's disregard of notifying owners that a problem of this size is possible. However, for some reason, the highway safety people don't see this is a safety issue, so I plan to write them as well to help them understand that a transmission that fails while driving down the interstate is certainly a safety issue. I hope that everyone who has to deal with this problem will also take the time to notify the highway safety people so the current and potential victims of this circumstance can receive restitution.

we're expecting our first son in 3 weeks, so i thought we really needed a safe, reliable, family car. the nissan xterra seemed great, we bought used from an auto dealer and it ran great during the test drive. after we took it home, THE NEXT MORNING on our way to a dr. appt, the car started jerking on the highway! engine would rev without going anywhere... i was so upset with the dealer, and now with nissan! there are families driving these cars! there are children and babies riding in these cars!!! who in their right mind would sell a sh*t car like this to a pregnant woman??

Joining the group with the DEFECTIVE radiator which causes the transmission to fail. Nissan should not get away with this! The class action lawsuit is settled, however if you are over 80,000 miles your co pay is 2500.00-3000.00. This needs to be a recall item. Obviously Nissan will not do this voluntarily - PLEASE ! If you are having this problem, be sure to file a complaint with the NHTSA. It's easy to do. They are currently investigating the recall, and even though I had to pay 2500.00 for the work, I'm hoping the NHTSA will decide this should be a recall and I'll get my money back !

This is such crap. When they sent out the radiator warranty extension, they could have listed some of the symptoms...I had some problem with vibration when my overdrive was engaged...someone told my it was just hunting too much and to turn it off. Had I known to be aware of the effect the radiator might have on the trans mission I would have run that car in much sooner. Obviously Nissan knew of this problem....look at the 2005 compared to every other. This is a defect. It needs to be recalled. File a complaint ! Lets get our money back !

Nissan has clearly known about this issue for years based on the complaints that I have seen on the internet. They sent a letter saying that they are extending the warranty on the radiator, but mentioned nothing regarding the effect on the transmission. The problem first started well over a year ago, but was minor at first and I thought nothing of it. The car was checked by my Nissan dealer in May of this year when I had the oil changed and the checklist noted no problems with the transmission or radiator fluid then. Bull...... these people lie, just like they did about the faulty fuel sensing unit that they were forced to pay for.

My solution, pay the $2,500, contact the plaintiff attorney who handled the first class action lawsuit and call my ABC affiliate consumer affairs reporter. Won't my dealership have a surprise on their front doorstep! Kiss that fall sales campaign goodbye. Never get mad with fools, get even. Apparently the Nissan executives didn't learn a thing from Toyota fiasco. Well, you will now!

o.k.The problem start with my car jerking while on the highway. I though it was the engine but it wasn't. then i change spark plugs that didn't work .I took it to nissan they said it was coolant in the transmission but never told me about a recall. they said it would could over $5509 to get fix. A mechanic that use to work for nissan told me about the recall. I call North America Nissan they say there is nothing they can do.

Update from Nov 26, 2012: November after THANKGIVING they send me sticker to put on my car to send to bob bell near at east point.It a hundred thousand mile sticker. MY car has ahundred twenty seven Thousand miles on it.Is this a joke on me .I needed a lawyer

I was traveling and after covering about 400 miles the transmission fluid was all over the road trailing me. Forced to stop and the mechanics made me to replace the gear box with a fairly used one at approximately $4,500. Used the vehicle for almost a year. Thereafter, gear could not be engaged until I switch off engine for some minutes and restart vehicle. Took vehicle for flushing, worked for a few days and back to the same problem again. The transmission fluid now turned muddy and flushed again. Worked again for a few days and back to the same problem. Now the transmission has stopped. Mechanics suggests that I change the radiator and gear fibers (clutch disc). I've paid for that and waiting for result. If it does not work, I will jerk the vehicle for ever or until a solution is found in time to come. What do you suggest?

Regards.

As many Nissan Xterra owners have noted, we also have a faulty radiator that leaks coolant into the transmission which is, of course, a recipe for disaster! We have contacted the Regional Manager at Nissan, who played a waiting game and gave us a 'sorry, we can't help you' speech. I am appalled at how ubiquitous this problem is and that Nissan still refuses to acknowledge it. There are many web sites covering this issue, with many Xterra owners citing the exact same problem -- faulty radiator leaking coolant into transmission, effectively destroying both. This seems to occur around 80,000 to 110, 000 miles, making it conveniently outside the warranty. As many others have noted, Nissan changed their radiator model in 2006 and newer models, which is a good indication they already knew about the problem. I recommend filing as many complaints as you can, writing a letter to Nissan (the phone calls don't really help), and also contacting the BBB. Nissan customer service reps claim nothing can be done, but SOMETHING CAN BE DONE. It just takes determination and plenty of complaints to nudge Nissan to do the right thing. I am sorry to be getting a very bad impression of Nissan in general. We have loved our Xterra, taken good care of it, and recommended it to others, who have bought Xterras! And now Nissan is not acknowledging a faulty problem that they are indeed responsible for. This is not right, not responsible, and not appropriate for a company that prides itself on selling trustworthy vehicles.

I was on vacation with my husband in the mountains of North Carolina, when the problem started, we had to get the vehicle home and then I found out what the problem was I called the Nissan dealer and they gave me the number to Nissan Customer Relations and I called Nissan Customer Relations, they said I had to have a Nissan dealer check and confirm this, so I had to have it taken by rollback to the Nissan dealer in the closest big city, Chattanooga, TN, the repair service rep was super nice and tried to help, they gave me the number to the Nissan Customer Relations department, they ( the Customer Relations group) took two weeks to decide, even though it was a known problem with this model and type of vehicle and even tho they had an extended warranty on this vehicle for that specific problem, the person who owned the vehicle before did not take the vehicle in for replacement (before the problem or to prevent the problem) that they would not do anything to help.... this caused the transmission to go out also because it spilled the water into the transmission, so not only am I on foot, but I am looking at a $6000.00 repair bill.... something I don't have is a lot of money, I did manage to get the cooling system, repaired and replaced.... but the transmission is still not repaired or replaced.... and it will probably be awhile, mean time I am having to make a 340.00 payment each month and unable to drive my Xterra..... Nissan does not stand behind their product and they do not value their customers..... they are a bunch of rip off artist.... I had an Xterra 01 model and you could not have had a better vehicle, unfortunately I had a motor vehicle accident and totaled my previous Xterra, if only this one had been half the vehicle the other one was I would have been total satisfied, but this one is not even close to being the vehicle the other one was.... in my opinion, and that's like everyone has an opinion, but mine is that Nissan should be held responsible to repair/replace my transmission since they knew this was a problem system and they should have been forced to recall........ Piece of Crap 05 Nissan Xterra.... spread the word that this is known to happen in the 05, Nissan Xterra, Frontier and Pathfinder also some 06 and 07 models because they changed the cooling system and tranny for 06 and 07 but put some of the faulty systems in just to see if they would go bad too.... and that statement came straight from a Nissan rep...... What's your opinion!!????????????

I am writing in regards to a problem with the 2005 Nissan Xterra. I have also seen throughout the internet that I am not the only person with this problem, but Nissan will not take responsibility for their products and fix the problem.

The beginning stages of the problem started with the car jarring or shaking at normal driving speeds, 50-60 mph. The vehicle gradually became hazardous by driving fine at some points, but at inopportune times slipping out of gear when merging into traffic and/or starting at red lights and such. The vehicle was looked at by several reputable mechanics in my area. All stated they believe that something might be wrong with the transmission internally. I was advised to have the transmission flushed due to the mileage and that commonly at 75,000 miles it is recommended to have a transmission serviced. Upon having this service conducted to my vehicle, I discovered that the transmission fluid, commonly red, look as if it was muddy water as it was flushed out. The mechanics advised me, at the time of the service, that this was not a normal color and that somehow water was getting into my transmission. The mechanics also advised me that it took 16 quarts of fluid to flush the transmission where it should have taken much less causing me extra expenses.

After having the transmission serviced and discovering the problem, I took the vehicle to several transmission repair shops were I was advised by many that they would not even work on the vehicle because the particular vehicle is such an undertaking due to manufacturing defects. I was advised by several transmission mechanics that Nissan Xterra’s are known for having a faulty inter-cooler system which is linked to the engines radiator. The inter-cooler ruptures causing engine coolant, water / antifreeze, to mix with the transmission fluid. This mixture is what was observed during the flushing of the system giving the muddy water appearance because actually that is what was being pumped out of the transmission. The water being introduced to the transmission had caused rusting, clutch pad glue to dissolve causing the gears to be grinding metal to metal and the internal computer located inside the housing of the transmission to begin shorting out. The transmission began to lose pressure due to dilution of the transmission fluid hence beginning the slipping and jarring feelings earlier described. I was advised that this was not a normal “rebuild” as most vehicles would be, but more of an over haul because the radiator would need to be replaced, an separate intercooler would need to be installed, the transmission would need to be rebuilt and the computer system would need to be replaced. I was advised this repair would run in the neighborhood of $5000.00 all while the vehicle has only 86,000 miles on it. These types of extensive repairs would be more understood on a high mileage vehicle. Nissan should at least stand behind an SUV with under 100,000 miles that now does not have any forward or reverse gears. The vehicle WAS completely undrivable FROM JULY 2011 UNTIL APRIL OF 2012 this time and is causing a great burden on my family.I had to pay about $5,000 to get this problem fixed.

When my vehicle almost didn't turn over one morning, I thought my battery was going dead. Since it was 4.5 years old, I thought I'd go to a repair shop and get it checked out. They said the cold cranking amps were low, so they replaced it. The next morning when I go to start the car, it's stone-cold dead - but the weird thing is, the dash lights come on, so I know I have electrical power. Two tow jobs and one burned out electrical board later ($400), it turns out the radiator is leaking coolant into the transmission, which in addition to destroying the transmission has caused damage to some of the electrical components in the engine. The shop looking at the vehicle determines that Nissan has a known problem with faulty radiators that cause these kinds of problems and suggests I have the dealer look at it. The dealer tells me the repair will cost $7,000 and that I should call the Nissan Consumer Affairs Dept. to see if they will do anything about it. So far I have spoken with Christy and Adam (both of whom I think are in Ohio - I'm in Missouri) and they have told me I'm stuck with the bill. I have had all of the scheduled maintenance done for this vehicle, but not at the dealer where I bought it. I am absolutely furious about this. What makes me most angry is that Nissan knew that there is a problem with the radiator which can cause this kind of damage and never contacted me about it. If I would have had a new radiator put in a year ago, it probably would have kept the transmission and electrical system from being damaged. I've also gone online and found out that there are a lot of people in the same situation as me. If Nissan doesn't do something about this problem and soon, I will never purchase another Nissan product, EVER! I also came across a recent article stating that the NHTSA is/or will be soon investigating Nissan about this and wants to know when consumers have had a problem. That's why I'm writing this. As I said, I'm absolutely LIVID! This is absolutely outrageous and unacceptable. I hope they are forced to do a recall as I shouldn't have to pay $7,000 to repair a vehicle that I bought new, did the scheduled maintenance on and just past 100k miles. Totally freaking ridiculous!!

I have made my first mistake by trusting the repair manager. . I look back and realized they could have been honest and saved me so much heartache, money and worry about traveling and possibly getting into an accident.

When I was told by an other mechanic about the radiator and transmission. And that was probably the problem that caused the engine to fail also.

Nissan was very aware of this complaint but no one sent out any letters offering to help with the findings from all the complaints. Nissan knew of the design and error of the radiator leaking fluid into the transmission. I hope the class action lawsuit goes after them and reminds them that we the people are their customers. Without us thy fail. Everyone needs to strike against Nissan.

Hi Everybody,

Reading most of your comments I'm worry about the transmission issues on this car, I know it is too late because I already bought this car, a 2005 Nissan Xterra, Off road with 65800 miles but so far this issue is not affecting the car and my wallet so I really appreciate a solution to prevent it.

This car was imported from the US and I bought it in Costa Rica then there is no way for me to know who was the previous owner just to ask him/her if that issue affected the car, then I need to start from zero.

From most of your comments the problem came from the transmission radiator then if this is the problem, replacing this is considered as a solution for those cars that have not been affected yet? Any specific replacement part?

Thanks in advance for any help that I can get.

Orlando Nunez

To Whom It May Concern, I am an Owner of a 2005 Nissan Xterra Off Road. I had purchased the Nissan at Charlie’s In Augusta Maine in May 2010 with near 75,000 miles on it. I had never purchased a Nissan before or a SUV. My wife got a new job and needed to travel back and forth and needed an AWD or 4WD. The Nissan was a great fit for my family. I owned the Nissan for approximately 7 months. My wife fell in love with it. It ran great for awhile then, One day my wife came home after work stating that the vehicle was shifting hard. So I checked all the fluids to make sure nothing was low. At this time I had noticed when checking my fluids that the transmission fluid was a coffee color. I immediately called my mechanic and asked what to do. My mechanic said to bring it right over. He took a look at it and said it wasn’t good. The transmission fluid and the radiator fluid were mixing. I needed to replace the radiator and he said I was lucky and caught it at the right time. It seemed it did not affect the transmission or the motor. It ran great for about a week and then all hell broke lose. It seemed that the fluids began mixing again the vehicle was running really hot then just broke down. I had already dumped over $1200 into this and it’s going to cost about $5000 to fix. I am unable to get a loan to fix it. It has been sitting and I am paying $350 a month for a vehicle that does not run. While the automaker has offered an extended warranty for the radiators, and other safety organizations have received numerous complaints from owners alleging they have spent thousands of dollars for transmission repairs because the added radiator warranty coverage only applied to vehicles with fewer than 80,000 miles. I bought the vehicle with 75000 miles By the time I received the letter months went by. And by this time it was too late. In October, Nissan extended the warranty on the radiators of 2005-2010 Frontiers, Pathfinders and Xterras from three years or 36,000 miles to eight years or 80,000 miles. Nissan said only “a small percentage” of vehicles might experience the coolant-leak problem, which it blamed on “an internal crack on the oil cooler tube.” Nissan labeled the October action a radiator assembly warranty extension, which covered “damage, repairs, replacement, and related towing resulting from this issue.” Yet owners who experienced transmission failure are upset that Nissan did not cover their replacement if the failure occurred after 80,000 miles. I am at a stand still and I am just requesting any help or assistance on what I can do in this matter. My wife has had to find someone to travel back and forth to work with and she would love to have the vehicle up and running again as would I. I still have been making my $350 month payment on a car that I can’t use. I don’t want to have it repo, but I don’t know what else to do. Thank You for your time.

Sincerely, Peter Mangin

This happened 300 miles from home in the middle of no where anywhere at midnight while traveling with my dog. I had to find a pet friendly hotel, then rent a car for nearly 2 weeks while the work was being done. This car had very few problems for 100,000 and has been nothing but a lemon in the 12,000 miles since. I originally, dropped the car off at a Nissan dealer to fix and they wanted nearly $6,000 to repair it. They never mentioned that there was a problem with the coolant leaking into the transmission. I took it to another shop that explained that they have fixed many XTerra's with the same issue, that Nissan knew about it, and that they had extended the warranty to 80,000. when it should have been recalled.

NO this problem is not settled yet.... we have flushed the tranny 5 times, but the problems have not gone away yet, the next step is to replace the tranny, but we don't have the money to do that right now..... We were on vacation in the mountains of North Carolina, when the problem began. It jerked while on an incline and then just kept getting worse and worse. My husband, changed the transmission fluid and cleaned the screen inside the tranny, and it looked as if this would fix the problem, but it did not and once the transmission had warmed by up it started slipping and jerking, but we did not know that the cooling system had split and filled the transmission with water..... I have contacted Nissan and they have refused to take responsibility in help to solve the problem. I would not recommend Nissan to anyone. They will not stand behind their product and they sure don't value their faithful customers....... they are a bunch of money hungry rip offs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will scream to the world not to buy from them, I loved my last Nissan Xterra, but not now..... They could fix or replace my vehicle if only they would and I am sure they can afford it better than I can..... Good thing I don't use bad language or I sure would tell them what I think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Update from May 21, 2016: We finally got the transmission replaced in a trans shop in Chattanooga TN, they also put a new cooling system in the vehicle and bypassed the way the cooling system ran through the radiator to the tranny. Cost was close to $6,000.00. Ran about 6 months. Since then we have had several other sensor problems, etc. and the vehicle hasn't been running or drivable.. Still haven't gotten to drive the car in the last 3 1/2 years.... still working on it, still not running. NISSAN DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR WORKMANSHIP OR THEIR PRODUCTS.....