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:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
105,549 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.
I have an automatic and noticed that my 07 Nissan Xterra was struggling to change gears. When it did not go away after several months, I took it into local repair shop. They found that the radiator was full of a brown milk shake substance. They determined that transmission fluid had leaked in the radiator and mixed with the antifreeze. The shop replaced the radiator. Flushed the antifreeze system and the transmission fluid. 6 months later, the transmission started stuttering when it was changing gears at 45 - 50 and 65-70. I took the car into a local aamco. Once I advised the service rep what type of car I had, he laughed and said they that had already rebuilt over 30 Xterra transmission. They checked the transmission and advised that it needed to be rebuilt and provided me with an repair estimate of $ 4200. They advised to call Nissan Consumer Affairs to see what they would offer to do. They also advised of a class action lawsuit against Nissan for this known defect. I have been unable to find any information on this lawsuit.
Vehicle abruptly stalled without warning when making a left hand turn. Oncoming traffic was forced to stop. A serious, possibly deadly, accident could have occurred if the oncoming traffic had not stopped. The vehicle had shuddering during acceleration prior to this incident but had never given any indication it would stall unexpectedly. The vehicle had been maintained by Nissan and no issues were brought to my attention during this service. When Nissan diagnosed the vehicle they found that the transmission cooler had leaked and allowed transmission fluid and engine coolant to mix. This lead to transmission damage and unsafe, unexpected failure of the transmission. Nissan also said they had known about this common failure for many years. I was never informed of this dangerous design flaw.
We just discovered our 2007 Nissan Xterra (117,000 miles) is one of the many Nissan to have the radiator crack and leak coolant into the transmission and transmission fluid into the cooling system. The car now needs around $6,000 in repairs to fix the transmission, radiator, etc. We bought a warranty from the dealer when we bought the car in 2010. The warranty covers the transmission up to 120,000 miles. We have taken the car to the dealership for the last five years for regular service and was never informed about this design defect. The dealer will not fix the transmission as covered in the warranty.
My car began shuttering bad enough that I was afraid that it was going to stall or that I would get into an accident. Thankfully, I didn't I found out that a faulty radiator leaked into the transmission. Apparently, this is a well known problem. I am being told by Nissan that it will cost $7,000 to repair/replace the radiator, hoses, transmission etc. My mileage is just over 106,000 miles so, like everyone else, I will get no help from Nissan in making these repairs. I can't afford to fix it at this time so it will have to sit and wait while I will pray that there is a recall soon.
- Vancouver, WA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
According to garage, same complaint with other second generation Nissan Xterra owners. Radiator fluid mixed with transmission fluid and caused catastrophic failure. Driving downtown in heavy traffic with my 8 month old daughter and her mother in the car and losing power completely at an intersection due to a known problem was unnerving to say the least.
On 3/28/15, parking my 2007 Nissan Xterra (126,0000 miles) in tampa, fl. Before I had the car in "park", there was a loud noise, the engine started smoking and a lot of purple/green/gray fluid leaked out from the bottom of my car. Afraid to move the car, aaa towed it to the Nissan dealership in tampa. When the tow truck driver arrived and saw the color of the fluids, he quickly determined that my car had leaked both transmission and radiator fluid. He said he heard that this was a problem with Nissan Xterras. I was shocked! since purchasing new in December 2006, I have always taken my car to Nissan for all service. Other than a few oil changes, all service has been performed by Nissan dealerships and their certified technicians. Just prior to this incident, my car had been shaking. I had been to Nissan with this complaint in the past, but after repairs were made it seemed to go away. At no time was a transmission problem mentioned as a possibility. I have lived in different areas in Florida and used only Nissan dealerships for service and repair, willing to pay more for repairs than an independent repair shops, that Nissan dealerships and service would know my vehicle best & be proactive, alerting to any potential future problems, I felt protected. The last major repair was in July 2014, at 113,000 miles at autonation Nissan, delray, fl. Complaint was severe shaking, and stumbling when accelerating. Repairs were over $1,000; a transmission issue was never mentioned, even after further repairs were needed. I was never informed of transmission problems with Xterras until Saturday at the dealer in tampa, who said he alerts all Xterra owners to be proactive with radiator replacement. After the comment I did research online. I was unaware of the class action suit settled with Nissan; I was never notified of a problem history with Nissan Xterra transmissions and radiators.
Transmission control unit fried by defected radiator failure. I am now one of the many 2007 Xterra owners taken by the Nissan motor corporation who put out a defective product and now refuse to stand behind it. Me and the wife were stopping to get a bite to eat, ended up being a final stop. After picking up the food the truck would not crank, gauges worked, horn and lights but still would not crank. Had it towed to the house and then contacted the dealership. Then it gets worst, the dealership "technician" replied with the exact same description of problem over the phone that I gave to him when I called to have it towed to the dealer. The symptoms are no crank, milky looking radiator fluid and the automatic transmission fuses keeps blowing. Now I contacted the Nissan motor corporation and got no "joy" when I found out that the were offering a big fat nothing!!!!!! I guess this is what you get for buying a Nissan :(
I was driving my Xterra on the freeway at 5:30 am and suddenly my car quit accelerating, it was as if it went into neutral. I had to immediately pull over onto the side of the highway so that I wouldn't get hit from behind. I turned the engine off and back on and the car got me to my destination. I have since found out that this dangerous issue is common in Xterra's and I am very disappointed that Nissan has not made this issue known to owners. It may well cause a bad accident. Additionally, it is a very costly repair for which Nissan takes little to no responsibility though the defect is theirs.
My 2007 Nissan Xterra started having both transmission and cooling system issues back in September 2014. After a few trips to our mechanic it was discovered that the vehicle had a cracked radiator and was allowing both coolant into the transmission and transmission fluid into the cooling the system. Apparently this is a well known issue and there was a class action lawsuit against Nissan, however the terms of the settlement only cover vehicles under 100K miles. By the time we found out the vehicle had just passed 100K (106K) and now Nissan refused to cover it! I'm now looking at a $5K - $6K repair bill and Nissan refused to budge.
Vehicle vibrates at 40 mph- making it unsafe - turns out it's transmission issue.. was informed this is not a new issue after reading online..... Nissan has never recalled these vehicles and instead was sued due to this transmission issue many other Nissan have had...I was never informed regarding such an issue. This is unsafe due to the shaking shudder this problem causes especially in a high traffic area and it isn't fsir that the customer stays stuck with a faulty vehicle... this issue should be fixed at any mileage since it is Nissan faulty design at fault! shame on you Nissan.
Transmission and radiator defect-internal leakage between the 2 engine parts -Nissan did not notify me, the original owner, of the defect or of the successful lawsuit against them for this problem.
The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Xterra, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed that the transmission needed to be repaired but the specifics were not available. The contact referenced NHTSA action number: DP12004 (power train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 134,000.
2007 Nissan Xterra. Consumer was told to pay a $2500 copay because his vehicle was over 80,000 miles. Consumer doesn't comply because he inquired about vehicle problems before the 80,000 mile mark. The consumer stated while his was driving, she noticed the vehicle began smoking and the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a diagnostic test revealer the radiator and transmission needed to be replaced due to coolant and oil mixing.
My transmission stopped shifting, I took it to a transmission shop an was told my atf line that runs through an engine coolant chamber in the radiator failed and get radiator fluid in my transmission and that my transmission needs to be replaced/rebuilt. Now I am stranded with out a vehicle when my vehicle only has 85000 miles on it and has had regular maintenance work on it. I am extremely disappointed and I would like to see Nissan step up and be held responsible for an issue that is accruing because of faulty factory parts.
I took my Nissan Xterra 2007 into boulder Nissan in October 2013. At the time, it had under 100,000 miles. Upon examination of the car for lack of heat, they said they flushed it and eventually I would have to replace the radiator. They did not tell me that there was a class action lawsuit against Nissan for defective parts leaking coolant into the transmission. I returned to Nissan in Jan. 2015 for the same problem and was hit with a bill for $5,200 to replace the radiator, transmission, timing chain and thermostat.
I bought my 07 Xterra 6 months ago from transitowne amherst and the dealership told me nothing was wrong with the vehicle. Now 6 months down the road the transmission has gone terminal due to the known problem where coolant leaks into the transmission and causes it to fail. I believe any dealership should have checked to make sure that a vehicle they were selling would not have this issue before they sell it.
My Xterra would not accelerate from stop to start, then one late evening it would not start at all. I had it towed to my mechanic who said it was the transmission that needed to be replaced and the transmission was shorting out the fuse to start the car. I took it to another mechanic for a second opinion, he stated the same and this was a known defect in Xterra, he also said that it will cost thousand of dollars to fix and even with a new transmission it will likely happen again because the electricity will burn out because of the defect. I called Nissan dealership, who stated that they knew about the problem, but was going to help fix it or reimburse me anything. I was stranded with a small toddler at 10pm in the rain and no means of getting home thanks to Nissan's known defect.
It has same problems as all the 02-08 Xterras but you wont issue recalls on fuel sensor, radiator leaking into tranny, air bag sensors, control arm. Thanks for letting loyal Nissan owners down!!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Riverside, MO, USA