2008 NISSAN PATHFINDER Complaints

THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR IS FAILING, CAUSING ERRATIC OR INACCURATE FUEL GAUGE READINGS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO ILLUMINATES. NISSAN HAS RECALLED 2006 - 2008 VEHICLES FOR THIS FUEL GAUGE ISSUE. RECALL ANNOUNCED: MARCH 03 2010 NHTSA REFERENCE: #10V075000 NUMBER AFFECTED: 80,689 SUMMARY: NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 AND MODEL YEAR 2008 FRONTIER, XTERRA AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE MOLDED FUEL TANK SHELLS CAN DEFORM, CAUSING THE FUEL SENDER FLOAT ARM TO CONTACT AN EMBOSSMENT MOLDED INTO THE TANK SHELL CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FUEL GAUGE TO SHOW THAT THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER TANK WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS EMPTY. CONSEQUENCE: THIS COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO RUN OUT OF GAS AND STALL IN TRAFFIC, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT TO BOTH NISSAN AND THE NHTSA...AND IT SHOULD BE REPAIRED BEFORE THERE IS A FATALITY IN MY FAMILY

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE FAST LANE AT 85 MPH THE CAR LOST POWER COMPLETELY. LUCKILY THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS IN MY VICINITY. COASTED OVER 2 LANES TO BREAKDOWN LANE JUST BARELY OVER THE LINE. GAS GAGE READ 1/4 TANK SO FIGURED I STILL HAD GAS. TRIED TO RESTART SEVERAL TIMES BUT CAR ACTED LIKE IT WAS OUT OF GAS. CALLED AAA FOR A TOW TRUCK AND ASKED TO BRING GAS JUST IN CASE. CAR STARTED RIGHT UP AFTER MECHANIC PUT GAS IN TANK. ALTHOUGH THIS ISSUE IS A RECALL1 NISSAN WILL NOT REPAIR FOR FREE. SAY MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND IT WILL COST ME $450. RECALL SUMMARY:NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 AND MODEL YEAR 2008 FRONTIER, XTERRA AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE MOLDED FUEL TANK SHELLS CAN DEFORM, CAUSING THE FUEL SENDER FLOAT ARM TO CONTACT AN EMBOSSMENT MOLDED INTO THE TANK SHELL CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FUEL GAUGE TO SHOW THAT THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER TANK WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS EMPTY. HAZARD:THIS COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO RUN OUT OF GAS AND STALL IN TRAFFIC, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

WHEN I PULLED OUT IN TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC MY CAR REVVED BUT DID NOT GO ANYWHERE. MY 5 YEAR OLD WAS IN HIS BABY SEAT WITH CAR AND TRUCKS HONKING AND SWERVING AROUND MY TRUCK TO AVOID US.

I NOTICED A SHUDDER WHEN THE CAR SHIFTED FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR BUT SEEM TO DRIVE NORMAL OTHERWISE. I CONTACTED NISSAN SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND SCHEDULED THE FIRST AVAILABLE APPOINTMENT, WHICH TOOK EXACTLY 1 WEEK FROM DATE FIRST SYMPTOM. ON THE MORNING OF MY APPOINTMENT, MY CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS AT ALL ONCE I GOT ON THE HIGHWAY, CAUSING VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR BOTH MYSELF AND OTHER DRIVERS. I WAS ABLE TO COAST MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS LATER INFORMED FROM THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT A FAULTY RADIATOR LEAKED FLUID AND CONTAMINATED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, RESULTING IN A FAILED TRANSMISSION. REPAIR COSTS WOULD BE $5230, BUT THE MANAGER WOULD AGREE TO DO IT FOR $4165. I WAS TOLD AT THE DEALERSHIP THEY WERE AWARE OF FAULTY RADIATOR IN THE 2005-06 MODELS BUT WERE UNAWARE OTHER MODELS HAD THE SAME ISSUE. I HAD ALREADY RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM, TO FIND THAT NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS HAD BEEN FILED REGARDING 2005-2010 PATHFINDER, XTERRAS, AND FRONTIER AND NISSAN HAD SETTLED A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT BY OFFERING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE RADIATOR ASSEMBLY. SINCE I WAS BARELY OUTSIDE OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, I CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO INQUIRE ABOUT ASSISTANCE WITH GOODWILL REPAIR SINCE THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. I WAS INFORMED BY THE REGIONAL SPECIALIST SHE WOULD NEED A WEEK TO REVIEW THE CASE. ONE WEEK TO THE DATE, SHE RETURNED MY CALL INQUIRING IF I WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY THE COPAY LISTED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND I INFORMED HER YES. SHE THEN INQUIRED IF I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN A POSSIBLE VPP DISCOUNT ON A 2015 NISSAN AUTOMOBILE. I INFORMED HER I WAS INTERESTED IN ALL OPTIONS IN ORDER TO MAKE THE BEST CHOICE FOR MY SITUATION. SHE ASKED FOR TWO MORE DAYS TO REVIEW CASE AND RETURNED MY CALL TWO DAYS LATER TO TELL ME NISSAN WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ANY TYPE OF ASSISTANCE TO ME IN MY REPAIRS.

CROSS CONTAMINATION OF THE RADIATOR FLUID AND TRANSMISSION FLUID DUE TO FAULTY MFG(NISSAN) DESIGN CAUSED TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. $3000 OUT OF POCKET DUE TO A MFG FAULT!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED VIOLENTLY SHAKING WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

AFTER DRIVING AT ABOUT 30 MILES, MY CAR STOPPED RUNNING AND A LITTLE SMOKE CAME FROM THE HOOD. WHEN I PARKED THE CAR IT WOULD CRANK BUT WOULD NOT START. WHENEVER I TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION IT CRANKS BUT WONT CATCH AS IF THE BATTERY IS DEAD OR LOW ON FUEL. I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY BATTERY FOR A WHILE BUT IF I HIT THE STARTER IT WOULD CRANK. I DONT BELIEVE IT IS ANYTHING MAJOR BECAUSE IT DIDNT SHOW ANY SIGNS.

TRANSMITION FAILURE HARD SHIFTING DUE TO COOLANT CONTAMINATES THE TRANSMITION, RADIATOR AND TRANSMITION NEEDS TO BE REPLACE

FELT JERKING WHILE DRIVING AT 40-45 MPH TO THE POINT WHERE IT FELT LIKE I WAS LOSING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE ON THE ROAD. IT FELT LIKE IT WOULD GO TO NEUTRAL AND SUDDENLY BACK INTO GEAR REALLY HARD SO IT WOULD CAUSE SOMETHING LIKE A TORQUE PULL. SO, TOOK TO DEALER SERVICE SHOP AND WAS DIAGNOSED AS DEFECTIVE RADIATOR CRACKED AND LEAKED COOLANT FLUID INTO THE RADIATOR COOLER CAUSING A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. FORTUNATELY, DIDN'T LOSE CONTROL WHILE DRIVING BUT IT FELT CLOSE TO SOMETIMES. I BELIEVE A LESS EXPERIENCED DRIVER COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO CHANGE GEARS PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A TRANSMISSION FLUSH BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SHAKING AND VIBRATING WITH AN ABNORMAL NOISE AS THE FAILURE PROGRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A FRACTURE IN THE CONNECTION PIECE TO THE RADIATOR AND THAT CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING INTO THE RADIATOR. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE RADIATOR AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 124,000.