2005 NISSAN XTERRA Complaints

I JUST PURCHASED MY 2005 XTERRA USED FROM A LOT, AND ONLY AFTER SEEING GREAT REVIEWS ON EDMUNDS.COM AND CARS.COM DID I REALIZE THE TERRIBLE PROBLEMS THESE CARS HAVE. THERE'S A TERRIBLY HIGH-PITCHED WHINE COMING FROM THE ENGINE BAY AT ALL SPEEDS, WHICH MY MECHANIC TOLD ME OVER THE PHONE IS LIKELY THE TIMING CHAIN/CHAIN TENSIONER SYSTEM AND THAT IT'S WELL KNOWN ON THIS MODEL YEAR. HE SAID VERY LOW-QUALITY PARTS WERE USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CHAIN SYSTEM AND THAT IT'S PRONE TO CRITICAL FAILURE. THAT KIND OF FIX IS ANYWHERE BETWEEN $1,000 AND $2,000. APPARENTLY, JUST LIKE THE TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR FAILURES, NISSAN COVERED THIS PROBLEM UP AS BEST THEY COULD AND PREFERRED TO ENDANGER CUSTOMERS AND HAND OUT WAIVERS WHEN PEOPLE ASKED SPECIFICALLY INSTEAD OF OWNING UP TO THE PROBLEM AND FIXING IT OUTRIGHT. APPALLING.

NISSAN KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN FACT IT INVOLVES MULTIPLE YEARS AND MODELS. THE RADIATOR CRACKS AND LEAKS INTO THE TRANSMISSION RUINING BOTH. THEY ENTERED INTO A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT BUT SET THE BAR SO HIGH THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MEET. THIS CAR TECHNICALLY HAS LOW MILEAGE FOR A 10 YEAR OLD VEHICLE YET MISSES THE TOP PARAMETER BY 16,000 MILES. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE .

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO REV HIGH. THE TRANSMISSION FELT LIKE IT WAS SLIPPING, THE CAR WOULD BARELY MOVE. SHE WAS ABLE TO GET IT INTO A PARKING LOT. THE VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING AND FLUID POURED OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE. WE HAD IT TOWED. THE MECHANIC SAID THE RADIATOR LEAKED FLUID INTO THE TRANSMISSION. HE SAID HE SEES THIS ALL THE TIME WITH NISSAN VEHICLES, IT IS A KNOW FLAW. IT WILL COST ALMOST $4000 TO REPAIR, IT IS STILL IN THE SHOP. UPDATE 9/15/15*CW *CN

ON 7/10/15 MY HUSBAND WAS CHECKING THE RADIATOR AND FOUND TRANSMISSION FLUID IN IT. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED PINE BELT NISSAN OF TOMS RIVER NJ WERE WE PURCHASED THIS VECHICLE AND 2 OTHERS THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID WE WOULD NEED A TRANSMISSION AND IT WOULD BE $7,000. IT WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY IT WAS WARRANTIED TO 100,000 WHEN I QUESTIONED IT BECAUSE WE WERE 2,000 MILES OVER I WAS TOLD WELL THE WARRANTY WAS ONLY TO 100,000 WHEN MY VIN # WAS CHECKED. SO WE CHECKED AROUND FOR A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND DECIDED TO HAVE IT FIXED AT AMERICAN TRANSMISSION IN LAKEWOOD NJ. HE HAD TOLD US TO CONTACT NISSAN BECAUSE THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE DESIGN OF THE RADIATOR THAT IS BAD AND CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. WE ENDED UP SPENDING $5,069.23 TO HAVE IT FIXED $2000 LESS THAN NISSAN HAD QUOTED. WE HAD IT FIXED RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE WE DID NOT KNOW IF THIS PROBEM WOULD ALSO RUIN THE ENGINE. I ALREADY WROTE TO NISSAN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR A REFUND AND WAITING FOR A RESPONSE. I HAD TOLD THEM WE WERE A LOYAL CUSTOMER OF NISSAN OWNING 8 OF THEIR VEHICLES.

WAS DRIVING AND VEHICLE TRANSMISSION STOPPED MOVING VEHICLE. ENGINE WAS RUNNING AND I COULD SEE THE RPMS INCREASE AS I GAVE GAS BUT THE DRIVE TRAIN STOPPED WORKING. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP. THE DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS TRANSMISSION COOLER PROBLEM. EXPLAINED THAT IT IS A COMMON THING WITH THIS VEHICLE. THEN DISCOVERED THROUGH THE INTERNET THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS AND NISSAN HAS NOT RECALLED FOR THE DEFECT. REPAIR SHOP TOLD ME IT WILL BE $4500 TO REPAIR.

SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT WHEN FUEL GOES BELOW HALF TANK. THE FUEL GAUGE MAY NOT ALWAYS SHOW CORRECT READING, MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR CAR TO STOP IN MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY, IN MIDDLE OF SNOW-STORM, OR OTHER DANGEROUS SITUATION, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON WHEN FUEL LEVEL IS BELOW HALF TANK AND RESETS ITSELF WHEN FUEL TANK IS FULL.

DRIVING AT 65 MILES PER HOUR WHEN MY CAR BEGAN TO ACT LIKE THE GEAR WAS SLIPPING. THEN IT BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN FROM 40 MILES PER HOUR AND NO MATTER HOW HARD I PUSHED ON THE GAS PETAL, IT WOULD NOT SPEED UP. THEN IT JUST WOULD NOT MOVE AFTER THAT. HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK TO MOVE MY CAR FROM THE ROAD AND TAKE IT TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST WHO SAID THAT THE RADIATOR HAD GONE BAD AND LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION.

DRIVING AT 40 MILES PER HOUR WHEN MY CAR BEGAN TO ACT LIKE THE GEAR WAS SLIPPING. THEN IT BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN FROM 40 MILES PER HOUR AND NO MATTER HOW HARD I PUSHED ON THE GAS PETAL, IT WOULD NOT SPEED UP. THEN IT JUST WOULD NOT MOVE AFTER THAT. HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK TO MOVE MY CAR FROM THE ROAD AND TAKE IT TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST WHO SAID THAT THE RADIATOR HAD GONE BAD AND LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION.

MY XTERRA WON'T MOVE WHEN IN GEAR, DRIVE. I WAS COMING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND PULLED OUT INTO TRAFFIC SLOWLY, WHEN I WENT TO ACCELERATE TO PULL IN FRONT OF OTHER CARS COMING MY WAY THE XTERRA JUST STOPPED ACCELERATING. THE ENGINE REVED UP HIGH BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. CARS ALMOST RAN INTO ME AS I HAD TO MOVE TO THE SHOULDER WITH THIS DEAD CAR. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND THEN DRIVE AGAIN, STEPPED ON THE GAS AND THE ENGINE REVED BUT DID NOT MOVE. I PUT THE CAR IN LOWER GEAR AND THEN DRIVE AND WAS ABLE TO LIMP ON BACK HOME VERY SLOWLY WITH THE ENGINE REVING HIGH. I GOT IN MY GARAGE, CHECKED THE TRANNY FLUID AND IT WAS RUSTY LOOKING WITH SHARDS OF METAL IN IT, IT ALMOST WAS LIKE SCRAPES OF METAL IN IT. THE CAR IS STUCK IN MY GARAGE AND WON'T GO ANYWHERE BUT BACKWARDS.

CAR HAS BROKEN DOWN 3 TIMES IN THE PAST MONTH. CAUSE: RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION.