2005 NISSAN XTERRA Complaints

RADIATOR BROKE DOWN WHICH CAUSES THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO BE MIXED WITH RADIATOR FLUID. THIS KILLS BOTH THE TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR. THIS WAS A WELL KNOWN AND DEFINED PROBLEM BY NISSAN AND THEY NEVER DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT. TOTAL BILL IS WELL OVER $5K FOR TRANSMISSION, RADIATOR, LABOR. *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A BUSY LOS ANGELES STREET DURING RUSH HOUR, MY CAR SUDDENLY LOST DRIVABILITY. THE ENGINE RPM'S INCREASED, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT ENGAGE. NEARLY GOT INTO MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS TRYING TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. CAR WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC WHERE A STRAWBERRY MILK COLOR LIQUID WAS FOUND IN THE TRANSMISSION. WAS TOLD COOLANT AND TRANSMISSION FLUID MIXING WAS THE CAUSE. REQUIRED TO REBUILD TRANSMISSION, REPLACE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION CONTROL VALVE. REPAIR COST ESTIMATED AT $5050 PLUS TAX. *TR

CAR WAS ACTING FUNNY SO I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC. COOLANT WAS LEAKING INTO THE TRANSMISSION. REPLACED THE RADIATOR BEFORE IT CAUSED ANY MAJOR ISSUES WITH THE TRANNY BUT STILL COST ME $1200. NOW A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING SOMETHING WITH THE TRANNY. I AM AFRAID IT WILL FAIL NOW AND I WILL HAVE TO PUT MORE MONEY. NISSAN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 80K MILES BUT THIS ISSUES STARTED HAPPENING AFTER THAT. *TR

RADIATOR COOLANT LEAKED INTO TRANSMISSION CAUSING OVERHEATING. REPLACED RADIATOR $1200 NOW REQUIRED TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION FOR $3510 PARTS, $1450 LABOR, AND $100 FLUID AT TISCHER NISSAN LAUREL MARYLAND. TRANSMISSION FEELS LIKE RIDING OVER RUMBLE STRIPS. *TR

I WAS NOTICING A DIFFERENCE IN THE SHIFTING OF MY VEHICLE AND TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST WHO DISCOVERED I HAD RADIATOR FLUID MIXED IN WITH MY TRANSMISSION FLUID. I WAS TOLD MY RADIATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THE TRANSMISSION FLUSHED, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THERE WAS HOPE THIS WOULD WORK AS I CAUGHT THE PROBLEM EARLY AND NEVER HAD A SERVICE CODE POP UP. I PAID $1110 FOR THIS WORK. SUBSEQUENTLY I CONTACTED MY NISSAN DEALER WHO TOLD ME IT WAS RELATED TO THE RADIATOR PROBLEM THAT NISSAN HAD EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON. I CONTACTED NISSAN AND MADE A CLAIM FOR REIMBURSEMENT AND FOR THE PROBLEM TO BE RECTIFIED COMPLETELY. NISSAN ADVISED ME TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AT MY OWN EXPENSE FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THE NISSAN DEALER VERIFIED THAT INDEED MY PROBLEM WAS DUE TO THE RADIATOR ISSUE AND MY TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AGAIN AND WHEN I TOLD THEM THIS I WAS TOLD MY VEHICLE HAD SURPASSED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY OF 80,000 MILES AND THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST. DURING MY RESEARCH, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WERE ALSO OVER THE 80,000 MILES GRANTED BY NISSAN. MY TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY STOPPED SHIFTING AND IS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I FEEL THE EXTENDED WARRANTY NOTICE SENT BY NISSAN WAS VERY MISLEADING. IT STATED A "RADIATOR ISSUE" WHICH IN NO WAY IDENTIFIES THAT IS ONLY THE CULPRIT AND NOT THAT THE TRANSMISSION WILL BE IMPACTED AND RENDERED USELESS. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SUCH AN EASIER OPTION TO REPLACE A RADIATOR AND CONTINUE TO HAVE TRANSPORTATION, THEN TO HAVE A LAWN ORNAMENT. BY THE WAY...WHY WAS THERE NEVER A SERVICE CODE LIGHT THAT ALERTED TO THE PROBLEM? *TR

NISSAN IS WELL-AWARE OF A DESIGN FLAW THAT ALLOWS RADIATOR FLUID TO CROSS-CONTAMINATE TRANSMISSION FLUID. THEY JOKINGLY (AT LEAST THEIR DEALERS) REFER TO IT AS A "STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE". THE ANTIFREEZE DEGRADES TRANSMISSION PARTS AND CAUSES TRANSMISSION FAILURE. A QUICK WEB SEARCH SHOWS OVER 300 SUCH CASES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN XTERRA. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE BUT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED DUE TO COOLANT FROM THE RADIATOR LEAKING INTO THE TRANSMISSION, CAUSING AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE. THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: DP12004 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM)) THAT COULD HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,324.

TRANSMISSION LOCKED IN ONE GEAR WHICH CAUSED DANGEROUS CIRCUMSTANCES ON WELL TRAVELED ROADS. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT OPERATED NORMALLY, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. THE OCCURRENCES WERE INTERMITTENT, AND IF OCCURRED ON A HIGHWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC COULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT AND INJURIES. NISSAN HAS ADMITTED THERE IS A PROBLEM/DEFECT BY EXTENDING THE WARRANTY TO 80,000 MILES. HOWEVER, THIS DEFECT AFFECTS VEHICLES BEYOND 80,000 AND IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN. I UNDERSTAND THE DEFECT HAS TO DO WITH A COOLING SYSTEM IN THE TRANSMISSION WHICH IS PRONE TO CRACKING RESULTING IN THE MIXING OF RADIATOR FLUID AND TRANSMISSION FLUID, ULTIMATELY RENDERING THE TRANSMISSION INOPERABLE. *TR

JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER THE 405 FREEWAY IN LONG BEACH, MY XTERRA WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE GARDEN GROVE NISSAN DEALER SAID IT WAS DUE TO A LEAK IN THE RADIATOR THAT CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO GIVE OUT. I WAS CHARGED $5,000 TO REPAIR. I FILED A CLAIM WITH THE DEALER AND THAT'S WHEN I FIRST LEARNED THAT I HAD BEEN GIVEN AN EXTRA 20,000 MILES WARRANTY BACK WHEN MY XTERRA ONLY HAD 60,000 MILES. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND I'VE BEEN TAKING MY XTERRA TO THE DEALER FOR ALL MAINTENANCE SINCE I BOUGHT IT FROM THE DEALER. *TR

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK A FEW MORNINGS AGO. MY CAR HAD OVER A 4TH OF GAS. THEN MY GAS TANK DROPS TO BELOW EMPTY THEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON. THEN IT TURNS OFF AND TURNS BACK ON CONTINUES TO MOVE AND TURNS BACK ON ALL WHILE DRIVING. I PULL INTO A GAS STATION FILL UP THE GAS TANK THEN PROCEED TO GO HOME. THE CAR TURNS BACK ON ONE LAST TIME AND WHEN I TRY AND TURN IT BACK ON IT SHAKES AND TURNS OFF. HAD TO TOW MY CAR TO MY HOME HAD MULTIPLE MECHANICS COME TO MY HOME AND DIAGNOSE MY CAR. I HAVE REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND YET STILL DOES NOT WORK. MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THE PROBLEMS IS DEEPER AND THIS CAR AND THIS YEAR IS KNOWN TO HAVE STAGGERING ISSUES. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED BY NISSAN NOT THE CONSUMER. I HAVE NEVER HAD AN ISSUE BEFORE. IM PUTTING MORE AND MORE MONEY INTO A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. *TR