2005 NISSAN XTERRA Complaints

STARTED HEARING A RUMBLE STRIP SOUND WHILE ON SMOOTH PAVEMENT. VEHICLE STARTED SHIFTING HARDER, WITH SLIGHT VIBRATIONS. BEFORE I COULD TAKE IT IN, I WAS INVOLVED WITH A HIT IN RUN IN A PARKING LOT. NISSAN SAID THE UPPER AND LOWER RADIATOR HOSES WERE SOAKED IN TRANSMISSION FLUID. MANAGER SAID IT HAD BEEN LEAKING FOR SOME TIME. HE SAID I NEEDED A NEW RADIATOR, AND TRANSMISSION COST OF 6500. NISSAN UPDATED THEIR RADIATORS BECAUSE THEY NEW IT WAS A DEFECTIVE PART, BUT REFUSE TO TAKE CARE OF DAMAGE THEY HAVE CAUSED. SEE LINK HTTP://WWW.NISSANASSIST.COM/WEB/RADIATOR/FAQS.PHP?MENU=22

IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION DURING A RECENT HORRIFIC EVENT THAT MY TRANSMISSION HAS SEIZED DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE RADIATOR CRACKING AND MIXING COOLANT INTO THE TRANSMISSION. I HAD BOUGHT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY PLAN THROUGH MY DEALER WHEN I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN 2009. THEY HAD AN ADJUSTOR FROM CAREFREE CAR PROTECTION COME OUT TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2011. WITH THAT BEING SAID; THEY STATED THEY DO NOT COVER THE RADIATOR ISSUE; AND SINCE IT WAS THE FAULTY RADIATOR THAT CAUSED THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL AND ULTIMATELY SEIZED, THEY WILL ALSO NOT COVER THAT OR ANY OTHER OF THE REPAIRS. UPON A BIT OF RESEARCH ON MY OWN THIS IS A KNOWN FAILURE WITH THIS PARTICULAR YEAR/MAKE/MODEL OF NISSAN. THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF DOCUMENTED CASES OF CONSUMERS WITH THE VERY SAME ISSUE. THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL MADE ON THIS AT ALL. YES, NISSAN EXTENDED THE RADIATOR WARRANTY UP TO 80,000 MILES BUT NOT THE TRANSMISSION. GUESS WHAT; THIS HAPPENED IN MY VEHICLE AT 89,000, SO NOT ONLY CAN I NOT FIX THE RADIATOR ISSUE BUT THE TRANSMISSION IS ALSO THE SAME. THE WORST PART OF ALL THIS IS; ON WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 9TH MY FOUR YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND I WERE ALMOST KILLED DUE TO THIS KNOWN MALFUNCTION. WE WERE TRAVELING ON A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY IN MID-DAY TRAFFIC WHEN THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION SEIZED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. I HAVE TO SAY, IF IT WERE NOT FOR MY EXTENSIVE TRAINING IN EMERGENCY VEHICLE OPERATIONS BY THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS , I HONESTLY DO NOT BELIEVE MY DAUGHTER OR I WOULD BE ALIVE TODAY. THE VEHICLE SEIZED RIGHT ON THAT STRETCH OF HIGHWAY AND I HAD TO VEER INTO A DITCH AVOIDING OTHER VEHICLES, TREES, GUARDRAILS AND JERSEY BARRIERS. I AM THANKFUL THAT WE DID SURVIVE THAT HORRIFIC EVEN. NOW I AM LOOKING TO NISSAN TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND MAKE THIS RIGHT. UPDATED IVOQ 12/01/11 *TR

RECENTLY I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF ACCELERATION AS I ATTEMPTED TO MERGE ONTO A HIGHWAY. I WAS ALSO VERY LUCKY THAT I DIDN'T CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT AT FIRST AND THEN INCREASED. NISSAN ACKNOWLEDGED A RADIATOR DESIGN FLAW AND EXTENDED THE BASIC WARRANTY TO LESSOR OF 96 MONTHS OR 80K MILES. I CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO INFORM THEM MY XTERRA WAS AFFECTED BY THE SAME PROBLEM. WHILE UNDER 96 MOS, MY VEHICLE HAS 89K MILES. I REQUESTED AN EXCEPTION WHICH WAS DENIED. NISSAN'S FAILURE TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE PROBLEM REPRESENTS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AND ATTRIBUTABLE TO A DESIGN FLAW, IS INEXCUSABLE. NISSAN DENIES ANY SAFETY CONCERN. THIS PROBLEM (REFERENCED BY NISSAN IN THE RADIATOR ASSEMBLY CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM DESCRIPTION) PERTAINS TO 2005-2010 XTERRA, PATHFINDER AND FRONTIER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTO TRANSMISSIONS. CORROSION WITHIN THE RADIATOR LEADS TO A CRACK AND CONTAMINATION OF ENGINE COOLANT WITH TRANS FLUID, DAMAGING RADIATOR & TRANSMISSION CORROSION DEVELOPS OVER TIME AND MOST VEHICLE OWNERS WILL LIKELY EXCEED THE 80K LIMIT BEFORE PROBLEM PRESENTS ITSELF. AN INTERNET SEARCH REVEALED 15 DEDICATED WEB THREADS TO THIS PROBLEM AND THEY ARE MOSTLY 2005 VEHICLES. IF NISSAN DIDN?T CORRECT THE DESIGN FLAW BEFORE 2010, THE # OF FAILURES WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE OVER THE COMING YEARS AS MODEL YR 2005-2010 CARS AGE. HOW MANY ACCIDENTS OR FATALITIES NEED TO OCCUR DURING THIS PERIOD BEFORE NISSAN IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR NEGLIGENCE? THE DEALER ESTIMATE TO REPAIR MY XTERRA IS $6,760. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL BURDEN AND HARDSHIP ON ANY VEHICLE WITH JUST OVER 80,000 MILES. HOW MANY NISSAN OWNERS HAVE TO EXPERIENCE FINANCIAL HARDSHIP BEFORE NISSAN IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE?? *TR

FUEL LEVEL SENSOR FAILED 800 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY; CAUSES DRIVER TO HAVE NO IDEA OF FUEL LEVEL. CREATES DANGEROUS POSSIBILITY OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL ON HIGHWAYS, IN TRAFFIC, ETC. WITHOUT MOTOR RUNNING, POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES DO NOT WORK, CREATING EVEN HIGHER RISK OF ACCIDENT. VERY COMMON ISSUE ON 2005 XTERRA; SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 NISSAN XTERRA AT 55 MPH ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY WHEN IT BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AS IF I HAD RAN OVER SPILLED LUMBER OR RUMBLE STRIPS. I BRAKED HARD AS I THOUGHT I HAD RAN OVER SOMETHING. I HADN'T, SO AFTER PULLING OVER AND CHECKING FOR LOOSE TIRES OR DRIVELINE I CONTINUE ON PERPLEXED AS TO WHAT HAPPENED. A FEW MILES LATER IT DID IT AGAIN. COME TO FIND OUT THERE IS A KNOWN DEFECT ON 2005 THRU 2010 NISSAN XTERRA'S, PATHFINDERS, AND FRONTIER'S IN WHICH THE RADIATORS INTERNALLY LEAK WATER INTO THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS AND CAUSES THE VIOLENT SHAKING AT HIGH SPEEDS. NISSAN IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND HAS ONLY CHOSEN TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THE RADIATORS AND NOT RECALL THE VEHICLES. IN FACT THE LETTER SENT TO THE CONSUMERS DOESN'T EVEN REFERENCE THE TRANSMISSION (IN WHICH IT DESTROYS). WHILE MY FAMILY AND I WERE NOT HURT, IT WAS A CLOSE CALL AND COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN WORSE AT THE SPEED I WAS GOING AND THE EFFECT THE FAILURE HAS ON THE VEHICLE. *TR

THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR IS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY CAUSING AN UNSAFE FUEL INDICATION READING. *TR

I HAD 1/4 OF A TANK OF GAS AND WENT TO FILL UP. AFTER FILLING UP MY GAS TANK, I TURNED ON THE CAR, AT WHICH POINT THE NEEDLE DID NOT REGISTER THE FULL TANK. AFTER DRIVING A COUPLE MILES, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER RETURNING HOME AND DOING RESEARCH, I WENT ONLINE TO X.NISSANHELP.COM AFTER PERFORMING A SEARCH, I CAME ACROSS MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. APPARENTLY IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FUEL SENDING UNIT. A SIMILAR PROBLEM WAS FOUND ON THE 2000-2004 XTERRA MODELS AND A RECALL WAS PERFORMED WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD STOP AFTER NOT GETTING ANY FUEL, POSING A GREAT DANGER. IT SEEMS THAT SOMETHING IN THE UNIT IS FAULTY AND WILL CORRODE OVER TIME. THERE IS A GENERAL CONSENSUS THAT EVERYONE WHO IS HAVING THE PROBLEM IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE FOR OVER 2 YRS AND WITH AROUND 39K-59K. IF THIS PROBLEM EXISTED IN PREVIOUS MODELS, AND IT WAS RECALLED, THE 2005-2007 XTERRAS, FRONTIERS, AND PATHFINDERS SHOULD GET THIS FIXED AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER!! WHY WAIT FOR ACCIDENTS AND POSSIBLE DEATHS, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE PROBLEM LIES IN AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE VEHICLE. COST OF REPAIR RANGES FROM $300-600. *TR

THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR ERROR CODE IS ON DUE TO A PART FAILURE AND THIS IS A KNOWN FAULT THAT OCCURS FREQUENTLY AND HAS SAFETY CONCERNS DUE TO POSSIBILITY OF RUNNING OUR OF FUEL. *TR

I WAS PICKING UP MY CHILDREN FROM SCHOOL AND MY CAR JUST STOPPED DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION WHILE I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN AT A STOPLIGHT. I BROUGHT IT TO A TRANS SHOP AND THEY SAID I HAVE COOLANT IN MY TRANSMISSION WHICH CAUSED IT TO FAIL. REPAIRS ARE ESTIMATED AT $4326 AND I AM JUST ANGRY AND SICK OVER THIS SITUATION. NOT ONLY WAS IT A SCARY SITUATION TO BREAK DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION WITH MY KIDS IN THE CAR BUT I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN ALL THE REPORTS I HAVE BEEN READING ABOUT IN THE 2005 XTERRA. I CAN NOT AFFORD TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AND THIS IS SIMPLY NOT FAIR THAT NISSAN ISN'T TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR NEGLIGENCE. PLEASE HELP!! *TR

FAULTY RADIATOR DESIGN ALLOWED A CRACK THAT CAUSED CROSS CONTAMINATION OF COOLANT AND TRANSMISSION FLUID. CAUSED TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. *TR