Five problems related to coolant leaking have been reported for the 2005 Nissan Frontier. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2005 Nissan Frontier based on all problems reported for the 2005 Frontier.
Transmission oil leaking into coolant system and coolant leaking into transmission.
Nissan transmission destroyed by engine coolant leak. Had no problem with transmission until one day, shifted into drive and transmission was stuck in higher gear. Thought it was electrical. Turned the car off then back on. Would not engage in reverse, but forward was back to normal. Took to aamco transmission repair and was told this was a common problem with Nissans in that the design flaw allows engine coolant to mix with transmission fluid and destroys the transmission. Cost to replace is estimated at $4100, can not obtain a used transmission because all the same transmissions have the same problem with engine coolant leakage. Vehicle has 155k miles, and did not have any warning signs of transmission problems. Nissan needs to be responsible for their design flaw. This truck which was running fine last week, will now be sold for scrap at a junkyard as I can not afford to repair for $4100. Aamco transmission said junk yards are full of same Nissans due to other owners with the same problem.
Engine coolant is leaking into the transmission and vice versa.
Coolant leaked into transmission fluid and destroyed transmission.
Whining noise from front of engine. Diagnosed as timing chain tensioner failing. Numerous complaints online. Dealer covered 300 dollars but after 20 days and 13 phone calls, Nissan USA refused to participate in repair or discuss the issue. Concern for transmission failure due to coolant leaking into transmission. Nissan extended warranty to 80,000 which does very little for those of us that keep our vehicles a long time.