Engine Cooling System Problems of Nissan Pathfinder - part 2

This is in reference to the 2005 and 2006 Nissan Pathfinders and the failing in-radiator transmission coolers allowing coolant into the transmission causing them to fail. My 2006 has not failed but I am replacing the radiator today to stay ahead of the potential failure. (I am a mechanic and after reviewing approx 200 internet posts see the issue very clearly) you are welcome to the radiator I will be removing for a forensic evaluation of the internal transmission cooler, I have maintained my vehicle religiously and this would be a good indicator if there are corrosion issues with proper maintenance and low mileage. Just let me know where you would like it sent.

See all problems of the 2006 Nissan Pathfinder 🔎.

I brought car to the dealer for service and asked for the tranny to flushed they said the radiator had a leak and there was coolant in the transmission. They offered to replace the radiator and flush the system for $1,000 but didn't think that would help. The dealer wanted to replace the transmission and radiator for 8-10k. I ended up taking a loss and trading in the car couldn't see putting that kind of money into a 5 year old car. After looking on the internet found hundreds of people having the same issue very disappointing Nissan doesn't stand behind their product.

See all problems of the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder 🔎.

We were driving in our 2005 Pathfinder when the car decided to decrease speed all by itself after we pulled out into an intersection with traffic headed our way. Took the car to Nissan dealership was told coolant leaking into transmission due to a defected seal in the radiator to fix the problem ecm,tcm, transmission and radiator need to be replaced about 7,000 to fix the problem Nissan need to correct there mistakes not recall one component that got fried because coolant leaked on it that's not going to correct the problem. I cant believe we have to wait for someone to loose a love one before action is done we were second away from that, seriously. Not a joke Nissan needs to stand up for there mistake this is America right don't we have rights to a safe auto for our children after paying alot for a car that suppose to be safe just google 2005 Pathfinder complaints and see how many are really out there 93% transmission problem on the 2005 same thing coolant leaking into the transmission make Nissan recall these cars and fix the problem we work hard for our country and deserve quality what if this was your family Nissan you have your family in one of these car think not!!!.

2005 Nissan radiator and transmission failure. Defective radiator causes engine coolant to leak into transmission which may fail at any time. Driving at highway speed, entering traffic, merging or entering intersections causing dangerous conditions as the vehicle fails to move, decelerates quickly or the transmission slips badly and fails to accelerate. Hundreds of incidents of failures are reported on the internet. An apparent design/manufacturing flaw in the radiator causes the condition. Nissan has taken no responsibility or corrective action. Thousands of unsuspecting consumers and their families are at risk each day driving or riding in these vehicles. Consumers are left paying thousands of dollars for replacements.

The initial problem was that the vehicle overheated. Further investigation revealed that the transmission cooler inside the radiator had broken. This flooded the coolant system with transmission fluid, which then circulated through the engine. The coolant/water mix also leaked into the transmission and caused the transmission to fail. Corrective action taken - replace radiator, all hoses, and transmission.

When our 2005 Nissan Pathfinder started to make a grinding noise during gear shift at 40 mph and 60 mph, we immediately took it to the Nissan dealership only to be told that a problem with the radiator was causing coolant to leak into the transmission, mixing with the transmission oil and destroying our transmission. This was on August 12, 2010. We were told we would have to replace the entire radiator and transmission at a cost of over $4500. 00. We could not understand how coolant could be leaking into the transmission, so we immediately contacted Nissan north America and filed a complaint. This kind of damage should not occur due to normal wear and tear. We were informed that not enough complaints had been filed but they would keep a record of our call and we would be contacted if they ever did a recall in the future. Still confused about what was causing this problem, we decided to get a second opinion at another Nissan dealership, less than 15 miles away from the first. This was done on August 30, 2010. We were told the same thing, the coolant was leaking into the transmission, but they wanted over five thousand for the same repair. Before making a final decision, we decided to research this issue further. We were amazed to find over a hundred complaints online, all from owners of 2005 Nissan Pathfinders, and all complaining about the thousands of dollars they had to pay to repair both radiator and transmission for the same problem we, too, were experiencing. With no help or acknowledge from Nissan, we went to an outside mechanic and had the work done at a much lower cost.

My 2005 Nissan Pathfinder began to shutter then jerk back into normal driving as it reached speeds of 60-70 mph. It was very sporadic in the beginning, but started to happen more frequently and at lower speeds for a longer period of time. I brought the truck into Nissan with 70,000 miles, at which time I was told that the radiator leaked into the transmission causing the need for both to be replaced at the cost of $6700. 00. I did alot of research and discovered that hundreds and hundreds of people with the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder with approximately the same mileage (just after warranty expires) are experiencing the same issues. It seems as though a faulty radiator system was installed into these vehicles. They kept my truck for 12 days while trying to decide if they would offer assistance with fixing my 5 year old vehicle. The end result being, that they would pay to replace the transmission and I would pay to replace the radiator as well as the labor costs. I was told that this did not occur as a result of anything I did wrong. I asked why a recall isn't being done, at which time I was told that the number of injuries or deaths was a major factor in that determination. Although I was not injured, this is a huge financial burden to take on for a vehicle that is only 5 years old. Nissan needs to take responsibility and stand behind the parts they put in their vehicles!!.

Vibration in transmission, coolant in transmission oil.

My transmission totally went on my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. It would not start. The computer shut the car down b/c the transmission was not working. I was stranded with my children at a shopping center. I took it first to a transmission specialist. He could not repair it b/c he could not get the parts from Nissan to fix it proper. He said he had seen 18 of these 2005 Pathfinders with the same issue. It happens at 60,000-120,000 miles. I took it to a dealership. They knew right away. I was told it was a design flaw, the coolant from the radiator leaks into the transmission causing the transmission to go out. I was told I had to replace the radiator and hoses, so this would not happen again. Nissan made changes in the radiator to correct their mistake. I had to replace my transmission, temperature gauge, and radiator with new.

2005 Nissan Pathfinder s/n [xxx] . Engine coolant leaking into transmission due to failure of oil cooler causing transmission failure. I have read over 100 complaints on this same issue and Nissan will not assist in the repairs. I was informed it would cost $5,149. 00 before taxes to get this vehicle repaired. Nissan knows this is a problem. The dealership I took it to shook his head and said he currently has one in the shop for the same reason, but they won't stand behind their product. To make matters even worse, they are replacing the faulty part with the same defective part. Isn't there any way we can get this pushed through so Nissan would issue a recall on this and take responsibility for their mistakes? please call me @ [xxx] . I woulod like to know what I can do to help the many people in my same situation. Thank you for your time. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Transmission problem I had noticed the transmission slipping on my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. Took it to my local mechanic who did not think it was a serious problem. It gets worse the longer you drive it, but agreed it was not right and told me to take it to a transmission specialist. I took it immediately, he put the car on the on computer and got error codes back, car is fine. . . . I explained my problem again and he decided to take it for a test drive. He wasn't gone 10 min when he pulls in to his garage with tran fluid pouring out from under my car. He needs to use the fire extinguisher as the fluid is so hot it is catching on fire. Now after all has settled down he does get errors on the computer but nothing specific about the problem. He has yet to tell me what caused it except that it is internal. There are so many problems with the transmission on this model and make someone has to do something. What if I was driving my children on the highway when this happened. Would we have all gotten out!.

2005 Nissan Pathfinder. Transmission failure due to coolant contamination. Radiator had to be replaced as well as the transmission . Many other problems with car. The fuel sending unit, air conditioning/heater fan, drive shfts/universal joints, brakes. Just about everything has failed and cost me massive amounts of cash.

2005 Nissan Pathfinder transmission/coolant failure. . Read more...

2005 Nissan Pathfinder defected radiators leaking into transmission, rusting components leading to transmission slipping and failure, I was on the mass pike highway going about 60 when my Pathfinder just pull back like you dropped it in low, 18 wheeler almost drove right threw my back of Pathfinder, this has happened more then one time, sometimes while stopped in traffic it feels like the transmission is pulling forward without putting your foot on the gas, I have done some research online to find the same problem many others are having in the radiator there is transmission fluid( look) for white milky substance also antifreeze going into transmission, please search the web for 2005 Nissan Pathfinders complaints and problems, this is vary dangerous to be driving it is unpredictable when it happens and I was told just a matter of days before I will have to replace both radiator and transmission, this is a total defect on Nissan, not fair at all, threshold be a recall on this a big safety issue could cause a serious accident.

My 2005 Nissan Pathfinder with 55,000 miles. I notice a vibration under the vehicle which would last for 2-3 seconds everytime I would drive it. I thought nothing about it, until it got worst. Now the vehicle stalls and vibrates more frequently while traveling on highways and major roads. I went on-line to research the problem and discovered the cause was from a leak from the radiator into the transmission and caused the slippage and the vibrations. Thousands of other people who own a Nissan Pathfinder had similar problems and have gone to the Nissan dealership and complained about the issue, as I had. The only thing Nissan will do is replace those parts, but we the consumer will have to pay for it, although it is clearly a manufacturer issue in relation to Nissan using inferior quality of parts. It will cost me $5,600 for parts and labor to fix a Nissan problem.

The coolant line in the radiator got a leak and mixed transmission fluid with the coolant causing me to have to replace the radiator. Not sure if this is what causes a miss fire in cylinder # 2 but now there is a problem with that as well. Hopefully it was caught in time as not to damage the transmission. I hope Nissan will own up to this problem and make the necessary repairs and restitution to Pathfinder owners.

Had a vibration in my vehicle. Took it to the shop as it was getting worse. Long story short. . A known defect with the radiator. Caused my antifreeze to enter into the transmission fluid and transmission fluid in my radiator. Mechanic said its a known issue with the vehicle, and we need to replace the radiator, and flush everything out. Total cost ~$1500. 2005 Nissan Pathfinder ~ 85,000 miles.

I was on a family trip and had realized that when I was at stop my coolant temperature would rise and I would get a slip. Waited for my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder to cool down and then I checked on my radiator fluid. To my surprise it was gunky, like oil was all in it mixed with the anti-freeze. Come to realize that it was transmission fluid. So much of it that it had even clogged up the passage way to the thermostat. After doing some research, I had found out that there are many many others that have experienced that same ordeal. There is a flaw in the radiators that were used by Nissan on 2005 and up Pathfinders, x-terras, and frontiers with the 4. 0 v6 engines. These radiators, in which anti-freeze and automatic transmission fluid, would both pass through are somehow cracking and mixing the 2 fluids together. When this mixture occurs, the radiator and tranny oil would need to be flushed. The transmission will then also need to be replaced because of damage already done. This will ad up to about 5k-8k. Nissan does not take responsibility of this damage. If you google "2005+ Nissan Pathfinder transmission", you will see that there are many complains about it.

Nissan Pathfinder 2005, 59k miles - experienced vibration and shuttering of the vehicle during acceleration, took it into Nissan dealership and they said that the coolant line cracked causing the fluid to mix with the transmission creating replacement of both radiator and transmission. This seems to be a common complaint by the consumer! hopefully Nissan will issue a recall before someone is injured or worse, it would be pretty sad if it had to come to that. Extended warranty covered the transmission but I have to pay for the radiator $950. 00.

2005 Nissan Pathfinder with approximately 78,000 miles developed a vibration and shaking when driving at a constant speed on any road, however; when driving with overdrive off the vibration and shaking is no longer present. When vehicle was brought to Nissan dealership they discovered that the transmission fluid was mixing with the engine coolant and vice versa. Upon diagnosis of this problem the dealership said it would be about $6,000 to replace transmission and radiator and fluids. Luckily my extended warranty covered this. I am not the first person to have this problem. . Read more...

Radiator/transmission fluid mix the trans started shifting in and out of o/d at just over 40mph (vibrating) at about 99,000 miles. Took it to the shop and found the radiator busted and mixed with trans fluid. Had the radiator replaced and the transmission flushed twice. At a cost of $1,058. 00 it worked fine until 103,000 miles. It just made a thump noise and the transmission started slipping so bad it barely got me home.

The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving approximately 40 mph, the contact attempted to accelerate further and noticed that the vehicle did not have as much power as it usually did. The contact heard a whining noise from the engine. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the fuel gauge stopped operating. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that the vehicle was not included in recall 10v075000 (fuel system, gasoline: storage: auxillary tank). The vehicle was repaired by an authorized dealer. A few months later, while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle did not restart so it was towed to an authorized dealer where it was repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that the vehicle was not included in recall 10v517000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 72,000 and the current mileage was approximately 84,000.

Nissan corporation has a manufacture defect in their radiator which causes coolant to leak into the transmission. This action need a nationwide recall on both parts (radiator and transmission). Just like Toyota corporation had nationwide attention, Nissan need the same ordeal. The vehicle in question is a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. This vehicle has extended warranty which was not honor. Quoted when purchasing the extended warranty, "everything is cover from bumper to bumper, even down to the bolts". This is a misleading statement from the warranty department. Warranty department would not honor the warranty due to coolant was in the transmission. Money was paid for this purpose, now they say the warranty does not cover this mishap. After researching and talking with skills mechanics, it was discovered that the coolant came from a defective (busted) radiator. The mechanics stated this is becoming a common problem.

It all started with the radiator and the only reason I even knew something was wrong was that my gears were switching weird. I took the car into the dealership, they told me that I needed to get a new radiator and transmission b/c my radiator fluid was leaking into my transmission. They quoted me at $6000. I then took my car to get a new radiator and transmission flush, it helped a little. My car finally gave out 2 weeks ago. While driving down a side street, thenall of a sudden the transmission wouldn't switch gears. I tried pressing the gas to go and the transmission would not go. The car was still running, however I couldn't grab any gears to go. I got it towed to a transmission shop, they told me that my radiator fluid is leaking into my transmission which made my transmission lock up. They took my transmission apart to look at parts and apparently everything is rusty together, not to mention the "computer" in the transmission is fried. You would think that Nissan would recognize an issue when they see that same part is on backorder b/c I am waiting on a part. While reading others with the same issue, some have been on the highway and the transmission went out. This is definitely a safety issue seeing as if driving at high speeds you could possibly get rear ended badly. I almost got rearended while only going 45mph.

I have taken my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder to my dealer ,because of a rumbling sound;the mechanic said that the radiator has a internal damage and cause the antifreeze to leak to the transmission. I do have a extended warranty that the dealer also refuse to take because the radiator is not cover but the transmission it is,but they still will not repair the transmission.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated when driving at 40 mph in overdrive, the vehicle would abnormally vibrate excessively as if driving over an extremely uneven road surface. The failure would correct itself when the accelerator pedal was depressed but would return momentarily. The failure became progressively worse and on one occasion, while driving at 70 mph, the failure occurred and the contact was under the impression that he had a blown tire. The vehicle was taken to the contact's personal mechanic where he was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where he was advised the radiator fluid was leaking into transmission and causing the failure. The dealer advised replacing both the radiator and transmission at the contact's expense. The manufacturer was contacted and the contact was awaiting a response to determine if they would assist. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000 and the current mileage was 75,432.

05 & 06 Nissan Pathfinders got a bad batch of radiators that were installed into there cars. The radiators are cracking and allowing the coolant to mix with the transmission fluid destroying both and leaving consumers with repair bills between $5500. 00 and $7500. 00. The danger in this matter is that cars are over heating on the roads, and transmissions are failing during driving. How safe can it be when a car is traveling down the road and complete loss of power happens at 70mph in the fast lane or in a steep incline. If your lucky enough to get to the shoulder safely then a family with kids could be trapped on the hwy or back roads of America forced to walk to the nearest town putting them in extreme danger of being run over and killed. Also if a car overheats and someone tries to force it down the road to a town that car could catch fire. All due to Nissan putting these radiators into there suvs knowing its a family car. Nissan north America refuses to acknowledge the problem putting 10s of thousands of lives at risk.

Tl - the contact owns 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the vehicle transmission and radiator went out. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed the transmission coolant leak into the radiator and the radiator fluid leak into the transmission as a result both the radiator and transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offered any assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 150,000. Pm.

Vehicle shutters and shakes in overdrive at @ 40/45 mph and does not properly engage gears during operation of vehicle. The transmission fails during normal navigation through traffic. Confirmed factory defective radiator leaked coolant into transmission causing ruined transmission.

After transmission flush, transmission failed shortly thereafter. Replaced transmission June 2009. March 2010 had vibration problem and returned for transmission repair again. Second torque converter replaced. Within 1 week vibration issue returned. Dealer review confirmed that coolant from radiator had leaked into transmission and that radiator and transmission need to be replaced. This would be my second transmission, and third torque converter in less than a year, due to a faulty radiator used by Nissan in '05 & '06 models.

My 2005 Nissan Pathfinder has a faulty radiator which leaks back into the transmission. The vehicle has less than 60,000 miles and the dealer says Nissan will not cover the transmission damage. On emonds. Com there are hundreds of complaints for the same exact complaint from other owners. The problem causes the vehicle to shake at highway speeds.

Vehicle hesitates during overdrive at speed of @ 40-50mph. Vibration occurs and gears do not properly engage. Failure is due to defective radiator leaking fluids into transmission. Nissan installed defective radiator in 2005 Pathfinder. They refuse to correct the problem leading to damaged transmission!.

2005 Nissan Pathfinder started having shifting problems, had 60k service done at dealer, started again, flushed again at 72 had problems again at 80 and at 87k the radiator core failed and leaked into the transmission causing the transmission to fail and seize total cost for repairs 4400. 00 after hearing about this I did a little search and found this is a big problem with this car, as the shifting is a precurser to the failure, I wanted the dealer to cover since they assured me it was ok. .

2005 Nissan Pathfinder transmission slipping out of gear while driving. I called Nissan and they claims that they know nothing about, however there are several others with exactly the same problems online at car space automotive forums.

Regular driving minimal to hardly any towing. Transmission and coolant flushed religiously at 30k since taken ownership. Current mileage 80k. Failure of radiator cross contaminates atf and coolant, eventually destroying transmission costing $5000 to repair aside from disabling the vehicle. This is an issue on many 2005 Pathfinder, xterra and frontiers equipped with 4. 0l v6 coupled with 5 speed automatic transmission. Vehicle is currently at the dealership. Nissan must take responsibility.