Table 1 shows one common unknown or other related problems of the 2005 Nissan Xterra.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other problems |
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.
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.
Vehicle failed during operation without warning secondary to faulty original radiator which leaked coolant into the transmission. Transmission and radiator destroyed and require replacing. Despite extensive documentation of this problem on consumer websites and a class action lawsuit, Nissan America and dealership denied any knowledge of this problem and did not accept any financial responsibility. Total repairs estimated at $5,000. Notifying consumer of and/or replacing faulty radiator could prevent a costly destroyed transmission.
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??.
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 warrantee 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.
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 negligience. Please help!!.
Radiator corrosion leaking fluid into transmission. Replacing radiator and transmission. Replaced vaporizer selonoid and the ipdm unit (voluntary recall) which caused stalling while driving. Fuel sensor replaced. Mandatory recall on the ecm unit. No notification on voluntary or mandatory recalls.
2005 Nissan Xterra. Highway driving and car began to shake violently. It was hard to stay in control for a bit there. Hard to figure out what it was but I have. Nissan Xterra's have a problem with the radiator failing and leaking coolant into the transmission, thereby ruining it. My car has been overheating and the transmission giving out while I'm traveling at highway speeds with my wife and two children in car seats. Nissan voluntarily extended warranty on the radiator. That is no help to the consumer as once the radiator fails you also have a bad transmission. Please make them accountable for their unethical dodging of a serious problem --- and a dangerous one! thank you.
Fuel gauge stays at empty and service engine soon light come on.
*** ipdm and double catalytic converter failure in 2005 Nissan Xterra *** my 2005 Nissan Xterra engine once shut down as I am driving on a busy street; I had to let the Xterra coast a short distance without power to pull over and stop my SUV to the side of a safer section of the road. I could not immediately restart the car. After waiting about 15 minutes, I was eventually able to restart and drive the SUV. The problem, however never went away. Periodically the engine will shut off without warning. It finally got to the point where the car would not start at all. I had to have the car towed twice, including a tow to a Nissan dealership in santa monica. The incident began in April 2010. In may 2010, the Nissan dealer in santa monica checked the problem and indicated that the ipdm had to be replaced. This was an expensive repair. Shortly after the ipdm was replaced, 1 of 2 catalytic converters in the Xterra failed and had to be replaced. 6 months later (December 2010), the other catalytic converter failed. I believe the ipdm issue is severe. I believe the ipdm issue is also associated with (and likely to be the cause of) the failure of catalytic converters in the vehicle. In my case, it is double failure since both catalytic converters failed 6 months apart from each other. Failure of the catalytic converter is an environmental concern.
There was a loud rumble and jerking while driving at 35mph. Fluid was leaking badly also. I took the car to Nissan on on April 21, 2008. They said they could not duplicate the problem. Again, the car started jerking and making loud rumbles. I took it back to Nissan and they said the u joints were bad and replaced them. As soon as I pulled out of their parking area, the car did the same thing. So, I took it back again. This time, they told me that the radiator was coming apart and leaking antifreeze into transmission. They charged me $1285. 89 to replace the radiator and flush the transmission. It is now 2012 and the car is doing the same thing again. The problem was never fixed properly to begin with. I need a new transmission at a high price. Anyone reading this should phone me at so that we can start a class action law suit against Nissan. Lets inform everyone who has had this problem. From what I have been reading, thousands of people have had the same problem. This is a safety issue as well as a costly problem. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).