Radiator problems of the 2005 Nissan Xterra - part 1

Transmission radiator and low oil pressure failure.

Cracked radiator, car died with no warning going down freeway.

The radiator failed and the fluid all went into the transmission requiring both a new radiator and transmission. This is a known problem with 2005 Xterras and Nissan refuses to cover this faulty design. We had no advance notice of this happening. We went out one day and the car did not start.

I was driving home when I stopped at my driveway and my car had sprung a leak from under my passenger side. My car was not overheating, I received no warning that according to my mechanic- my transmission cooler had failed and mixed in with my radiator. Hopefully my transmission isn't shot, with a new radiator and flushing all the lines is almost $1000. This all could have been avoided if I had some warning. My car had been driving just fine prior to this incident.

2005 Nissan Xterra. Consumer writes in regards to radiator hose ruptured and sent coolant into transmission. The consumer stated the engine began racing but, there was no power. The vehicle lunged forward and then stopped. A hose in the radiator ruptured. This caused coolant to enter the transmission and transmission fluid to enter the radiator. The failure occured while the consumer was driving. The manufacturer was contacted, but did not offer any assistance.

Nissan Xterra 2006 the vehicle's transmission went out. According to my mechanic the radiator leaked and ruined the transmission. He also said that Nissan is aware of this and continues to allow the car to be on the road. The car is done and so is my wallet. Thank goodness when the car went out, I was on a back road around no other people!.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. While driving 4 mph, the transmission failed and the vehicle stalled. It was diagnosed that the radiator fluid leaked into the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of this issue. The failure mileage was 111,326.

Transmission failure (atf contamination). Odi received a petition requesting investigation of transmission damage attributed to contamination by engine coolant. The source of the contamination is a cracked atf line that runs through an engine coolant chamber in the radiator.

The car started loosing power since last two weeks. Couple of days back while parking the car completely lost the power even though it was in drive. Today I took it to the dealer and dealer diagnosed the problem as a failed transmission fluid cooler located in the radiator assembly that allowed coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid, resulting in damaged internal transmission components and a damaged internal transmission computer.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact maneuvered the vehicle to the side of the road to a complete stop. The vehicle was driven home. The following day, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that radiator coolant leaked into the transmission fluid chamber and the transmission failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that the check engine soon warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the radiator fractured which caused an oil and coolant mixture, which damaged the transmission. The contact was informed that the radiator and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.

After a year of ownership at approx. . 108000 miles, the vehicle would not start. Had it towed to reg. Garage and subsequently another garage with better diagnostic system as the code would not hold/replicate easily. Code was for ecm, which was repaired at owners cost (unaware of recall). There was mix of antifreeze/oil due to leak in radiator. Flushed system and replaced radiator at owner's cost. Within weeks, vehicle was not accelerating correctly and code showing emissions issue and catalytic converter issue. Looking at thousands of dollars in repair costs which appear to simply be a band-aid until the issue begins again. Still paying on the vehicle and a new mom of twins. Now stuck with an unsafe vehicle riddled with repair costs for an issue that Nissan is well aware of and should have fixed. How frustrating that this issue is still in limbo after 2 years, how this cannot be seen as a constantly recurring problem which is extremely unsafe and be the responsibility of Nissan is beyond me. These issues occurred while in motion on a major highway and on side roads with hills.

Radiator has transmission fluid in it. Transmission has radiator fluid in it. Will have to replace both. App, $5000. Vehicle shifts hard then stutters, vibration.

I bought a used Nissan Xterra last year that had 100k mile. Traveling from work warning lights come on. I took my vehicle to meineke for diagnostic. The warning code read transmission. Took it to the Nissan dealer knoxville TN the next day and tech diagnosed problem as a failed transmission fluid cooler located in the radiator assembly that allowed coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid, resulting in damaged internal transmission components and a damaged internal transmission computer. That week my car produced slowing of vehicle and times where engine would not crank. I ended up paying $3010. 35 (attached) to chip's transmission to get fixed. I contacted Nissan north America regarding the issue and was provided documentation that after reviewing my case; they were unable to offer financial assistance because the vehicle was outside the new vehicle limited warranty. (attached) I found out a class action lawsuit was filed regarding this matter and the fix was an extended warranty. Per document if you miles were over 90k miles you were out of luck. Well luck plays no part in this matter as I had bought this vehicle used over 100k miles and was never notified. I had a warranty for 1 yr or 12000 miles when I bought was never notified. I feel like regardless of the mileage. This was a defective part that was installed by Nissan dealership and was a known problem by consumers. This part should be replaced or recalled by Nissan and that an ongoing investigation on the behalf of those consumer who had these vehicles should not have to pay for such extensive repairs or damages being that it is Nissan's wrongful intentions. I have had to eat the cost of not only missing work but paying for rental car expenses for 14 days (attached) plus the parts/repair to this vehicle. F you would like to contact me regarding this matter. ].

Takata recall. - Xterra has had radiator replaced, transmission fixed twice due to bad valve body. Now it is shuddering again at 40mph down the road. This needs to be addressed. Transmission failed going down the highway, causing it to go into failure mode. I lost all power by the time I could get pulled over and stopped.

A leak inside the radiator has allowed radiator fluid into the transmission. Just driving a short errand near home when I felt a vibration at about 40-45mph, followed by erratic shifting. As I returned home, the car wouldn't even climb up my driveway. I was able to back out, and tried driving forward, but could only crawl a couple of mph. Luckily reverse still worked enough to safely move out of the street.

I just purchased my 2005 Xterra used from a lot, and only after seeing great reviews on edmunds. Com and cars. Com did I realize the terrible problems these cars have. There's a terribly high-pitched whine coming from the engine bay at all speeds, which my mechanic told me over the phone is likely the timing chain/chain tensioner system and that it's well known on this model year. He said very low-quality parts were used in the construction of the chain system and that it's prone to critical failure. That kind of fix is anywhere between $1,000 and $2,000. Apparently, just like the transmission and radiator failures, Nissan covered this problem up as best they could and preferred to endanger customers and hand out waivers when people asked specifically instead of owning up to the problem and fixing it outright. Appalling.

My son was driving the car on a local road near home at night. He was accelerating up a small grade, when he said the car acted as if it had popped out of gear. It began to rev higher and made a higher pitched sound. He tried changing from being in "drive" to a lower gear, but it still did not engage the transmission. He had enough momentum to be able to coast onto our side street and park the car. Luckily there was no accident, but he was almost rear-ended as his car slowed suddenly and traffic ran up on him. The car would not start, nor turn over at that point. I had the car towed to the local Nissan dealer. They mentioned it was a known issue with the transmission and radiator and it would cost over 5k for just a new transmission, not including a new radiator or labor to install both. I was able to find another mechanic that purchased a rebuilt transmission, but the whole thing still cost over 5k to have the rebuilt transmission and radiator installed with no assurance that it would not happen again. This is a well documented issue with these vehicles and continues to cost people thousands of dollars for a very poor and dangerous design.

Confirmed diagnoses of vehicle damage of radiator assembly & transmission are due to Nissan's defective radiator assembly which allows coolant to pass through into the transmission rendering the vehicle unsafe to operate. Nissan is unwilling to assist with the repairs of damage caused by defect. I was not notified of this manufacturing defect. This is a safety issue, a damaged transmission due to coolant entering it has rendered the vehicle unsafe to drive, a known defect, yet the manufacturer will not even compromise to assist with repair of this defect. A manufacturer should assist with repair of any defect that renders the equipment unsafe to operate - no matter when that defect decides to show up! Nissan should assist in all repairs due to their known defect to let the consumer operate the vehicle in safety.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. While driving at 35 mph, the vehicle seized and smoke emitted from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission, radiator, and another component needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,160.

Vehicle had many times failed to gear itself properly causing a sudden jerking motion once gear finally set in. This caused poor acceleration and a check engine light appears. Mechanic says radiator was leaking into the transmission. Radiator was replaced and transmission fluids flushed. Problem still occurs and check engine light keeps appearing. Mechanic says he cannot fix stating the radiator is causing transmission failure somehow and suggests to bring it to the dealership.

My Nissan has the defect that brought a lawsuit against Nissan motor for a failure in the oil cooler that caused my transmission and radiator to be completely rebuilt/replaced because coolant had leaked into my transmission. I ended up with a bill for $3941. 46, and now, I can't even file a reimbursement form or get a hold of any one at Nissan to help because all 3 numbers listed in letters and paperwork are no longer in service.

Tl-the contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle failed to shift gears as the service engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the radiator, transmission and coolant heater hose needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,334. Djr.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle vibrated; shifted gears. The contact stated that the vehicle had been diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated that the problem had been caused by a mixture of transmission and radiator fluid that had affected the transmission. Bd.

I was informed by a friend who has the same make and model car that there is a defect in the radiator that causes radiator fluid to leak into the transmission, thus ruining the transmission. Therefore you need to then replace the transmission.

The radiator leaked into the transmission, without any incident leading up to the mechanic finding the leak. The radiator had to be replaced, and the transmission had to be rebuilt. The transmission still seems to improperly shift, and a strong, rich, oil smell is coming from the engine compartment now. I do not qualify for any reimbursment because of a previous settlement which I, like many others, were not involved in, and which did not cover and problems over 100,000 miles. I believe the manufacturer knew about the defect in their car and chose not to fix the problem in a part which should not have failed, and should have issued a recall. If we had not caught the damage in time, the engine could have failed in the middle of driving, and and accident might have been unavoidable. I also believe the dealer who sold me the car was informed about the settlement and intentionally chose not to tell me about it, even when I asked specifically about the problem during negotiations.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while driving at any speed the vehicle idled high and made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer mechanic and was diagnosed that the radiator fluid leaked into the transmission and the transmission fluid leaked into the radiator. The vehicle was not repaired. Bd.

My car was running fine and normal but when I tried to start it, nothing happened. I tried to jump the battery and I replaced the starter. After those attempts I had the vehicle towed to a nearby dealership who told me that coolant from the radiator leaked into the transmission and mixed fluid, damaging both the transmission and ecm. Car will not start and the is no communications working. The Nissan dealership recommended I get a new radiator, ipdm module, and transmission which was estimated at a cost of $5,500 after parts and labor. I had the vehicle towed to a local repair shop for a second opinion and was told the same thing as the dealer had said.

2005 Nissan Xterra. Consumer writes in regards to transmission and radiator issues. The consumer stated after he dropped the vehicle off at the dealer, he received a call from the service advisor, stating transmission fluid was leaking into the radiator and Nissan was aware of the defect and should cover the cost in replacing the radiator and transmission, because they extended the warranty. When the consumer contacted Nissan to confirm, he was informed the vehicle had over 80,000 miles and he would have to pay $3,000 if he wanted the repairs done.

The radiator leaked into the transmission causing the transmission to stop working. I had to have the transmission rebuit and a whole new radiator system put in my truck. 5300. 00 . This is a common problem with this model. Tried to send in a claim but was told they are no longer excepting claims because of the problem. If they are aware of the problem then they should help those of us it happened to!!!!!!.

Purchased my '05 Nissan Xterra in the spring of 2012 with about 160,000 miles. For the past 2 months I had minor issues like shuddering/vibrations randomly when I accelerated and the heat not working when I was at a complete stop. It was not until the other day when I was at a complete stop and my car would not accelerate properely that I knew I had a problem with the transmission. I took my Xterra to 3 different mechanics and each one explained to me that I would need a completely new transmission and from there they would see if I in fact needed to change the radiator (which they were positive was the original issue due to similar issues with other Nissan SUV owners). The repairs will cost me well over $4,000 and unfortunately as a college student, there is no way I can afford to repair the transmission and radiator. What was appalling to me was when I researched the issue online. There are hundreds upon hundreds of complaints online on various websites about this issue and Nissan has yet to issue a recall. The extended warranty excluded many people and put many more at an unfair disadvantage. I personally bought my Nissan, because of their reputation, but the fact that they will not come to the aid of their consumers speaks volumes of this company.

Complete catastrophic engine failure during rush hour traffic. Luckily I was approaching a red light and there were cars slowing ahead of me I was able to brake slowly to a stop while I was not able to be steer. I had to be pushed to the side of the road by the help of others. The vehicle was towed to the pinnacle Nissan dealership where they informed me that the transmission and the radiator has to be fully replaced due to a faulty valve . Nissan said the valve that connects the radiator and transmission broke allowing coolant and anti freeze to mix together and immediately catastrophically destroying both components. I was informed that their was a classaction suit for this very reason that was settled but this is very dangerous if I had been in a freeway situation. Nissan has had numerous complaints for this vehicle for this reason. I have had every recall part for this vehicle needed to be replaced due to faulty manufacturing, this is a very expensive repair and it has been known due to the # of complaints on this particular part being faulty but a recall needs to happen not at the expense of Nissan. I am expected to cover this with a deductible of $2500. 00 at no fault of my own . I am lucky to be alive. I have maintained all necessary/reccomended service outlined by Nissan up till l this failure. Thank you.

Lower radiator assembly failed and allowed coolant to leak into transmission . Transmission replaced by owner. This resulted in the car loosing control on a California highway and having to be towed to the dealer for repair. Could have resulted in accident. Nissan should pay for all costs associated with this failure.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that radiator fluid was interchanging with the transmission fluid and causing failures. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the radiator needed to be replaced. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The manufacture was not notified. The failure and the current mileage was 103,000.

The vehicle doesn't move,despite acceleration, no engine light. Went to the dealer and after diagnosis they said the radiator was cracked and the transmission was leaking. The cost comes to $7500. Contacted Nissan they say its not within warranty. Theses is a defective design on the radiator. Updated 05/01/14.