Radiator problems of the 2005 Nissan Xterra - part 2

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that the transmission failed and the vehicle jerked. The vehicle was taken to an authorized mechanic who stated that radiator fluid leaked into the transmission, which caused the transmission to fail. The transmission was replaced. The contact also stated that the fuel gauge failed. The contact did not know if the fuel tank was full or empty. The fuel gauge was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 140,000.

Transmission failure due to a problem well known by Nissan. Coolant entered through a failed radiator and causes failure of the automatic transmission. Timing chain failure also well known by Nissan.

I took my car into the shop because of a rumbling noise and shake that was happening while driving. It feels like hitting the safety strips on the edge of the road by the shoulder. The mechanics pulled things apart and identified that there was radiator fluid and engine coolant leaking into my transmission. There were also metal shavings mixed in with the fluids.

There is a manufacturer's defect with the radiator in which it cracks and leaks fluid into the transmission, which then destroys the transmission. When we called Nissan to ask if they were going to stand by their product, they told us there was nothing they could do for us.

"service engine soon" light came on at 106000 miles. Immediately took it in to get it diagnosed (the next morning). They said that the radiator was leaking radiator fluid into the transmission, and therefore, I would need a new radiator and transmission. This apparently seems to be a problem with 2005-2010 Nissan suvs and Nissan is doing nothing about it. The class action settlement does nothing for us.

I was driving on an interstate highway where the speed limit is 70mph. Car begins have a large rumble. Can't tell if it the rear end, the drive shaft or transmission. There is no pattern to the rumble and it continues for several weeks, so I take it to an auto repair shop. They tell me that I have water in my transmission fluid, which was caused by a cracked line in the radiator. I am told to check on the internet, because this is a big problem that lot of Nissan Xterra owners are facing. So, I check it out and the issue is huge. I bought the Xterra about 2 years ago and during that time was never contacted by anyone warning me of this issue. Now, at the time I find that there was a settlement, my vehicle has over the 100,000 mile limit. From what I read, the majority of the vehicles are over the 100,000 mile limit when the problem occurs. My vehicle still will drive and only get the rumble occasionally, but I now know it's fate. It's ashamed that I could not have been warned by Nissan before facing costly repairs. Nissan could have saved us lots of headache and money if we had know and been able to be pro-active before the damage was done.

My 16 year son was driving home at 11:00 pm on the interstate when, with no warning, the car lost all acceleration power. He was able to get the car to the side of the road and turn the car off and on and got it into 3rd gear. It would not work in drive. He proceeded very slowly for a short distance until he would lose acceleration power. He had to continue to turn the car off and on on the highway multiple times to get it home that evening. He continued very slowly with his flashing lights on. It subsequently had to be towed. Thankfully, it did not result in a crash on the interstate. The car is black and it was very dark. It would've been very difficult for someone immediately behind him to react on the interstate. My son's safety was severely compromised. The problem turned out to be the radiator/transmisson problem Nissan is already being investigated for (NHTSA action number dp12004). It required a new radiator, a new transmission and a new transmission computer as this was all ruined with the catastrophic failure of the radiator. The cost of repairs was $4632. 97 including the tow charge. Nissan has been aware of this problem for quite some time and even settled a class action lawsuit for this very issue a few years ago. Had they voluntarily recalled the vehicle and fixed the problem, my son would not have been put in this dangerous situation and the costs would have been minimized. I desire for Nissan to be held liable for this - you have received literally hundreds of the very same complaint. Please conduct a recall on the Xterra, pathfinders and frontiers you know are impacted. We were fortunate not to have a crash resulting in injury or death; the next family may not be so lucky.

Transmission died and needs to be replaced, due to the radiator issues of the Xterras from the year.

While driving and in flow of traffic vehicle lost all power, but rpms would still increase due to faulty transmission in the Xterra. Faulty transmission leads to mixing of the radiator and transmission fluid causing loss of acceleration. Almost caused an accident with another vehicle.

I started to notice a problem while driving on the highway and thought it may be a engine oil issue. I knew there was something wrong because it did not feel right when driving the car it on the highway. Attaining the speeds on the highway was difficult and slow. When braking it was also slower to react. I took it too Nissan thinking it an easy fixed, I paid $700 dollars to fix whatever they could analyze. I thought the problem was solved, but no. Then I was hit with a $3000 to replace the transmission and radiator, which was known about back in 2010. What a rip off Nissan, you knew there was an issue and you neglect to inform your customers. I hope you go bankrupt now!.

2nd owner of 2005 Nissan Xterra. First had issues with heat not working when at a complete stop, then car would begin to vibrate on the hwy, and now car is having issues up shifting. 2 mechanics have told me the same thing, stating defective radiator was leaking fluid into transmission. Now I must replace both at about $4000. After doing some research online, I have found this is a common issue with this model and Nissan has not issued a recall. Jeopardizing the safety of many and being very costly to those who can not afford a major issue like this.

Vehicle moving along interstate in heavy traffic at 60 mph when acted as if it was shifted into neutral. Almost got hit twice trying to coast to side of road. There was no response to trying to accelerate, shifter still in d position. Engine temperature rose quickly. Shut engine off engine, to prevent a fire. Sit there momentarily, restarted the engine, temp came down, transmission engaged, drove home. Husband investigated and found oily substance in radiator and transmission low in fluid that was a pasty looking material now on dipstick. Refer to the Nissan radiator defect class action lawsuit settlement case is in Nissan radiator/transmission cooler litigation, case no. 10-cv-07493, u. S. District court for the southern district of new york. We were never notified of a recall or the suit, when we would have qualified for assistance from Nissan. Does the state of new york decide reparations to the rest of the country while I am now poor and need a car and can't afford to repair it. How many more failures are out there? includes pathfinder and frontier models. Also discovered VIN number on top of dash was incorrect. Thanks.

I had my transmission and radiator replaced in my 05 Nissan Xterra in Dec 2010 at 69,000 miles due to defect of radiator leaking into transmission which caused me to brake down on a 2 lane highway. The Nissan service/dealer in kingston MA where we purchased the vehicle tried to tell us all that was needed was a radiator and transmission flush but we had already contacted Nissan corporate and found out we were entitled to a new transmission and radiator assembly due to a recall. They unwillingly replaced both assemblies. I have now experienced a 2nd brake down on an on ramp entering the highway and could not move my car as the transmission again failed at 153,900 miles. I had it towed to the Nissan service/dealer in kingston MA and was informed the transmission we had put in 2010 was only under warranty for 1 yr/12000 miles and I am responsible for all repair costs. I have to think that the original repair was not done properly and the same problem existed in the new assemblies that were put in as a new transmission should last longer than this. I feel my safety and the safety of other motorists was put at risk due to these problems as severe accidents could have occurred due to the fact that the my vehicle lost the ability to move at all on the highway in two different incidents. Nissan should be held responsible for not fixing the initial problem properly.

I was driving my 2005 Nissan Xterra down the highway around 65mph when I noticed the vehicle would not accelerate when pushing the gas pedal. I was able to maneuver the vehicle off the road just before the steering wheel locked up & the vehicle went dead. Had it towed into dealership, was told the transmission had failed & would have to be replaced. Issues caused from faulty radiator drainage into transmission fluid. I have read of countless other reports of this same issue. This year vehicle should be recalled by dealership to correct this recurring problem. It wont be long before someone loses control of their vehicle due to failed transmission & hits another vehicle or kills someone!.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. While driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle shook. The failure occurred multiple times. The dealer stated that the transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.

The car had been driving fine and then all of a sudden it would not shift into a higher gear. The rpms would just increase. At times the car would not even go into any gear what so ever. Finally managed to get it to a dealership where they told me it was the transmission fluid mixing with the radiator fluid. Told me I needed both replaced and quoted over $6500 for the fix. Check engine light was on at the time, but I was also having a problem with the fuel gauge (also another known problem in Xterras).

My 2005 Nissan Xterra with 75600 miles jerks when it shifts. After doing my own online research and bringing to the dealership, it was discovered that the radiator was leaking coolant and mixing into the transmission fluid. There is an extended warranty for this defect to 80,000 or 96months. I qualified for the mileage but not the service duration (6 months overdue). The dealership said it would be a $2500 copay to replace my radiator and repair my transmission. I talked to Nissan consumer affairs but they refused to help and said $2500 is my only option. This radiator is a known issue and should be a recall for all the damage it caused. I've owned many Nissans before and had great loyalty to them. Nissan should be held accountable for knowing about their faulty radiator and not fixing them before they caused further damage!.

My 2005 Nissan Xterra have this common problem where the radiator leaks into transmission and cause the transmission to stop working. And since I was over 100,000 Nissan dealers want to charge me a copay of $3000.

I began to have vibration in my vehicle when I reached speeds of 45 mph and got worse around 65 mph. I took my car to Nissan twice in Aug. 2013 and was told it was road vibration. In early Nov. I took my car to my local mechanic for this problem and was told the vibration wasn't road vibration and that it was either my drive shafts or transmission. On Nov. 17th I drove from altoona PA to upper marlboro MD and arrived around 2 am. I went to drive my car into DC on the morning of the 18th and when I put it in reverse it backed up, but when I put it in drive it wouldn't drive forward. After shifting through the gears for a few minutes my car drove forward so I parked it in my driveway. My car hasn't been able to be driven since. When I put it in gear and press the gas the engine just revs. When I start my car I can hear the engine and transmission making a whining noise. My radiator also broke in late August of 2013 and needed to be replaced.

I had a complete loss of motive power and needing to be towed to a shop. The shop 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. There were no warning signs leading up to or just prior to the failures. The transmission and radiator now need to be replaced.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan model Xterra. The contact stated that he replaced the radiator as a precaution to avoid radiator fluid from mixing with the transmission fluid. The contact had not experienced a failure. The current mileage was 83,000.

Transmission started slipping in high gear, because of a leak from a known faulty radiator letting coolant into transmission.

My 2005 Xterra s-v6 4x2 had loss of power and had to be towed to a dealership. They 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 to the radiator that had to be replaced and the transmission is now damaged. There were no warning signs leading up to the failures. When I spoke to Nissan they stated there was no recall. After I did some research, I found out there is a extended warranty. When I called Nissan back they stated it was only up to 80,000. So repairs are on me.

While driving on the highway at about 60 mph, my car shifted out of gear and the rpm's shot up causing my car to pretty much stop moving on the highway. I was able to pull over to the side of the road and call for a tow. We had the car towed to a transmission specialist who told us that the transmission was fried. By looking at the fluid in the transmission just on a quick look, he deduced that the radiator had most likely leaked coolant, causing the transmission to fail. Upon researching this issue, I learned that this has happened to many Nissan vehicles and could be a huge problem for many people. Luckily I was able to get to safety and was not hit by another car or sustained any injuries. Finally, I had to trade the car in for a gigantic loss! very upset.

While turning back into traffic my 2005 Nissan Xterra jerked as I began to accelerate over 20 mph. Once I got the vehicle to the speed of traffic it began to have troubles shifting gears and accelerating. While the vehicle was at a steady speed I didn't notice any other issues. As I slowed to an exit the vehicle started to jerk and not shift properly. It also had trouble accelerating. After having these issues I checked my fluids and found a milky like substance was in my transmission and my coolant. I researched the problems I was having with my Xterra and found that it was very common and realized that their is a crack in my radiator which is causing the contamination of my transmission and coolant. I have had this vehicle for just about two months and it is very upsetting to know that I may have to pay for a new transmission and radiator which is more then what I paid for the vehicle.

My transmission just stuttered and stopped working while in traffic. Turns out the radiator leaked coolant into the transmission causing it to fail. This is a known issue from Nissan, however the cost of the repair fell to me. Luckily, I did not incur any injury when the vehicle just stopped working during 5pm rush hour on a Friday.

I was informed by the dealership service department that radiator fluid had contaminated transmission fluid in my 2005 Nissan Xterra. This defect in the radiator was known to occur in high mileage vehicles such as mine and was known to Nissan as they extended a service warranty to 100,000 miles. Unfortunately my vehicle's mileage is over the extended warranty and I am now responsible for the cost of the repairs. This is a huge safety issue as the transmission plays a vital role in the ability for the vehicle to accelerate into and across traffic on busy highways and roads. The inability to do so properly with a defective transmission may lead to accidents. Not to mention that the contaminated radiator coolant may not accomplish the intended goal of cooling engine components leading to over heating and engine dysfunction. I feel strongly that Nissan new about the defect and did not take appropriate action to notify consumers to have the radiators replaced prior to having complications from the defective parts.

Driving Xterra on highway when SUV started to hesitate when moving forward in traffic. . . . SUV would hesistate, rev. . . And not shift out of gear easily upon acceleration. Took SUV to mechanic and found out the radiators engine coolant was leaking into the transmission fluid causing the problem. I lucked out and did not damage the transmission, however; I am having to replace the radiator due to the Nissan known defect. I was never given any letters or notified about this mechanical problem and now will be paying under a $900 for fluid flush, new radiator and new fluids. This is not ok for Nissan to not notify the vehicle owners!!!! I expect repayment from Nissan on their faulty mechanical equipment.

When I drove it to work, there were a few delays while shifting gears. After half hour driving it, I heard water splashing sounds. I turned off the radio and I heard the splashing sounds even more clear. In the same time, I smelled electronic burnt like smells. Since I was on the express way, I couldn't stop right away. Then, 15 minutes later or a total of 45 minutes driving it, there were smokes from the front. I was so shock and worry if the car was going to blow up. I felt panic because I couldn't just stop in the middle of the driving lanes. Thankfully, other cars slowed down for me and let me passed. I pulled up in the nearby dairy depot's parking lot, but I was 20 minutes away from my workplace's city. It was so cold and windy, but since I was worry if the car would blow up, I got out and stood in the cold. Also, the tow truck was delayed for 2 hours and I had to missed work. The car shop told me that the radiator causes the transmission issues and all fluids are mixed together. When I researched this issue, I came across many others who had the same issue. I am shocked that it's very common. I feel so discourage to ever trust Nissan again. This car was my investment as I have $7000 loan remaining on it and I just fixed all four shafts for $1000. I have always done comprehensive maintenance to it. So, where did I go wrong? how can Nissan does this? why there was no recall that would have regained customers' trust that it is safe to drive Nissan??? why Nissan has to wait for a mountain of complaints before agreed to extend the warranty and even that was only for those under 100k mileage? does it mean that Nissan can't make a car that last more than 100k??? not only Nissan jeopardizes my safety and others, now my invesment in Nissan has turned into a chunck of debt for me. This is so wrong!!!.

Due to a faulty design by the manufacturer, transmission fluid leaked into the radiator and caused complete failure of the radiator and transmission. Because my vehicle had over 100,000 miles it is not covered in any way by warranty and there was no recall issued. I am now facing a car that is worth $7000 or so and needs more than that in repairs. My vehicle is totaled thanks to a faulty design that has been well documented by the manufacturer, but they will do absolutely nothing to help. If they had simply issued a recall on the radiator when the problem first became known, this would have been and easy $500 fix, instead I am left with a worthless vehicle and insufficient funds to repair it or get a new one. I could not be more angry and disappointed with Nissan and their handling of this situation. Needless to say I will never be buying from them again and I will suggest the same to anyone who will listen.

Our radiator and transmission broke,causing our car to stall, on vacation, in the middle of utah. Apparently Nissan is aware of this problem but the warranty is too limited to cover Nissan Xterras suffering from the exact same problem! it's not just us!!! we use our Xterra for off roading (as its intended for!) and a busted transmission put all of us at risk! we did not do anything crazy but you need a safe transmission on hills. After over $1000 in towing expenses we got to a Nissan dealership where we were informed that there is nothing we could have done to prevent this. Later we researched and found out it is a common defect in cars like ours.

Cracked radiator causing coolant to leak into the transmission. Once mixed with the transmission fluid this lethal combination kills the valves, seals and torque converter -- rendering your entire transmission useless. My Xterra is not able to drive. Got quoted over three thousand to repair and my car is not even paid off yet.

Radiator defect causes leakage into transmission. Transmission fails and vehicle abruptly stops unpredictably on the freeway.

I took my 2005 Nissan Xterra to dealer to get serviced. The service department person told me my transmission fluid was leaking into radiator. They told me do to my miles on car at that time I had 94000 miles it would be a 3000 dollars CO pay due to the extended warranty Nissan had authorized. I ask why wasn't I told when Nissan was aware of problem to do prevented maintaince. The service rep. Said since it was no recall he was not obligated to tell me. I don't know about most people but I don't have 3000 dollars laying around to use I live paycheck to paycheck. I take my car to dealer only for service thinking its getting the right service but I found out I was wrong. If I was advised early I may of found this problem earlier and got it replace free. Now what do I do?.

The car began to vibrate at 40 mph. I took it to two mechanics who could not figure out the problem. I tried regular maintenance and tire rotation and balance but the vibration continued. Finally, while I was out of town, a mechanic dropped the transmission pan and discovered the engine coolant had entered the transmission system. He discovered that this is a problem with the Nissan Xterra 2005 - 2010. Nissan even has a bypass part to be installed. This piece was installed and the transmission flushed and new transmission fluid put in. The radiator appears to be fine, no cracks as often reported with this problem. Now, three months later, I have serious transmission problems. The car jerks violently at 40mph on acceleration and deceleration. The mixing of engine coolant with the transmission has obviously caused serious damage to my transmission. I am devastated. I love this car but have no financial means to fix this problem.