Transmission Fluid Leaking problems of the 2005 Nissan Xterra - part 1

Transmission issues. Radiator leaking coolant into transmission fluid.

Coolant mixing with transmission fluid. The Xterra would not shift gears correctly and therefore I investigated more by checking the fluid. I found brown coolant so I decided to do a drain/fill. It was running better and I researched further and found that this is a common problem. I took my Xterra to a transmission mechanic who also drained it and repaired a valve that went bad due to the coolant fluid mixing. There was a transmission cooler added as well. He also drained and filled. I then had a transmission flush just to make sure all coolant was out. With all this done, it gave me more time but the damage was done and I am continuing to have shifting issues. I now have to replace my Xterra transmission. I really enjoy my Xterra and have taken care of it by regular fluid changes and keeping up with it maintenance. It has a strong engine with no leaks and constantly clean motor oil. It is unfortunate that I have had to go through the stress of all of this because of a design flaw that Nissan is unable to remedy.

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.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. While pulling out of the driveway, the vehicle surged, hesitated, and lost acceleration. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the radiator fluid was leaking into the transmission and the transmission needed replacement. The contact also stated that a humming noise was present for approximately three months every time the vehicle was driven. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.

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.

Radiator fluid leaking into tranmission.

Radiator fluids leaked into tranmission causing failure. This is a known problem on these vehicles and Nissan has not recalled them. They were in a class action lawsuit in 2012.

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.

My daughter was driving and the engine started to rev high. The transmission felt like it was slipping, the car would barely move. She was able to get it into a parking lot. The vehicle started smoking and fluid poured out of the bottom of the vehicle. We had it towed. The mechanic said the radiator leaked fluid into the transmission. He said he sees this all the time with Nissan vehicles, it is a know flaw. It will cost almost $4000 to repair, it is still in the shop.

Radiator leaked fluid into the transmission effectively destroying it.

Vehicle has unwanted vehicle acceleration up to 30 mph without pressing accelerator. Rpm's suddenly increase and then decrease during gear change. Memphis wolfchase Nissan service center (901) 255-3800 advised radiator fluid leaked in automatic transmission and has corroded transmission. . Transmission replacement repair bill will be in excess of $5,300.

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.

My radiator broke and leaked radiator fluid into my transmission ruining the whole transmission in the radiator transmission fluid in it and so did the engine result $2600 transmission bought.

Transmission failure due to coolant leak into automatic transmission. Engine overheating was what brought my attention to any issue, the overheating was a result of the transfer of transmission fluid into the coolant system as well. After making attempts to address the overheating issue the transmission began its quick decline, learning about the issue I was able to start attempting to have it repaired but with its high cost I have yet to be able to have it repaired completely.

Catastrophic transmission failure as a result of radiator fluid leaking into the transmission allowed by a design defect in the transmission/radiator. Had to pay $5,158 to fix this problem. Manufacturer seems to take no responsibility for this design defect when failure occurs over 100,000 miles. This is wrong.

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.

Luckily I was waiting in a drive thru when the known defect occurred. The radiator is known to crack and leak in to the transmission mixing both the coolant and transmission fluid requiring the replacement of both the radiator and transmission. The failure of the radiator also requires that the engine be flushed multiple times. I received a letter from Nissan a few years ago that this is a rare occurrence. It doesn't appear that they were telling the truth. Nissan settled a class action suit so I will have to pay $2560 to get the problem fixed. Because the parts have to be ordered it takes a week or longer to get the car fixed. This is a known problem that affects multiple Nissan models from 2005 through 2010. Nissan should be required to recall and fix everyone of the affected models.

Monday June 2 my husband told me something was wrong with his 05 Xterra. He said it sounded like it was driving on rumble strips in the road. We went online to find that there have been several complaints brought against Nissan for folks experiencing the same issue. We contacted our local Nissan dealer. I spoke with steven jones and he informed me that there is a known issue with 05 Xterra's where the radiator fluid leaks into the transmission which will in turn cause the engine to cease. He then indicated to me that there was a class action law suit that settled back in Jan 2013 that if the vehicle was under 100,000 miles all would be covered all but $3,000. Thats what we would have to pay to have this fixed knowing that this is a defect on the vehicle that Nissan has known about as it effects 2005-2010 Xterra's, pathfinders and frontiers. Yet its us that has to pay out of pocket this astronomical amount of money. Anyone over 100,000 miles would have to pay in full which ranges $7000 - $10,000 depending on the state you live in. You can't tell me that this is how a company stands by their name. This was literally almost a total loss on this vehicle but luckily enough we were 300 miles under the 100,000 mark. How is this ok to charge folks these prices for something that is a defect on the company. To date, we were never notified nor was a recall ever put into place. There are thousands of folks filing complaints on this matter. We should not have to have this worry how we will come up with this amount of money and by all means we should not have to borrow from 401k's to afford what we rightfully did not damage ourselves. I will never, we will never purchase another Nissan again because they did not stand by their name. All we are asking is that something be done to return our money that we so rightfully shouldn'thave had to put out.

Driving on highway and transmission failed. Nearly had accident getting car off of road. Problem exists do to factory defect of radiator leakage into transmission fluid. Requires new radiator and other repairs and new transmission. Estimated repair cost = $6,800.

Transmission failure because of coolant fluid leaking into it. A design flaw which brought a class action suit against Nissan. Nissan lost the suit, but did not recall these vehicles for repair. I was forced to pay $3000. 00 deductible for the repair, but I may be lucky since many with this problem will not be covered at all. Very unfair of Nissan.

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.

Suddey I found my heat not working. Strange, I was low on coolant and no visible leaks. While researching this I came across all the complaints of transmission failure due to the defective welds on the atf cooler within the radiator. I immediately went to dealer and had everything checked out and pressure tested for leaks. They said all is fine and tested ok, we have no idea why you would be low on coolant. Mind you, at this point there is 79k on the odometer and we all know Nissans lame warranty extension is useless due to the convenient mileage cap completely and obviously is in their best interest. Appalling and 100% a safety issue and complete negligence. In an effort to be pro active I ordered an aftermarket radiator and installed it myself. I also flushed and refilled tranny fluid. I am now about to break 100k. I'm now worried about the timing chain issue Nissan also doesn't want to deal with. Anyone reading this should be pro active and change out your radiator and flush your transmission immediately, it's all you can do right now to prevent a bigger issue. It also cost me $400 to do myself. The quote from the dealer was $1500. Good luck to all, I argued and called and called and Nissan could care less and wouldn't even consider any help whatsoever . This was my wife and I's 5th Nissan. Never again!!!!!!.

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.

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!.

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.

I have about 113,226 milles on my 2005 Xterra. The other day I had driven my car to work with no issue and left for lunch again with no issues. However, when I got in my car to return to work from lunch, I had started the car with no issues, put in drive and when I pressed on the gas it felt as if though my car was stuck in neutral. I even checked to make sure it was not. I released the gas and pressed on it again and the went however every time I had to stop and go again I had to floor the gas in order to get it going. Once it got over 25mph it seemed to kick back into gear. I took my car to the Nissan dealership right away to find out what was wrong with my car, since it had been working fine up until lunch. Today I got a call from Nissan telling me it was an issue with a radiator fluid leak into my transmission and that the fluids had mixed and that I would now need to replace the transmission and radiator. The thing that gets me in that my car has been to Nissan twice in the last year for issues with my transmission, and with the first time it was in for repairs they told me there was a small leak with the coolant and yet said nothing to me about this issue nor about the extend warranty (10 years/100,000 miles) which if I had know about I would have had them check at that time to make sure the leak was not related, and if it was would have had them fix it. But instead they let me take my car and now I am faced with a estimated $6k repair job.

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?.

Driving my 2005 Nissan Xterra I purchased 8 months ago in January 2013, my air conditioner worked intermittently. Eventually in July of 2013, my car was not drive able. Had it towed to dealership I purchased it at, and they verified that my radiator was leaking coolant, which mixed with my transmission fluid. The resulted in the need to repair the radiator and transmission.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated he took the vehicle for routine maintenance when the mechanic informed him that radiator fluid had leaked into the transmission. As a result, both components would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle would not accelerate as the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated that the transmission would have to be replaced because radiator fluid was leaking into the transmission. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 111,400. Kmj.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated while driving 45 mph the vehicle stalled and failed to shift gears. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who stated the transmission failed because there was a water leak in the radiator into the transmission fluid. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was not reported to the manufacturer. The failure and current mileage was 108,000. Rvk.

I was driving down a mountain in tennessee on a family vacation, when my transmission failed because the coolant was leaking into the transmission fluid. In order to get to a safe location I had to drive in reverse to a driveway which could have caused me to be in an accident with a young child and my fiance in the car. Upon further research I realized that Nissan has over 500 complaint on the same issue and it was never resolved. I paid 4800 dollars out of pocket in order to replace the transmission and radiator.

Noticed vibration and bumping while car shifted randomly. Transmisson is basicaly shot due to coolant leaking into the transmisson cooler and mixing with transmisson fluid causing total destruction of the transmisson. Radiator needs to be replaced due to failure.

Upon exiting a highway, where traffic was congested and slow moving, my 2005 Nissan Xterra suddenly refused to accelerate. Suddenly, smoke appeared to be emanating from the undercarrige of my SUV. Initially, it appeared that my vehicle had caught on fire. Two passing fireman assisted me and determined that I had a transmission issue because of the fluid that was leaked onto the street. Since the Xterra was not driveable, it was towed to a transmission repair center. It was determined that the transmission failure was caused by a malfunctioning radiator. Apparently, radiator fluid contaminated the transmission fluid and severely damaged the transmission.

Tl-the contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle became hesitated and decelerated independently with the illumination of the check engine warning light. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was advised to the contact that radiator fluid had leaked into the transmission fluid, causing the transmission to fail. The vehicle was repaired but the problem persisted. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000. Kmj.