Ten problems related to automatic transmission cooler have been reported for the 2006 Nissan Xterra. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2006 Nissan Xterra based on all problems reported for the 2006 Xterra.
Transmission failure due to known issue involving cooling fluid leaking into transmission due to faulty lines in radiator that crack at 100,000 miles. Quoted $6000 repair cost, car is totaled. ,.
Radiator leaking fluid into transmission, destroyed the transmission. Have to purchase a new one and add an external cooling system so it does not happen again. $4800. Mileage is 109k. Nissan's forced extended warranty expired so no help from them. This is a known issue by Nissan due to faulty design. Nissan also said "it might happen to certain transmissions", but in fact happens to all Xterra transmissions at least for 2006. Nissan has had too many engine/drive train issues on the many Nissan's I have purchased over the years. I will not be purchasing another Nissan.
In October 2015 I noticed that my Xterra was overheating and the transmission was slipping at times. When I removed the radiator cap to check the coolant, it looked foamy and milky, like a lime smoothie. I thought I might have a blown head gasket and took the vehicle to my mechanic, who told me about the issue with Nissan radiator and transmission cross-contamination. He told me that flushing the systems would not help and the entire cooling system and transmission would need to be replaced to the tune of about $6500, which I didn't have. He told me to contact Nissan. Unfortunately, at the time my Xterra was diagnosed, it had 112,000 miles on it, which was beyond the scope of Nissan's extended warranty which came about as a result of the class-action lawsuit. The only thing they did for me was give me a refund on a recall item for which I'd paid before the recall came out. They also offered me a "business associate's" discount on another Nissan--as if I'd buy one after this! because I am mobility challenged, I must have a vehicle to get to work, doctors' visits, etc. I was forced to buy another vehicle. The payments have me so strapped for cash that once I get my bills paid there's nothing left for groceries or pet food, much less putting gas in my car! I am so disgusted with Nissan for putting me in this position I can't even put it into words.
Noted transmission slippage and vehicle running hotter than normal. Radiator looked as though it had been filled with a lime smoothie. Suspected blown head gasket but my mechanic stated there was a problem with Nissans which involved intermingling of coolant and transmission fluid. Researched online and discovered class-action lawsuit relative to the problem. Unfortunately, although my vehicle was not 10 years old as yet, it had 112k miles on it. Nissan refused to do anything to repair the problem they knew about but on which no recall was ever done. They offered me a crappy discount to buy a new vehicle. Considering how much they stood behind their product that I owned, I didn't choose that option. If I couldn't afford to pay $6k to replace the cooling system and transmission, what made them think I could afford to buy a new vehicle? I had to use the Nissan to get to work, the grocery store, doctor appointments, etc. , knowing that at any time the vehicle could fail or seize up. Had to shift into neutral each time it stopped to keep it from boiling over. Very stressful, particularly as I am handicapped and more vulnerable than many.
My vehicle has just been diagnosed with a failed transmission due to the leakage issue described below. Nissan is stating I am responsible for repair costs up to $3000. Report date : October 16, 2012 at 12:21 pm NHTSA action number : dp12004 NHTSA action number : dp12004 NHTSA recall campaign number : n/a vehicle make / model: model year(s): Nissan / frontier 2005-2010 Nissan / pathfinder 2005-2010 Nissan / Xterra 2005-2010 manufacturer(s) : Nissan north America, inc. Component(s) : power train power train:automatic transmission power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm, pcm) power train:automatic transmission:cooling unit and lines power train:automatic transmission:torque converter date investigation opened : June 11, 2012 date investigation closed : open summary: 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. Odi has received (512) five-hundred-twelve consumer complaints between August 2005 to may 2012 regarding transmission problems. A copy of the petition will be placed in the public file. Odi will review its content and related field data to assess whether a safety defect investigation is warranted. Referenced voqs are listed on a separate page.
The radiator cooling water got into the transmission fluid. This caused strong vibration that we had to get off the road in the middle of a highway. The damage was required to replace the radiator and flush the transmission . It starte other problems with the transmission safety switch that caused engine trouble alert. After few weeks the car stalled altogether and we now had to tow it to a garage. Tthis is a problem that was reported before and I do not understand why Nissan does not fix the problem and repair the damaged units.
Transmission fluid leaked into the cooling system requiring the complete replacement of both major components. Total cost of the work was over $5000 after checking with numerous repair facilities. Apparently this is a known issue as every repair shop I talked to said this is an extremely common problem and that every customer has complained about Nissan's response.
Break in transmission cooling coil inside radiator caused coolant to flow into automatic transmission. Transmission slippage at highway speeds caused vehicle to slow. Loss of coolant in radiator caused engine overheating. Result: vehicle undrivable at highway speeds, no acceleration due to slippage, costly replacement of radiator and transmission.
My 2006 Nissan x-terra transmission and radiator failed radiator cooling lines for transmission failed and leaked into transmission causing complete failure of transmission. $4,000 to repair.
2006 Nissan Xterra. Consumer complaint against manufacturer regarding faulty radiators the consumer stated the transmission cooler is inside the radiator and it is leaking, allowing anti-freeze to enter the transmission and vice versa. When the anti-freeze leaked into the transmission fluid, it destroyed the cooling system and consequently the radiator and transmission needs to be replaced.