Automatic Transmission Cooler Problems of Nissan Xterra - part 1

Purchased this vehicle July 2019 from owner. After 3 weeks transmission started acting weird while on vacation transmission seized due too coolant leaking from radiator cooler into transmission. Total repairs tow costs and rental car rental exceed $5000. 00. I understand there was a recall on this vehicle for transmission and cooling system related proplems. This vehicle only had approx. 100,000 miles on it when purchased. And onlu has approx. 128,000 on it. Now. Can I get any type of reimbursement for costs paid out of pocket????.

See all problems of the 2007 Nissan 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. ,.

See all problems of the 2006 Nissan Xterra 🔎.

I purchased this 1 owner trade in 4/11/19. As of 5/9/19 I started to experience pronounced issues with losing power around 40 mph . Diagnostics confirmed that it was due to a leak in the cooling coil which resulted in coolant in my transmission fluid which damage the transmission. I have filed a claim under the class action required extended warranty. As I was unaware of this issue and didn't know what was happening and honestly afraid to find out since I still owe 5000 dollars on the car I put off getting the diagnostics. The final straw came when I was merging onto the highway and lost power trying to merge into fast traffic. I finally called a local repair shop for diagnostics on 5/31/19 and took the first available appointment on 6/4/19. I was told there may be an extended warranty and to call the dealership. The dealership confirmed the diagnosis the next day 6/5/19 and Nissan is reviewing my claim. I am praying they won't deny it because the diagnostics were completed a couple business day after the extension expired on 5/31/19.

See all problems of the 2009 Nissan Xterra 🔎.

On 3/14 I went to work as I work where I live when to drive the truck and it would not accelerate. Was like being in 4th gear even though I was in first gear. I then noticed the check engine light came on. I borrowed a code reader and got the code p1769 called the mechanic and they came and towed to shop. The code wasn't what was wrong the radiator leaked into the transmission and it destroyed the transmission. The mechanic rebuilt entire tranny re ran cooling lines and added two cooling fans. He had to buy a brand new valve body and rebuild entire transmission as it was destroyed by the antifreeze. We did see this was a problem with this year Nissan and no recall was ever done. The vehicle was in the shop for almost 8 weeks and the amount it cost to repair was a months worth of bring home pay for my self and wife who is disabled. The truck is repaired now thankfully but would of been nice to have Nissan foot some of this bill for sure.

See all problems of the 2005 Nissan Xterra 🔎.

Transmission failure due to leak from radiator cooling system fluid intermixing with transmission fluid. Check engine light came on while driving, went to repair shop the code p0717 came up. Upon inspection by the repair shop it was determined that the transmission, radiator, and all hoses,etc. That interconnected the transmission and radiator had to be replaced. I live in California and the problem occured in arizona.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that the vehicle was slow to change gears and accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for servicing and to have the transmission replaced. The failure recurred. The service engine warning indicator kept illuminating and the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was taken back to an independent mechanic for further diagnostic testing. A dealer was contacted (massapequa Nissan, 200 sunrise highway, amityville, NY 11701, (516) 799-2800). The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 10v517000 (engine and engine cooling) and NHTSA action number: dp-12004 (power train). The manufacturer issued four technical service bulletins (tsbs) on the engine and four tsbs on the power train, but there was no remedy to provide a solution. The approximate failure mileage was 66,074.

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.

Transmission fail due to defect in transmission cooling tank housed inside the radiator.

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.

Radiator cracked and cooling got into my transmission. I bought the car used at a dealership in 2014. Which I think dealership should have warned me about the problem too. I was driving down the highway and overdrive started shuttering and so I had to put it into 4th gear to make it on down the highway. So then I looked it up online what I could do what causes it to shutter and then I seen the notifications about the coolant in the transmission so I checked the radiator and sure enough there was white foam or sticky stuff in there. So now it's going to cost about $3,000 for a transmission and to have it put in and I still owe $4,000 on the vehicle which is now a yard ornament until I save the money up to pay for the transmission.

My 2008 Nissan Xterra starting shifting rough over the past couple weeks. I dropped it off to the Nissan dealer this morning and recevied a call stating radiator and transmission needs to be replaced due to engine coolant leaking into transmission. Was told this was a familiar issue so I researched and see there is pending claim open since June 11 2012: how many vehichles are needed before the recall is passed. I was just quoted $10,000 to replace radiator and transmission. I do not have 10k and I rely on my vehicle for work as I am a hospice nurse. This is causing me serious stress as I need my vehicle for work. See below : NHTSA defect investigations for the 2008 Nissan Xterra the office of defects investigations (odi) is an office within the NHTSA which investigates serious safety problems in the design, construction or performance of vehicles. The NHTSA is authorized to order manufacturers to recall and repair vehicles, if the odi finds a safety issue. Nhtsa investigations for the 2008 Nissan Xterra, both ongoing and closed, are listed below: transmission failure (atf contamination)NHTSA defect investigation #dp12004 status: open date opened:June 11, 2012 date closed:pending recall:possible recall 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 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.

See all problems of the 2008 Nissan Xterra 🔎.

Our 2007 Xterra at 87,000 miles left my wife and 2 kids stranded on the road with a destroyed transmission due to a defect in the radiator cooling lines that support cooling the transmission. The coolant mixed with the transmission fluid and the resulting pressure caused the radiator pressure cap to blow when the engine overheated. This strawberry milkshake looking fluid leaked all over the ground and was difficult to clean-up this is a known Nissan defect issue and should be a recall before someone get hurt or further environmental pollution results.

I was starting to drive my Nissan Xterra 2005 and heard a noise like metallic rattling. The mechanic told me the transmission oil is mixed with coland fluid. I was told, to fix will cost $5000 to replace the transmission and the radiator and cooling system. In the internet I found out many complains about Nissan's cars for this catastrophic failure. This is a manufacturer defective product. Damage to the transmission as a result of the defective car. Nccc (north carolina consumer council) has received a number of complaints from consumers in regards to sudden, catastrophic transmission failures in 2005-2010 Nissan pathfinder, frontier and Xterra vehicles. All of the vehicles experiencing these failures are not within the time period specified by the extended warranty, but are often beyond the mileage limit. So, why should I pay for somebody (Nissan) mistakes and never try to correct them? I never get from Nissan an advise on this potential failure of my car. Nissan has been aware of this problem since 2007 and has undertaken no preventive measures to protect consumers from failure. Nissan didn't warn consumers that the transmission could fail. Any honest company will at least warn consumers of the consequences to the transmission defect. But this rip of company do not care about their products nor their customers. I do not recomend to buy a Nissan car ever !!! Nissan motor corporation is a rip of company that lacks honesty !!!.

Transmission cooler ruptured, ruined the cooling system. Appears to have damaged the transmission.

Contamination of the transmission with anti freeze due to leak in cooling system, resulting in transmission failure.

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.

Nissan's defective transmission / transmission cooling system design has ruined another transmission. Nissan knows the issue will occur after their warranty (even an extended warranty) expires. So their defective design costs them nothing. And they know that regulators can't touch them. And Nissan dealers are useless. They could care less about their "customers" after they make a sale.

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.

The cooling system failed and mixed coolant with transmission fluid, transmission subsequently failed,.

This week my sons 2007 Nissan Xterra would not start and we had it towed to a Nissan dealership near his college in scranton PA. Yesterday we were informed that the transmission and radiator need to be replaced, at a cost of around $5000! this is shocking because my son insists that he noticed nothing amiss with the operation of his truck until it he was unable to start it. After spending 10 minutes on the internet, I learned about the Nissan transmission class action lawsuit. We have been religious in terms of scheduled maintenance, and overall care of the vehicle. We were not aware of the cooling/transmissions problems plaguing Nissan trucks. In addition, I have had the vehicle serviced at two separate Nissan dealerships, one in new york and another now in PA. It is disgraceful that neither Nissan dealership mentioned anything! this morning I contacted Nissan corporate and was told that since the vehicle is over 100,000, there is nothing they can do for us. I do not have $5000 and do not know what to do with my sons Nissan. As others have mentioned in postings, there likely many others with vehicles over the 100,000 marker, now just experiencing the negative effects of the defective manufacturing by Nissan. There should be a second class action suit filed against Nissan!!!.

First noticed a stuttering when driving and a clunking sound when moving the shifter from park to reverse to drive in February. Also experienced no heat and over heating in March. Upon repair of thermostat, draining the radiator showed an accumulation of thick grey gunk in the coolant. Thermostat seal itself was melted. Had dealer evaluate clunking sound and they diagnosed it as intermix (the problem identified by the coolant) a manufacturing defect in the radiator/transmission cooling components that allows the coolant to contaminate the transmission fluid causing transmission damage. As a result of class action lawsuit, dealership explained that mileage was over the Nissan warranty limit of 100,000 even though the problem did not manifest until almost 120,000 miles. Recommended fix was in stages - 1) replace radiator and transmission flush $1200++ 2) if problem is not solved, replace transmission $4000++ have talked with Nissan corporate to no avail. Case # is 14308171.

"transmission/radiator recall" I own a 2005 Nissan Xterra offroad v-6. I purchased this vehicle in sept. 2005. With the exception of an air intake problem within a few months of purchase, I absolutely loved this vehicle! until it went over 90,000 miles in Feb. 2014, the transmission just stopped and went into neutral while driving at highway speed in the fast lane on a busy interstate highway. Fortunately, I was able to pass over the other lanes of traffic and make it to the shoulder before the car rolled to a complete stop. I let it sit and cool and started it up again to find that I was able at least drive it to the dealer. It was then that I was first made aware of the radiator/transmission recall and subsequent issues. They "serviced" the cooling system by replacing the radiator hoses and clamps and flushing the system out and telling me that that will fix the problem. (at my expense of course) they checked the transmission and said that it was functioning normally with no problems. Fine. 2 years and 6,000 miles later while driving at highway speed on a los angeles freeway (it is sometimes possible) the transmission suffered a catastrophic failure and switches into neutral leaving me trying to and weave my way to the opposite side of the freeway where there is a shoulder before I loose momentum. Then the vehicle was non operational and I was stranded 100 miles from home. In the 2 years since, this vehicle has had a complete transmission rebuild, has been in the shop 4 more times and had 2 more catastrophic transmission failures while driving on the highway. The important point to be addressed here is that the investigation into this recall ended and it was determined not to be a "safety hazard". Well, when my vehicle failed on a blind curve on CA st hwy 74 (the corridor of death), with no median or shoulder, it became a real time safety hazard to me.

My 2007 Nissan Xterra started having both transmission and cooling system issues back in September 2014. After a few trips to our mechanic it was discovered that the vehicle had a cracked radiator and was allowing both coolant into the transmission and transmission fluid into the cooling the system. Apparently this is a well known issue and there was a class action lawsuit against Nissan, however the terms of the settlement only cover vehicles under 100k miles. By the time we found out the vehicle had just passed 100k (106k) and now Nissan refused to cover it! I'm now looking at a $5k - $6k repair bill and Nissan refused to budge.

I have had the same problem described in your current investigation of these models. An atf line embedded in the radiator cracked, and atf fluid was allowed into the coolant, and coolant was forced into the atf. The card started slipping in gear, then it started shuddering under acceleration, then it started refusing to go into gear. I got it to a transmission shop, and when they opened it up, the guts of the transmission were rusted, and the clutches had DE-laminated. The cooling system was nearly plugged up with oily transmission residue. The transmission had to be completely rebuilt, and the radiator and all associated hoses had to be replaced. All in all, a $5500 fix for a problem that shouldn't have happened.

On Friday, August 2, 2013, approximately 5:40pm, the car started to have difficulty shifting (automatic), speed became erratic, slowed rapidly. I was on a service road next to a freeway during rush hour traffic in a busy area of scottsdale. I was near pinnacle Nissan and decided to drive there. I had a couple very busy intersections to go through to drive the 1 mi to pinnacle. The car would not accelerate more than 10 miles an hour and was not shifting out of low gear. I was very concerned I would stall or the car would cease driving in these intersections. Pinnacle Nissan service diagnosed the issue (8/3/13) as a cracked radiator cooling tube that caused coolant to mix with transmission fluid ruining components in the transmission. A complete new transmission and radiator is required to fix this now. This issue is not related to abusive driving, I do very little off road and no towing, and is not a lack of or improper maintenance. This is a know design flaw by Nissan. It appears there is a high number of Nissan problem SUV's, 2005 to 2010, that experience this same problem after roughly 80,000 miles. Based on my experience, this is a potentially dangerous safety issue especially if someone would be driving at higher speeds on a busy freeway.

Transmission downshifted on its own at 45 on a mild downgrade. Did it again later changing from one four lane highway to another, this time around 45-50 mph. Took the truck to local Nissan dealer for diagnosis as I took out an extended warranty with olympicare. The service adjuster was aware that '05-'09, even '10 models have a defect that allows radiator fluid to mix with transmission fluid, creating degradation of transmission and cooling system. After-market warranty is trying to dis-allow claim, citing Nissan's knowledge of this design flaw.

A radiator failure caused the cooling system fluid to mix with transmission fluid causing transmission failure.

I particpated in the Nissan campaign to replace a radiator and transmission, due to a defective assembly that caused tran failure. Dealership replaced the two main parts under the campaign. I received my vehicle, and only had it for 1 1/2 days before another issue related to the radiator / cooling system was experienced. I was yet again, on the highway heading to a job and overheated, thus disabling my vehicle. I stayed the interstate for 3 hours waiting on roadside assistance to tow me back to the dealership. I'm having an issue with Nissan not willing to cover what's clearly their problem to begin with. It's not the consumer's problem that they installed faulty components in their cars and trucks, that caused the major malfunctions. If I were a consumer (which I am); I would feel that they are not owning up to the full liability caused by their neglegence in putting inferior parts in their vehicles that caused the malfunction in the first place. I'm not only upset at their response; let's not overlook the fact that on the two days my truck failed (first time when the tranny blew out on the highway, and the second time when I was on the highway again; and overheated); I was heading to job obligations I had for private clients of mine. I lost 1,375. 65 on day one for missing my appt. On the first incident, and an additional 868. 04 on the next incident. My truck's issue is that there needs to be a system flush of the radiator and the thermostat needs replacement. . . Both are direct cause of the incident with their crappy radiator assembly they put in the vehicle in the first place. I don't have the extra money to do the maintenance, and I've lost money in the ordeal as well. I think it be "best practice" and good customer care; that nna cover the cost of the flush and the thermostat, caused from the mixture contamination of coolant and tran fluid.

The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that the vehicle shifted out of gear independently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for a diagnostics, who stated that there was a cooling fluid leak and a transmission fluid leak, which caused contamination of the transmission. The failure was reported to the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 82,000. The current mileage was 83,000.

Transmission locked up intermittently, then stopped shifting all together. Replaced transmission, but quit again after only a week of driving. Turns out the cooling system was leaking into transmission and causing parts failure. Had to replace radiator, and, multiple transmissions parts for 2nd time.

The contact owns a 2008 Nissan x-terra. The contact stated that the transmission shifted out of gear independently. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who found a cooling fluid leak in the radiator and a transmission fluid leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was not reported to the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 105,000. The current mileage was 105,357. Updated 7/1/13 updated 07/17/2013.

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.

On October 30, 2012 while driving at highway speeds the transmission on our 2005 Nissan Xterra gave out. We took it to a transmission shop who informed us that Nissan's had an inherent problem with the cooling system leaking into the transmission. We were informed it would be 6k to fix the vehicle. We have contacted Nissan and have been told that a warranty extension has been granted to 80,000 for full restitution and under 100,000 for 50% restitution. Even though we have barely over 100,000 miles, if it had not been for the pure negligence of Nissan not doing a recall on these vehicles when they became aware of the rampant problem, our vehicle would not have suffered a complete transmission/coolant system failure which has resulted in significant financial loss. We request that Nissan change their extension of the warranty to a complete recall and reimburse us for any loss. We feel this is fair based on the fact they knew of the problem and negligently failed to act upon it.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Nissan Xterra. While parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle but the engine would not start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostics. The technician stated that the radiator and transmission would have to be replaced due to coolant from the radiator leaking into the transmission, causing an electrical shortage. There was an investigation under NHTSA action number: dp12004 (power train:automatic transmission:cooling unit and lines power train:automatic transmission:torque converter power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm, pcm)) that could have been related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 104,324. Kmj.