Problems with 2005 Nissan Pathfinder ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Transmission started slipping on the freeway with the kids in the car. my husband found coolant in the tranny oil and then did research and found alot of people having this issue. our car is out of warranty but this is due to a faulty radiator leaking coolant into the tranny over time. *tr

Transmission started slipping on the freeway with the kids in the car. my husband found coolant in the tranny oil and then did research and found alot of people having this issue. our car is out of warranty but this is due to a faulty radiator leaking coolant into the tranny coolant built inside the radiator. *tr

Transmission problem i had noticed the transmission slipping on my 2005 nissan pathfinder. took it to my local mechanic who did not think it was a serious problem. it gets worse the longer you drive it, but agreed it was not right and told me to take it to a transmission specialist. i took it immediately, he put the car on the on computer and got error codes back, car is fine.... i explained my problem again and he decided to take it for a test drive. he wasn't gone 10 min when he pulls in to his garage with tran fluid pouring out from under my car. he needs to use the fire extinguisher as the fluid is so hot it is catching on fire. now after all has settled down he does get errors on the computer but nothing specific about the problem. he has yet to tell me what caused it except that it is internal. there are so many problems with the transmission on this model and make someone has to do something. what if i was driving my children on the highway when this happened. would we have all gotten out! *tr

I have a 2005 nissan pathfinder and my transmission oil leaked into my radiator causing me to have to totally replace my radiator and i had to have my transmission flushed but it still damaged my transmission. this was a manufacture error but nissan refused to pay because it had over 80,000 miles. i have three nissan in our family but i will never buy another. i also am having trouble with the heating and air conditioner controls in both my 2005 and 2006 nissan pathfinders. the control quit working in both!!!! so disappointed with nissan!!!! *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder. transmission failure due to coolant contamination. radiator had to be replaced as well as the transmission . many other problems with car. the fuel sending unit, air conditioning/heater fan, drive shfts/universal joints, brakes. just about everything has failed and cost me massive amounts of cash. *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder transmission/coolant failure. as i have read on a number of sites (www.consumeraffairs.com/.../nissan_pathfinder.html) this has been an issue with thousands of people. the radiator fails causing the transmission fluid to mix with the coolant which causes failure to the transmission and cooling system. this is an issue that thousands have complained about. lets get something done. nissan has refused to handle the situation!!!! *tr

My 2005 nissan pathfinder with 55,000 miles. i notice a vibration under the vehicle which would last for 2-3 seconds everytime i would drive it. i thought nothing about it, until it got worst. now the vehicle stalls and vibrates more frequently while traveling on highways and major roads. i went on-line to research the problem and discovered the cause was from a leak from the radiator into the transmission and caused the slippage and the vibrations. thousands of other people who own a nissan pathfinder had similar problems and have gone to the nissan dealership and complained about the issue, as i had. the only thing nissan will do is replace those parts, but we the consumer will have to pay for it, although it is clearly a manufacturer issue in relation to nissan using inferior quality of parts. it will cost me $5,600 for parts and labor to fix a nissan problem. *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder defected radiators leaking into transmission, rusting components leading to transmission slipping and failure, i was on the mass pike highway going about 60 when my pathfinder just pull back like you dropped it in low, 18 wheeler almost drove right threw my back of pathfinder, this has happened more then one time, sometimes while stopped in traffic it feels like the transmission is pulling forward without putting your foot on the gas, i have done some research online to find the same problem many others are having in the radiator there is transmission fluid( look) for white milky substance also antifreeze going into transmission, please search the web for 2005 nissan pathfinders complaints and problems, this is vary dangerous to be driving it is unpredictable when it happens and i was told just a matter of days before i will have to replace both radiator and transmission, this is a total defect on nissan, not fair at all, threshold be a recall on this a big safety issue could cause a serious accident. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. while driving 40 mph the vehicle starting shaking as if she was driving over a grooved pavement. she drove home a parked the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and she was told that the transmission and radiator needed replacing because they were leaking fluids. the cost for the repairs was $5,900. the vehicle has not been repaired. the contact stated the gas gauge had previously stopped working and she paid for the repairs. the failure and current mileages were 70,000.

The coolant line in the radiator got a leak and mixed transmission fluid with the coolant causing me to have to replace the radiator. not sure if this is what causes a miss fire in cylinder # 2 but now there is a problem with that as well. hopefully it was caught in time as not to damage the transmission. i hope nissan will own up to this problem and make the necessary repairs and restitution to pathfinder owners. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. while driving at 30-40 mph, the transmission began making a shuddering noise. the contact pulled over to inspect the vehicle and then took it to a local mechanic who stated that the radiator and transmission needed to be replaced. the contact also stated that the fuel gauge stopped functioning at 50,000 miles. the failure mileage was approximately 88,000. the current mileage was 88,562.

I own a 2005 nissan pathfinder le, it currently has 64,000 miles, at approx. 58,000 miles i notice excessive vibration thru out the vehicle at about 74mph, i took the vehicle to have the tires balanced and rotated but this did not fix the problem, took the vehicle to nissan who told me they could not duplicate the problem but i should keep an eye on it, when it was time for my oil change i told them the problem still exists and again they could not find a problem so they re-balance the tires which did not change anything. i did some research online only to find out that there are hundreds of threads regarding this incident were the radiator coolant line leaks into the transmission and causing damage to the transmission, it is a known issue leading to the replacement of the radiator and transmission, car shakes tremendously as if it were falling apart, how can there be so many complaints and yet nissan does nothing to fix it, extended warranties cover transmission damage but your still left with a $1000.00 bill for the radiator. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that while at the dealer for routine maintenance the technician advised that the radiator would have to be replaced. after the replacement of the radiator, the contact was parked when the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician stated that the transmission would have to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000. *tr

Had a vibration in my vehicle. took it to the shop as it was getting worse. long story short..a known defect with the radiator. caused my antifreeze to enter into the transmission fluid and transmission fluid in my radiator. mechanic said its a known issue with the vehicle, and we need to replace the radiator, and flush everything out. total cost ~$1500. 2005 nissan pathfinder ~ 85,000 miles. *tr

I was on a family trip and had realized that when i was at stop my coolant temperature would rise and i would get a slip. waited for my 2005 nissan pathfinder to cool down and then i checked on my radiator fluid. to my surprise it was gunky, like oil was all in it mixed with the anti-freeze. come to realize that it was transmission fluid. so much of it that it had even clogged up the passage way to the thermostat. after doing some research, i had found out that there are many many others that have experienced that same ordeal. there is a flaw in the radiators that were used by nissan on 2005 and up pathfinders, x-terras, and frontiers with the 4.0 v6 engines. these radiators, in which anti-freeze and automatic transmission fluid, would both pass through are somehow cracking and mixing the 2 fluids together. when this mixture occurs, the radiator and tranny oil would need to be flushed. the transmission will then also need to be replaced because of damage already done. this will ad up to about 5k-8k. nissan does not take responsibility of this damage. if you google "2005+ nissan pathfinder transmission", you will see that there are many complains about it. *tr

Nissan pathfinder 2005, 59k miles - experienced vibration and shuttering of the vehicle during acceleration, took it into nissan dealership and they said that the coolant line cracked causing the fluid to mix with the transmission creating replacement of both radiator and transmission. this seems to be a common complaint by the consumer! hopefully nissan will issue a recall before someone is injured or worse, it would be pretty sad if it had to come to that. extended warranty covered the transmission but i have to pay for the radiator $950.00. *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder with approximately 78,000 miles developed a vibration and shaking when driving at a constant speed on any road, however; when driving with overdrive off the vibration and shaking is no longer present. when vehicle was brought to nissan dealership they discovered that the transmission fluid was mixing with the engine coolant and vice versa. upon diagnosis of this problem the dealership said it would be about $6,000 to replace transmission and radiator and fluids. luckily my extended warranty covered this. i am not the first person to have this problem. http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f177b6c/0 http://www.carcomplaints.com/nissan/pathfinder/2005/transmission/coolant_leaked_into_transmission.shtml for proof of others with the same issue. *tr

Radiator leaks fluid into transmission, nissan knows this is a flaw and they will only flush your transmission, just to put it off until you are out of warranty. i started taking my nissan in at 52,000miles for this problem and they kept telling me that they are unfamiliar with the problems i was experiencing and they couldn't find anything wrong with the truck. now i'm out of warranty and my transmission needs replaced. nissan also has a problem with they fuel gage, sometimes it shows gas levels, and sometimes it doesn't. i have ran out of gas 3 times now, on the highway! again, nissan knows this is a problem, they even sent an "extended warranty" to cover this problem specifically. but, only if you are under a certain mileage. and they didn't send me the notice until i was under the mileage limit by 300 miles! please help!! *tr

Radiator/transmission fluid mix the trans started shifting in and out of o/d at just over 40mph (vibrating) at about 99,000 miles. took it to the shop and found the radiator busted and mixed with trans fluid. had the radiator replaced and the transmission flushed twice. at a cost of $1,058.00 it worked fine until 103,000 miles. it just made a thump noise and the transmission started slipping so bad it barely got me home. *tr

Nissan corporation has a manufacture defect in their radiator which causes coolant to leak into the transmission. this action need a nationwide recall on both parts (radiator and transmission). just like toyota corporation had nationwide attention, nissan need the same ordeal. the vehicle in question is a 2005 nissan pathfinder. this vehicle has extended warranty which was not honor. quoted when purchasing the extended warranty, "everything is cover from bumper to bumper, even down to the bolts". this is a misleading statement from the warranty department. warranty department would not honor the warranty due to coolant was in the transmission. money was paid for this purpose, now they say the warranty does not cover this mishap. after researching and talking with skills mechanics, it was discovered that the coolant came from a defective (busted) radiator. the mechanics stated this is becoming a common problem. *tr

It all started with the radiator and the only reason i even knew something was wrong was that my gears were switching weird. i took the car into the dealership, they told me that i needed to get a new radiator and transmission b/c my radiator fluid was leaking into my transmission. they quoted me at $6000. i then took my car to get a new radiator and transmission flush, it helped a little. my car finally gave out 2 weeks ago. while driving down a side street, thenall of a sudden the transmission wouldn't switch gears. i tried pressing the gas to go and the transmission would not go. the car was still running, however i couldn't grab any gears to go. i got it towed to a transmission shop, they told me that my radiator fluid is leaking into my transmission which made my transmission lock up. they took my transmission apart to look at parts and apparently everything is rusty together, not to mention the "computer" in the transmission is fried. you would think that nissan would recognize an issue when they see that same part is on backorder b/c i am waiting on a part. while reading others with the same issue, some have been on the highway and the transmission went out. this is definitely a safety issue seeing as if driving at high speeds you could possibly get rear ended badly. i almost got rearended while only going 45mph. *tr

I have taken my 2005 nissan pathfinder to my dealer ,because of a rumbling sound;the mechanic said that the radiator has a internal damage and cause the antifreeze to leak to the transmission. i do have a extended warranty that the dealer also refuse to take because the radiator is not cover but the transmission it is,but they still will not repair the transmission. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated there was an abnormal vibration in the vehicle as if he was driving over a severely bumpy road surface. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the valve body was the cause of the failure. the vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the manufacturer was contacted and stated that the problem was common but would not offer any assistance. the failure progressed to the point where there was a stutter in the engine and the vehicle would stall without warning. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 122,000 and the current mileage was approximately 126,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated when driving at 40 mph in overdrive, the vehicle would abnormally vibrate excessively as if driving over an extremely uneven road surface.the failure would correct itself when the accelerator pedal was depressed but would return momentarily. the failure became progressively worse and on one occasion, while driving at 70 mph, the failure occurred and the contact was under the impression that he had a blown tire. the vehicle was taken to the contact's personal mechanic where he was unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was then taken to the dealer where he was advised the radiator fluid was leaking into transmission and causing the failure. the dealer advised replacing both the radiator and transmission at the contact's expense. the manufacturer was contacted and the contact was awaiting a response to determine if they would assist. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 60,000 and the current mileage was 75,432.

Tl-*he contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph, the vehicle began to vibrate. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership for a diagnostic test where the contact was informed that the radiator coolant was leaking into the transmission; both the transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were approximately 90,000.

Tl* the contact owns 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that the vehicle transmission and radiator failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission coolant had leaked into the radiator and the radiator fluid leaked into the transmission. as a result, both the radiator and transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 150,000. the vin was not available.

Vehicle shutters and shakes in overdrive at @ 40/45 mph and does not properly engage gears during operation of vehicle. the transmission fails during normal navigation through traffic. confirmed factory defective radiator leaked coolant into transmission causing ruined transmission. *tr

After transmission flush, transmission failed shortly thereafter. replaced transmission june 2009. march 2010 had vibration problem and returned for transmission repair again. second torque converter replaced. within 1 week vibration issue returned. dealer review confirmed that coolant from radiator had leaked into transmission and that radiator and transmission need to be replaced. this would be my second transmission, and third torque converter in less than a year, due to a faulty radiator used by nissan in '05 & '06 models. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stopped at a stop sign and when she attempted to accelerate forward, the vehicle instead moved backward. the vehicle was taken to the dealership where she was informed that the transmission and radiator needed to be replaced because of a leak in the radiator which also caused the transmission to stop functioning correctly. the vehicle was at the dealership being repaired at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were approximately 74,000.

I was experiencing a shutter in my transmission while driving. this is a safety hazard because the transmission could bind while riding. this had been going on nearly 9 months until it broke while at the transmission shop and we had to get it towed because we couldn't afford to buy a transmission at the time. we were told that the radiator was defective and coolant leaked into the transmission which ruined the transmission. *tr

I bought my 2005 nissan pathfinder new from the dealer. at about 70,000 miles i started having transmission problems and was told that nissan had a severe problem with the radiator leaking into the transmission and ruining it. i had to replace the transmission and the radiator at a cost of about $3,000. i believe that nissan should have had a recall since this problem is so widely documented. i have also had to have the power module, the thermostat , the sunvisor, and the hydraulic lifts for the back hatch all replaced with the car still under 80,000 miles. needless to say, i won't be looking for a nissan product when i shop for my next car. *tr

My 2005 nissan pathfinder with 67k miles developed a "shudder" at 40 mph and 60 mph, approximately when the car was shifting from 3rd into 4th gear and from 4th into 5th gear. took it to the dealer and was told that the transmission cooler (part of the radiator system) had leaked coolant into the transmission, ruining the transmission, and that both would need to be replaced, at a cost of approximately $5700. the vehicle is one month short of five years old, but is 7k miles past the warranty expiration and has been problem-free up to this point. after doing some research online, i found hundreds of similar complaints, along with reports that nissan was refusing to pay for repairs to the transmission because the root problem was with the radiator. this is a well-documented problem online; why is nissan refusing to do a recall? you'd think they'd want to avoid the pr disaster toyota is currently enduring ... *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder (56,000 miles) has defective radiator which leaks fluid into transmission, now needs both radiator and transmission replaced. transmission is covered under warranty but because of nissan's bad radiator they will not cover the cost of either. *tr

My 2005 nissan pathfinder has a faulty radiator which leaks back into the transmission. the vehicle has less than 60,000 miles and the dealer says nissan will not cover the transmission damage. on emonds.com there are hundreds of complaints for the same exact complaint from other owners. the problem causes the vehicle to shake at highway speeds.

Vehicle hesitates during overdrive at speed of @ 40-50mph. vibration occurs and gears do not properly engage. failure is due to defective radiator leaking fluids into transmission. nissan installed defective radiator in 2005 pathfinder. they refuse to correct the problem leading to damaged transmission! *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder started having shifting problems, had 60k service done at dealer, started again, flushed again at 72 had problems again at 80 and at 87k the radiator core failed and leaked into the transmission causing the transmission to fail and seize total cost for repairs 4400.00 after hearing about this i did a little search and found this is a big problem with this car, as the shifting is a precurser to the failure, i wanted the dealer to cover since they assured me it was ok.. *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder transmission slipping out of gear while driving. i called nissan and they claims that they know nothing about, however there are several others with exactly the same problems online at car space automotive forums. *tr

Transmission cooler leaking into transmission the transmission cooler on the nissan pathfinder 2005 an the frontier 2005 is located in the radiator. there is a defect in either material or manufacturing causing the line from the transmission cooler to transmission to failed prematurely. the effect is of the failure is slipping of the transmission and eventually failure of the transmission. *tr

Regular driving minimal to hardly any towing. transmission and coolant flushed religiously at 30k since taken ownership. current mileage 80k. failure of radiator cross contaminates atf and coolant, eventually destroying transmission costing $5000 to repair aside from disabling the vehicle. this is an issue on many 2005 pathfinder, xterra and frontiers equipped with 4.0l v6 coupled with 5 speed automatic transmission. vehicle is currently at the dealership. nissan must take responsibility. *tr

Tl*the contact owns 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated the engine shut off. the dealer replaced the ipdm board that controls the engine on the vehicle. the manufacturer told the dealer that they were aware of the problem. the vehicle would start, shut off and occasionally the vehicle would take a long time to restart. the engine light never came on even though the vehicle shut off. the current and failure mileages were 90,000. updated 03/14/10 *bf updated 06/24/10.*jb

2005 nissan pathfinder with 74,500 miles needs transmission replacement and radiator due to leaking of radiator coolant into transmission, mixing up with transmission oil damaging transmission. looking at customer complaints online, it looks as every pathfinder with above 60,000 miles suffers the same problem. *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder shudders at speeds between 40-60 mph. local dealer says tranny and radiator need to be replaced at a cost of 5000-$7000. bought the suv with 73000, it now has 79000. many others have complained of this problem , nissan needs to take action on their faulty engineering. *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder has problems with antifreeze leaking into the transmission because of some design flaw. after researching this problem i see that there are many complaints of this occurring with this same particular model. the transmission starts to make a grinding noise and then will start slipping. nissan is aware of the problem because they are the one that has diagnosed it over and over again, but have refused to issue a tsb or recall. this is a very serious defect and is costing people 5 to 10 thousand dollars to fix. my 2005 nissan pathfinder is at the dealership awaiting repair. this will cost me $5500 to fix and nissan will not assist. nissan should consider the problems that toyota is having right now and issue a recall for this defect. *tr

Faulty radiator leak antifreeze into transmission. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. while driving at speeds of 45 mph the vehicle began vibrating abnormally and shaking violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the failure was due to a defective abs sensor which was replaced. while the vehicle was in possession of the dealer, the vehicle was involved in a crash and repairs were made to the vehicle at the dealers expense. the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the mechanic stated that the failure was caused by a defective radiator that also caused the transmission to fail. the failure mileage was 72,800 and the current mileage was 74,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated the radiator is faulty and it suddenly failed. the radiator coolant goes back through the transmission and mixes the fluids together. the dealer was called, and they stated the vehicle is out of warranty and they would not replace the radiator. the manufacturer was called and they told the contact to file a claim. the failure mileage was 90,000.

While driving our 2005 pathfinder on the hwy i noticed smoke ( a lot)coming from the back of the vehicle. the car was also losing rpms (like the tranny was slipping) the shop said the radiator leaked into the transmission and fried the transmission ($7000).nissan here locally stated they have seen this problem before in the model. the engine stopped smoking after 20 minutes, had to evacuate four children on the hwy. this is second posted complaint about this problem. the shop states this is a design flaw.*cw

My 2005 nissan pathfinder is having the same transmission problems that so many others are having. it seems that nissan had a defective batch of radiators that has let coolant leak into the transmission causing vibrations, hesitation and eventually failure.we have three foster children and one of them is an infant with a feeding tube and track i do not want to get a call from my wife saying she has broken down on the road on her way to visitation with the biological parents or to doctor appointments. nissan is clearly avoiding this problem! i expect they will start taking action when lawsuits start rolling in on them. mr. ceo of nissan may find this thing parked in his living room if something happens to my foster children because of breaking down. just kidding, but i will be pissed. someone please do something about this!!! *tr

I own a 2005 nissan pathfinder. i have come to find that the transmission is failing due to a defective radiator letting radiator fluid into the transmission. my car, which has 88k miles is now out of the 60k mi. nissan warranty. from doing research online i see that this is a very,common problem and seems to affect all 2005 pathfinders. as this has been a known problem for some time nissan could have warned about the issue (replacing the radiator before it failed and failed the transmission) as well it most likely started failing before the warranty expired. nissan will not fix the issue. i feel that nissan should be compelled to fix this issue for all 2005 pathfinder owners. *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder has problems with antifreeze leaking into the transmission because of some design flaw. after researching this problem i see that there are many complaints of this occurring with this same particular model. the transmission starts to make a grinding noise and then will start slipping. nissan is aware of the problem because they are the one that has diagnosed it over and over again, but have refused to issue a tsb or recall. this is a very serious defect and is costing people 5 to 10 thousand dollars to fix. my 2005 nissan pathfinder has just begun the tell tale symptoms of this costly problem. nissan should consider the problems that toyota is having right now and issue a recall for this defect. *tr