Problems with 2005 Nissan Xterra POWER TRAIN

My son was driving the car on a local road near home at night. he was accelerating up a small grade, when he said the car acted as if it had popped out of gear. it began to rev higher and made a higher pitched sound. he tried changing from being in "drive" to a lower gear, but it still did not engage the transmission. he had enough momentum to be able to coast onto our side street and park the car. luckily there was no accident, but he was almost rear-ended as his car slowed suddenly and traffic ran up on him. the car would not start, nor turn over at that point. i had the car towed to the local nissan dealer. they mentioned it was a known issue with the transmission and radiator and it would cost over 5k for just a new transmission, not including a new radiator or labor to install both. i was able to find another mechanic that purchased a rebuilt transmission, but the whole thing still cost over 5k to have the rebuilt transmission and radiator installed with no assurance that it would not happen again. this is a well documented issue with these vehicles and continues to cost people thousands of dollars for a very poor and dangerous design.

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. update 9/15/15*cw *cn

Vehicle was not driving well, we were having problems accelerating, and were hearing noises similar to when you drive over rumble strips. our mechanic diagnosed the problem as radiator coolant missing with the transmission fluid. vehicle was transferred to nissan dealership and we opened a case with nissan consumer affairs as vehicle only had 75k miles, however it was 9 years old and therefore subject to the $3,000 deductible. after reviewing our case for almost three weeks, we were informed that nissan could not help us. we paid the $3,000 deductible to have the transmission replaced, however feel that nissan should be held accountable for fixing the known defect with this vehicle that could have caused significant accidents and injuries if the transmission failed while we were driving on a busy roadways.

Was driving and vehicle transmission stopped moving vehicle. engine was running and i could see the rpms increase as i gave gas but the drive train stopped working. had the car towed to a transmission shop. the diagnosed the problem as transmission cooler problem. explained that it is a common thing with this vehicle. then discovered through the internet that this has been going on for years and nissan has not recalled for the defect. repair shop told me it will be $4500 to repair.

My xterra won't move when in gear, drive. i was coming out of my driveway and pulled out into traffic slowly, when i went to accelerate to pull in front of other cars coming my way the xterra just stopped accelerating. the engine reved up high but the car would not move. cars almost ran into me as i had to move to the shoulder with this dead car. i put the car in park and then drive again, stepped on the gas and the engine reved but did not move. i put the car in lower gear and then drive and was able to limp on back home very slowly with the engine reving high. i got in my garage, checked the tranny fluid and it was rusty looking with shards of metal in it, it almost was like scrapes of metal in it. the car is stuck in my garage and won't go anywhere but backwards.

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.

Confirmed diagnoses of vehicle damage of radiator assembly & transmission are due to nissan's defective radiator assembly which allows coolant to pass through into the transmission rendering the vehicle unsafe to operate. nissan is unwilling to assist with the repairs of damage caused by defect. i was not notified of this manufacturing defect. this is a safety issue, a damaged transmission due to coolant entering it has rendered the vehicle unsafe to drive, a known defect, yet the manufacturer will not even compromise to assist with repair of this defect. a manufacturer should assist with repair of any defect that renders the equipment unsafe to operate - no matter when that defect decides to show up! nissan should assist in all repairs due to their known defect to let the consumer operate the vehicle in safety.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. while driving at 35 mph, the vehicle seized and smoke emitted from the engine. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission, radiator, and another component needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 23,160.

Vehicle had many times failed to gear itself properly causing a sudden jerking motion once gear finally set in. this caused poor acceleration and a check engine light appears. mechanic says radiator was leaking into the transmission. radiator was replaced and transmission fluids flushed. problem still occurs and check engine light keeps appearing. mechanic says he cannot fix stating the radiator is causing transmission failure somehow and suggests to bring it to the dealership. *tr

The transmission is damaged, because the cooland fluid got mixed with automatic transmission fluid. all of this because a bad nissan design. nissan does not take care of this problem, leaving the costumer with a mayor problem. people should not buy nissan. this company does nothing for problems that they created. it happened in motion driving on a city street.

My car oveheated and began to buck -- mechanic stated transmission and radiator have failed - i still owe 1 year on this car and nissan wont fix it - can you help in any way published on apr 18, 2013 video of what happens to the radiator/transmission fluid when the transmission fluid radiator fails and a cross connection happens between the two fluids that don't belong together. nissan settled a class action lawsuit in january of 2013, but this doesn't mean that you still can't file a complaint with the national transportation safety administration. if you have experienced this problem or no someone that has, file the complaint. also call the state attorney general and the federal trade commission and file a complaint against nissan. we bought the car used, but there is no way to check for this problem. if we had known the problem existed, i assure you we would not have purchased the vehicle. if i knew there was a potential problem after we purchased the vehicle, we could have replaced the transmission coolant radiator with the safer replacement type to prevent this from happening. i think it should have been the federal government's responsibility to notify the public of the problem and they should force nissan to address the issue. they made toyota step up with recalls and toyota did to my recollection. should have purchased a toyota.

My nissan has the defect that brought a lawsuit against nissan motor for a failure in the oil cooler that caused my transmission and radiator to be completely rebuilt/replaced because coolant had leaked into my transmission. i ended up with a bill for $3941.46, and now, i can't even file a reimbursement form or get a hold of any one at nissan to help because all 3 numbers listed in letters and paperwork are no longer in service.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle failed to shift gears and the service engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the radiator, transmission, and coolant heater hose needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacture was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 105,334.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle vibrated and shifted gears. the vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic who stated that the failure was caused by a mixture of transmission and radiator fluid that affected the transmission. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown.

Transmission coolant line cracked inside the transmission, causing the transmission to be destroyed. was quoted a repair cost of 5,500, because the vehicle is 4x4 and the repair they would have to make to the coolant system. the vehicle is not repaired at this time due to the fact the vehicle is only worth 3,500.

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. *tr

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 !!!

Car has broken down 3 times in the past month. cause: radiator and transmission.

Driving on freeway at 65mph car started stalling and loosing speed, i stepped on the gas but car would not accelerate. i was a few yards from exit, so i exited and when i reached the bottom of the exit, car stopped and it accelerated in reverse. very scary and strange. i pulled the emergency brake and turned the engine off even though it seemed to not be running. i towed the car to a mechanic and i found out that the problem was a design flaw in the car that nissan has acknowledged but did not recall the vehicles. i find myself with a $6,000 repair estimate. i called the dealer after finding out what caused my car to die and they were aware of the problem as well and informed me that nissan had extended the warranty on the car with a $3,000 co-pay. the problem is not only expensive to repair but a real danger if the car goes into reverse while on heavy, fast traffic. i'm completely aghast that nissan and the dealers have known about this problem but have not notified car owners nor will they own up to the design defect and repair the vehicles which should not be needing new transmissions with less than 100,000 of driving. i don't know what you do with these complaints, but nissan needs to do the right thing and repair the vehicles free of charge. the class action lawsuit that they settled is a sham. when we buy cars we expect them to run well, and not have major flaws that would render the cars useless if you don't have the huge amounts of money that it takes to repair them. what does the law allow nissan to do in this case. they've already ripped us off by selling us faulty vehicles and now they want to rip us off by having us pay for repairs that should not have been incurred to begin with. *tr

Transmission failure due to defective valve unit. very dangerous situation as the vehicle loose complete power. this is happening to a lot of nissan xterra 2005 owners. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. while driving at any speed, the vehicle idled highly and made an abnormal sound. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the radiator fluid leaked into the transmission and the transmission fluid leaked into the radiator. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown.

The class action lawsuit that is going on, this is what happened to my vehicle. my coolant leaked into my transmission, now my transmission is now destroyed as well as my radiator, and the estimates are $5500 to fix. i almost crashed and got hit by an 18 wheeler when this happened, i need to report this because i hope nissan steps up and fixes this once and for all, instead of letting there customers hang out to dry. *tr

Unexpectedly, transmission seemed to be in neutral. applying gas just revved engine. then strong jerk and back into gear. happening at highway speeds on a busy interstate had it gone on longer or i not been able to pull to the side, this could have triggered a major pile up. *tr

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.

The car shudders and wont accelerate. the transmission won't shift properly. i understand this was was a class action lawsuit and recall. i am outside the time frame. i was never notified and was deployed at the time.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 mph, the vehicles speed decreased without warning. the vehicle was restarted and failed to accelerate. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the radiator failed causing the transmission to fail. as a result, the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 143,000. the vin was unavailable.

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.

My car was running fine and normal but when i tried to start it, nothing happened. i tried to jump the battery and i replaced the starter. after those attempts i had the vehicle towed to a nearby dealership who told me that coolant from the radiator leaked into the transmission and mixed fluid, damaging both the transmission and ecm. car will not start and the is no communications working. the nissan dealership recommended i get a new radiator, ipdm module, and transmission which was estimated at a cost of $5,500 after parts and labor. i had the vehicle towed to a local repair shop for a second opinion and was told the same thing as the dealer had said. *tr

We have a 2005 nissan xterra and were never told about the trouble with this models trouble with the radiator coolant leaking into the transmission and causing damage. nissan extended their warranty with a deductible up to 100,000 miles and ours leaked at 106,000 miles causing $5600 in damages that nissan refused to acknowledge. had there been a recall this never would have happened. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle shook and failed to shift gears. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 73,000.

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. *tr

This is a complaint towards nissan and there failure to be and act as a professional car company. there should be a recall on there radiators leaking into the transmission, it has costs numerous amounts of people thousands of dollars to replace transmissions and radiators and even when done the problem still occurs. the class action lawsuit that they were so "nice" enough to agree on does not help anyone what so ever especially when hitting the 100k mark. these vehicles were built to last a long time, not crap out after 50,000 miles. it's a problem that needs to be resolved. *tr

The transmission shakes violently on acceleration. so i drove the vehicle to the dealership for a diagnosis. i have learned that the radiator cracking and leaking into the transmission is a common problem for the 2005 nissan xterra, and that nissan settled a lawsuit in october of 2012. i do not remember getting any information that this might be a problem and i have to pay $3000 to get the transmission and radiator replaced! after 100,000 miles i am stuck to pay the complete cost of the repairs. is there any kind of recourse for this problem that i am unaware of? *tr

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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, an abnormal noise emitted from the engine. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that there was water in the transmission and oil in the radiator. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 71,000.

2005 nissan xterra. consumer writes in regards to transmission and radiator issues. *smd 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. *jb

While driving vehicle vibrated as if it didn't know whether to shift or not. found out later that i had water in my trans and trans fluid in my radiator. *tr

Purchased my '05 nissan xterra in the spring of 2012 with about 160,000 miles. for the past 2 months i had minor issues like shuddering/vibrations randomly when i accelerated and the heat not working when i was at a complete stop. it was not until the other day when i was at a complete stop and my car would not accelerate properly that i knew i had a problem with the transmission. i took my xterra to 3 different mechanics and each one explained to me that i would need a completely new transmission and from there they would see if i in fact needed to change the radiator (which they were positive was the original issue due to similar issues with other nissan suv owners). the repairs will cost me well over $4,000 and unfortunately as a college student, there is no way i can afford to repair the transmission and radiator. what was appalling to me was when i researched the issue online. there are hundreds upon hundreds of complaints online on various websites about this issue and nissan has yet to issue a recall. the extended warranty excluded many people and put many more at an unfair disadvantage. i personally bought my nissan, because of their reputation, but the fact that they will not come to the aid of their consumers speaks volumes of this company. *tr

The radiator leaked into the transmission causing the transmission to stop working. i had to have the transmission rebuilt and a whole new radiator system put in my truck. 5300.00 .this is a common problem with this model. tried to send in a claim but was told they are no longer excepting claims because of the problem. if they are aware of the problem then they should help those of us it happened to!!!!!! *tr

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. *tr

Bought my 2005 nissan xterra brand new and it now needs a new transmission because of a radiator leak. after doing some research i see that there are thousands of them with the same problem yet no recall and nissan is not willing to do anything!

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle decelerated and the rpms increased without warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the transmission oil cooler failed and caused water to enter into the transmission. the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 102,000.

Complete catastrophic engine failure during rush hour traffic. luckily i was approaching a red light and there were cars slowing ahead of me i was able to brake slowly to a stop while i was not able to be steer. i had to be pushed to the side of the road by the help of others. the vehicle was towed to the pinnacle nissan dealership where they informed me that the transmission and the radiator has to be fully replaced due to a faulty valve . nissan said the valve that connects the radiator and transmission broke allowing coolant and anti freeze to mix together and immediately catastrophically destroying both components. i was informed that their was a classaction suit for this very reason that was settled but this is very dangerous if i had been in a freeway situation. nissan has had numerous complaints for this vehicle for this reason. i have had every recall part for this vehicle needed to be replaced due to faulty manufacturing, this is a very expensive repair and it has been known due to the # of complaints on this particular part being faulty but a recall needs to happen not at the expense of nissan. i am expected to cover this with a deductible of $2500.00 at no fault of my own . i am lucky to be alive. i have maintained all necessary/reccomended service outlined by nissan up till l this failure. thank you

Because of a failed radiator, coolant became mixed with automatic transmission fluid and the transmission stopped working in rush hour traffic. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated while driving 35 mph, the check engine warning lamp illuminated. the contact mentioned that the vehicle was making a loud knocking sound and was hesitating. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage were 168,000.

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 [xxx] 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. that's 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't have had to put out. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

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

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. *tr

Transmission fluid and coolant mixing. poor and dangerous design. took the car to the dealership several time with them like they never heard of the issues(shuttering when climbing on a slight incline, losing power, over heating) after complaining they change the radiator, rear axle, and transmission. this was at 99,295 miles on the odometer. the repairs took a month to complete. now less then a year and at 128,000 miles on the odometer, it is happening again!!! also the extended warranty is over. the dealership is now saying that it is not their problem. now i have to pay $1200 to change my radiator so i can drive this time bomb. and they suggested that i change the transmission again for $8,000!!! i will never buy nissan again. i guess i will drive it until it dies. searched online and found out that this is a known issue. nhtsa, what are you waiting for to call a recall???