Problems with 2006 Nissan Xterra ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Transmission started to slip abruptly and with imminent failure. checked complaints and discovered a well known issue with transmission/radiator fluids intermixing due to a failure in the transmission cooler. mechanic verified this was my problem as well. nissan quoted $8500 repair. service adviser at nissan north (ohio) confirmed that this is a very common problem. apparently nissan acknowledged this in a class action lawsuit settlement in 2012 but did not notify any of the owners of potential failure without any previous symptoms.i had my car serviced at the dealer 3 months prior and they did not notice/notify me of any potential issues. transmission failed on a trip to new york. i'm looking at a repair bill that potentially exceeds the value of my automobile. nissan has a moral and a implicit obligation to notify owners of problems such as this. this should have been a recall, as it would have prevented the failure and saved numerous owners outrageous repair bills and possible loss of vehicle. *tr

My 2006 nissan xterra with 96,560 miles experienced transmission failure caused by a crack in the transmission cooler inside of the radiator. *tr

Bought 2006 nissan xterra used on august 1st, 2013, had problem the evening after i bought it. transmission was not changing gears properly and was causing high rpm's. took it to nissan dealer and they said the transmission and radiator would need to be replaced due to anti-freeze mixing with transmission fluid cause by broken cooler tube. *tr

2006 nissan xterra: i replaced the radiator & had the transmission flushed last august(cost nearly $2k) . a couple of weeks ago after going about 60 miles the vehicle was not engaging to accelerate. it was a one time occurrence. today after about 20 miles it did not accelerate as i was attempting to merge onto the highway. i could not get it to go over 20 mph but was revving at 4rpm. now the check engine light is on. *tr

My transmission went....the coolant was leaking into the transmission and over time ruined it. barely made it to the transmission shop who charged $3900 that i didn't have. this is a nissan fault and i should be compensated, even though i'm over the absurd low mileage limits. please help! *tr

I was driving down the highway with my family in the car. the car was traveling at 65mph and suddenly started to jerk back and forth and swerve side to side. then it suddenly slowed down and we were almost hit from behind. then vehicle continued to do this until i was able to get the vehicle off the highway and on the side of the road. im told that the radiator had catastrophically failed inside and sent transmission fluid into the radiator causing the transmission to fail. this is extremely dangerous and is my sons vehicle that he drives daily or at least used to. *tr

2006 nissan xterra. consumer writes in regards to transmission problems. *smd the consumer stated radiator coolant contaminated the transmission fluid, and now the transmission needs to be replaced.

My 2006 nissan xterra w/ 119,000 miles experienced transmission failure caused by a failure of the radiator. i understand this is an ongoing investigation and would like to have notice of where the investigation stands at this time. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Vehicle shudder like rolling over rumble strip. problem is related to manufacture defect with radiator. *tr

My transmission was leaking into the radiator. i need a new transmission and radiator, over $4000.00. *tr

Transmission failed due to well known issue with 2005-2010 nissan suv/truck transmissions. coolant leaked into transmission fluid through coolant line causing catastrophic failure. dealer quoted $7000 to replace transmission. *tr

This 2006 nissan xterra problem has caused problems with stability of the vehicle, lurches in acceleration, near-stalls, and uncertainty about reliability of vehicle in taking trips. the problems continues to get worse and we have determined that it is caused by engine coolant leaking into the transmission and vice versa. there is very visible evidence of the coolant being in the transmission and transmission fluid in the radiator. i have checked both of these and there is no mistaking it. this problem has caused me to not be able to take two trips because of being afraid of the transmission completely failing and leaving me and my family stranded in a remote area during the trip, not to mention my everyday driving that is required. *tr

Cpsc: i1340159a. nissan xterra. consumer stated the problem with this vehicle, is radiator fluid leaking into the transmission. *ln

In december 2012 the coolant in my radiator bagan leaknig into my transmission, which i had fixed in april 2013. now in june 2013 all the coolant and transmission frluid has leaked out and leaving me with no car. *tr

Radiator cracked and leaked coolant into the transmission. both radiator and transmission damaged. *tr

Like hundreds of other xterra owners, our radiator line leaked coolant into our transmission and it totally destroyed the transmission, as well as the electrical component. all told, $4,000 to repair (and that was with a hefty discount from aamco). it happened on at highway speeds, and we were lucky not to end up in a wreck. in the two days it took aamco to fix our car, we spoke with two other people who had the exact same thing happen to their xterra's. i am amazed that this is such a common problem and has not been addressed in a more satisfactory manner by nissan. i hope this investigation helps drive nissan to do a recall on these parts before someone gets seriously hurt. *tr

Due to a cracked radiator, coolant leaked into the transmission system causing the transmission to fail. luckily, was able to take vehicle out of service before more damage could occur, as a result the firth gear was deemed inoperative. the cracked radiator was replaced, and a new transmission will have to be installed. the vehicle is drivable, but gas mileage has significantly been reduced because of the loss of the fifth gear. i talked to numerous repair and transmission specialist, and this is a very common problem. researching on the nhtsa website a active investigation was found under nhtsa action number # dp12004. *tr

Due to a crack in the internal radiator, my transmission failed. i was almost side swiped pulling out of a parking lot because my xterra wouldn't go into 1st gear. the crack in the coolant cord is a manufacturing defect, but nissan refuses to pay for the cost of this product defect and correlating damages. *tr

Radiator fluid leaked into my transmission. this caused an entire shutdown of my transmission. i was told by nissan that it would take up to $5,000 to repair. the radiator fluid leaked due to a defect that nissan could have easily recalled and avoided. i have conducted research and found that thousands of other nissan owners have experienced the same problem and nissan is not willing to do anything about it. i was told that i would be responsible for the cost even though this could have been easily avoided by nissan manufacturers. *tr

My car actually is 8 years old and has approx. 105,000 miles, hence, does not fall under the settlement of class action suit ordering nissan to reimburse repairs. if i was under 100,000 mi, i would only have to pay a $3,000 deductible. because i had passed the 100,000 mile before the failure happened, i'm no longer eligible for this extended warranty. as in my case the radiator busted and caused the coolant to leak into the transmission which means that i now need a new radiator and a new transmission which is going to cost roughly $5,000 dollars to fix in which i cannot afford. i replaced the radiator & had the transmission flushed twice (cost nearly $1k) . this caused internal damage to transmission. i submitted a claim for out of pocket cost, never heard anything!! either way i would like to know if the problems are happening to vehicles until they go over 100k miles then why cap the assistance requirement?? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph the vehicle began to overheat. the contact shut off the vehicle but was unable to restart. the vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis where the contact was advised that coolant was leaking into the transmission. as a result, the transmission and coolant system would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure and current mileage was 60,000.

On june 7, 2012, nissan told me that my radiator failed causing my transmission to fail. i have 3 children ages 7 weeks to 5 yrs and count my self lucky that the problem was diagnosed before a potentially life threatening transmission failure on busy los angeles county streets or freeways. i was later appalled to find out that nissan knew of the issue, but covered it up as evidenced in a ny times article dated 8/24/2011. the service advisor at the dealer informed me that my car situation was an issue that he had seen before. i am now being told that it will cost me $4000 for my car to be repaired due to a known defective radiator that would have cost a fraction of that to replace. i am still without a car after 11 days. *js

Purplish fluid in radiator, took to dealer, transmission line inside radiator had broken and coolant had mixed with transmission fliud. paid $1300.00 to get new radiator, transmission fluid flush, radiator flush. *tr

We brought our nissan 2006 xterra in to the boardwalk auto center. redwood city, ca - nissan to have them check on what we thought was another transmission issue (nissan replaced the transmission, at their expense over $8000, once and the fuel gauge twice plus a couple of other recall items). when we picked up the car they told us we needed a new timing chain for about $2000 (we have heard these are not normal items to be replaced and should last the lifetime of the car). we can't believe there is yet another major expensive problem part with this car! when does this car become a lemon and how many major items are going to need to be replaced? what is happening to nissan? has the timing chain issue been investigated and how many other people are having this problem? *kb

Secondary timing chain shoe failure. known problem with multiple nissan vehicles due to inferior quality product, as explained by service technician. technician stated that multiple nissan vehicles come in to the shop weekly with this issue. it occurs so often, the service technician had examples of the inferior and worn parts in the cabinet to show customers. expensive and timely issue to fix. if left unfixed, will cause serious damage to engine. *tr

About 61k miles the transmission felt like it was dragging while i was traveling at highway speed. when i got home i took it to the shop. the local shop dropped the pan and said the fluid was ok. the dragging didn't come back after a fluid change. however, later on, at highway i occasionally felt a vibration that stopped when i took my foot off the gas. i later got notice of an extended radiator warranty to 80k miles, but it didn't say anything about a transmission problem. the antifreeze never looked low when i checked the radiator, there was nothing in the driveway, so i put the sticker from the mail from nissan on the manual and put it back in the glove compartment. on saturday 6/8/2013 service engine light came on. at that time the car seemed to ?drag?. it seemed to need to rev at higher rpm than usual to get going. at one point in stop and go traffic it wouldn't move forward for a minute, and i hit almost 4000 rpm before it moved forward, very sluggishly. i took it to the shop the next day, they told me to see a transmission shop, since a code "1754" came up, indicating a defective control unit within the transmission. the transmission shop told me i needed a radiator, control unit, since the defective radiator had contaminated the transmission with antifreeze. *tr

Coolant leaked from the radiator into the transmission and caused transmission failure. *tr

I recently had my recalled ecm relay replaced after it failed, the very next day my service engine light came on. i found a p0430 code saying that the catalyst efficiency was below threshold on bank 2 (failed catalytic converter). i called the dealer to tell them what trouble code i had found and to see if the ecm failure was related. he said he would look into it and call me back. during that time, i did some research and found sites where people had discussed having the same issue. when the dealer called me back i told him what i had found, it was at this time, he told me that it was a common issue & that he would look into trying to get it covered under warranty even though my mileage was just over the 80,000 mile limit. when he called me back, he said that he was getting resistance from his end and that i should contact nissan directly. i called nissan, explained my issue, and then waited for them to get back to me with their decision. when they called they said that they would cover $300 of the $1300 cost to replace the catalytic converter. i said, only $300?? i feel that nissan should be covering 100% because it was the failure of the ecm that caused the catalytic converter to fail. nissan said, our engineers have not determined that the failure of the ecm caused the failure of the catalytic converter, but if at some point they do determine that, we will refund all of your repair costs. i know the cat failure was directly related to the ecm failure and feel nissan should cover the entire cost of replacement. i called nissan back today (12/22/11) to see if i could get them to discuss this issue further & was told that since i did not accept their offer of $300 that the issue had been closed and that i could do nothing more. nissan will now cover none of the cost to replace the cat because i did not accept their $300 offer. this is wrong!!! *tr

At 64,765 miles, my timing chains need to be replaced, per my nissan dealer. i was told when i purchased the vehicle, brand new, that this would never be an issue. *tr

I was driving thru a intersection and my xterra lost the ability to go due to a faulty radiator assembly causing failure to the transmission the issue started at around 92,000 miles and nissan will not do a thing to fix it saying i am out of the extended coverage! well this is a a huge safety issue had it been a night me and my wife could have not been seen and had a very serious accident! *kb

My 2006 nissan xterra is showing symptoms of the timing chain wear that so many other xterra owners have filed complaints about. i called nissan with reference to their technical service bulletin #ntb09-128 that acknowledges there is a problem with the timing chain. they told me they couldn't find it in the system and i would have to take my car to the dealer and have it replaced (at cost to me). i do not know why this is not a recall - if the timing chain snaps it will cause catastrophic engine failure that could lead to significant bodily injury if the car was driving. *tr

Premature timing chain wear before and after 60,000 miles. premature wear is caused by faulty design, specifically teflon coated guide-chain tensioner. failure to the timing chain will result in engine failure and possible accident if operated on roadway. nissan refuses to acknowledge problem and or recall. prior service bulletin circulated by nissan (ntb07-042a) and generated on 4/17/2009 verifies same problem with this make and model and several other nissan years and models affected. respectfully request investigation into this issue. *tr

My daughter (17 years old) was driving the 2006 nissan xterra and the transmission went inoperable and the vehicle would not move. no warning and no indication of failure. nissan stated that the radiator leaked into the transmission and they would warranty it if it was under 80,000 miles. this vehicle has 87,000 miles and the dealer said that no warranty can be granted but they would be happy to take a $5000 charge to fix it. *kb

Radiator is separated at top of radiator. radiator can't support pressure when running at top temperatures. *tr

I have a 2006 nissan xterra and driving my car it started driving like in neutral so i had my car towed and the shop told me there was a crack in the radiator hose that caused fluid to go into transmission and ruined it. i had my car towed to a nissan dealer and they said yes they knew about this and had issued an extended warranty to 80,000 miles my car has 100,000 miles on it so it wouldn't be covered. i felt since they clearly had a design flaw in the radiator hose connection that could cause the transmission to give out and be dangerous it should have been a recall issue. it shouldn't matter how many miles you have on the car it was a defective design by nissan and should have been corrected. all you have to do is search on the internet and you will find many many pages of complaints about this issue. i find it hard to believe that a car company could be aware of a design flaw that is more likely to occur than not but not stand behind the vehicle and take care of it regardless the miles. it is over $5,000 to fix and it is wrong for nissan not to have recalled this. why when it is repaired does the new radiator have a different hose connection?? because they know it was a defective design first time around. just wrong, i will never buy another nissan again. *kb

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. *tr

I have a 2006 xterra that the radiator leaked into my transmission. the only solution from the nissan dealership was to get a new transmission ($5500), rebuild or trade vehicles. apparently this is a widespread problem that nissan is aware of but won't do anything about. they should have issued a recall on this so this problem could have possibly been avoided. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 nissan xterra. while driving approximately 55 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle shut off without warning. the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileages were approximately 86,000.

A common problem with nissan pathfinder/xterra/frontiers equipped with automatic transmissions, is the radiator failing and leaking coolant into the transmission via a portion of the transmission system that passes through the radiator. this problem is most common with 2005 to 2008 model nissans. the first sign of this failure is a slight vibration at 40-50 mph when the vehicle shifts from 4th to overdrive (5th) gear. at this point the damage, apparently, has been done. in worst case situations the vehicles can fall into "safe mode" causing the vehicle's operator to lose control due to undesired transmission operation. by visiting many nissan owner forums and internet search engines, this is a wide spread problem for nissan owners. it has been my personal experience that nissan has made no offer of assistance for most customers with this problem. i feel that this problem is widespread and dangerous and is a design flaw by nissan and/or its parts vendors and should be corrected at no cost to vehicle owners. nissan should replace radiators on all models effected and should replace transmissions in any vehicles that have had this failure. *tr

2006 nissan xterra. consumer states fuel gauge failed to work *tgw the consumer stated the failure occurred because of a faulty fuel level sender. also, the serpentine belt was replaced. *jb recently, the consumer had to replace the timing chains on the vehicle. the replacement was required, because of the premature failure of the tensioners that held the timing chain in place. the consumer stated it was obvious, the premature failure of the adjusters were caused by wear and cracks on the parts. updated 06/10/13

1: 2006 nissan xterra started having shifting problems and started leaking milky rainbow colored oil. 2: happens in first gear all the time now. took it in to shop when it started. 3: repair shop said it needs a new transmission because radiator has leaked into the transmission. $7000. got a quote for $5700 and will be taking it there tomorrow. *tr

I have a 2006 xterra that stall out for no reason. it happens while driving at high or low speeds, or at stop lights. it doesn't happen every day and it may even go weeks without happening. or it happens many times in one day or not at all other days. very strange. took it to dealer, they can't find the issue. *tr

I bought a new nissan xterra from sloane nissan in 2006, after 70+ miles, the car vibrates at around 40mph while shifting automatic gear (i did not know why it was vibrating). finally aft 80+ miles, i took it to the dealer to only find out that the radiator blew the transmission. that is a shame, i just finished paying for the car and now i have to spend more money to fix it. it seems to be a very common problem with nissan xterra, pathfinder & frontier. the radiator is junk and needs to be recalled. *tr

Heater in vehicle went out have spent $999.79 because parts melted now approx. 2 weeks after parts replaced smells as if something is burning and now dealer informs me i need a new blower that will cost an additional $414.63 and i have very little heat again. i foresee this as a possible fire hazard and nissan needs to re-design this faulty equipment. i am talking with nissan consumer affairs and service manager but they keep telling me i am out of warranty . vehicle had 83,533 miles when took it to shop first time they also replaced the radiator because they said it was cracked. *tr

2006 nissan xterra. consumer states dealer has not properly repaired vehicle *tgw the consumer stated at 58,000 miles, the radiator began leaking coolant into the transmission. the transmission was replaced under warranty and the radiator was replaced as a goodwill gesture. a year later, the same thing happened again, but this time there was no warranty. nissan corp. was not willing to pay for the repairs. *jb updated 10/22/10*jb

Noticed it the first time last night. i had just under a 1/4 tank of gas in my 2006 nissan xterra, and drove 15 miles and pulled over to use the phone. left the engine running, and suddenly noticed the "service engine soon" light was lit, and the gas gauge read empty. impossible, and illogical. turned off the engine, turned back on...same thing. drove to gas station, filled up, made sure clicked the gas cap three times for proper seal. gauge read that the gas tank was full, but the "service engine soon" light was still lit. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 nissan xterra. while driving 55 mph, the vehicle stalled and was unable to be restarted. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was contamination of radiator fluid and that the radiator and transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 120,000. the vin was unavailable.

I purchased this xterra in may of 2006. in the past 8 weeks i have had to have my 06 nissan xterra towed to the dealer six times for the same issue of not starting. the first time i was told i was out of gas. since then, i've been told the security module had gone bad, i had corrosion on the battery terminal causing it to go in to stolen mode, the fuel pump had gone bad (replaced twice), and the wiring harness to the fuel pump had a short in it (replaced twice). the dealer says they have not been able to replicate the problem and want to give me my car back without actually finding out the real issue. this is my family vehicle and i do not do any towing or off-road with it. prior to these issues, my transmission went out at 11k miles and left me stranded on the side of an interstate for over 3 hours while i waited for a tow truck, and have had to have the fuel gauge sensor, catalytic converter, and tire pressure sensors replaced. *tr

2006 nissan xterra off-road model. vehicle had surged forward unexpectedly on a number of occasions (6) in the past while stopped or coming to a stop at intersections. dealer had inspected the vehicle and could not find the source of the problem. this happened most recently in a parking lot resulting in a collision with a parked car. nissan has contacted me and advised they cannot (or are not prepared) to do anything about this problem and that it has never been reported before, but i see the very same situation reported at the mycarstats.com web site. *tr

Engine tapping noise in engine on cold start as well as chirping noise. we noticed a tapping noise in the engine on our 2006 xterra. it has 14,000 plus miles. the noise has now become more pronounced everyday. in the morning when we start the vehicle we've heard the noise since march 30, 2007. i have documented the vehicle's problem on video, and even showed it to the service manager. also, i have gone to nissanhelp.com and found some solution and symptoms to my problem. however, even with video and documentation proof the service manager and dealership have ignored to fix the vehicle. the service manager wants to hear it live for himself before doing anything. this morning the second in command service manager told me that i was not welcomed to the dealership anymore. i told him i bought the vehicle here, it's under warranty, there is no way i'm going to drive out of my way to get another dealership to fix the problem. the problem still exists. i called another dealership in town and sure enough there seems to be many issues with the chirping of belt or tension item related. the tapping noise i believe is as noted on nissanhelp.com. *ak