Problems with 2005 Nissan Xterra POWER TRAIN

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle shook violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the torque converter, radiator and the transmission had failed. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 94,200. updated 06/18/13*lj updated 06/21/2013 *js

I was driving on the freeway when suddenly the car stalled. pressed on the gas and car would not move just humming sound. i knew that it had to be transmission problem. had car towed to transmission shop. they notified me that there had been numerous complaints about the nissan. after looking at the car they saw that the radiator had a crack and that coolant had leaked into the transmission. after taking the transmission apart i was notified that the seals, valves, torque converter, including the computer were all damaged, the transmission would have to be flushed replaced or repaired, the radiator flushed replaced or repaired, the engine flushed. all this costing about $4,000. this problem has been known to nissan and i was never informed. i'm 65 and on fixed income. i need this car and need help. *tr

The transmission went out at an intersection. exit #407 in tennessee. 250miles away from home. the transmission never hesitated or slipped....just got to the intersection and it wouldn't go. it finally caught after almost causing an accident and i got to a parking spot but the transmission wouldn't go into gear after the fact. i towed the car home to bob richards nissan in north augusta and was told that the radiator cracked causing a mixture of radiator and transmission fluid. *tr

The transmission went out at an intersection on exit#407 in tn. 250 miles away from home. the transmission never hesitated or slipped..no warnings at all. just got to the intersection and it wouldn't go. it finally caught after causing other vehicles to stop and i got it to a parking spot thank god. i towed the car home to bob richards nissan in north augusta sc and was told the radiator cracked causing my radiator and transmission fluids to mix. nissan covers it 100% under 80k miles and would not help me at all since i am at 84,900....i can only hope to get reimbursed the $2500 co-pay. nisan never mentioned this defect and its a $100 fix. my 2008 frontier is also effected by the radiator. i will never buy another nissan. *tr

The car started to shake very badly apx 40 mph. i took it in for repair and found out that the radiator had malfunctioned and allowed coolant into the transmission. the damage was non repairable. my car is in the shop now waiting to have the radiator and transmission replaced. *tr

Upon exiting a highway, where traffic was congested and slow moving, my 2005 nissan xterra suddenly refused to accelerate. suddenly, smoke appeared to be emanating from the undercarriage of my suv. initially, it appeared that my vehicle had caught on fire. two passing fireman assisted me and determined that i had a transmission issue because of the fluid that was leaked onto the street. since the xterra was not drivable, it was towed to a transmission repair center. it was determined that the transmission failure was caused by a malfunctioning radiator. apparently, radiator fluid contaminated the transmission fluid and severely damaged the transmission. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle began shaking excessively and would not accelerate. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the contact stated that the failure was caused by contamination of the transmission by the radiator. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 129,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle became hesitated and decelerated independently with the illumination of the check engine warning light. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was advised to the contact that radiator fluid had leaked into the transmission fluid, causing the transmission to fail. the vehicle was repaired but the problem persisted. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

I initially noticed something was wrong when my xterra would feel like it wasn't catching while driving between 40 and 70 mph. if i let off the gas and then hit the gas again, it was like the transmission was missing and the vehicle felt like i was rolling over a long road grate with a lot of vibration. then i check the radiator and transmission to find that both had been mix together. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle began shaking as the check engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised the contact that transmission fluid had leaked into the radiator and both components would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 114,000. *tr

Driving on freeway and transmission began to slip and within a matter of seconds had absolutely no power to wheels. have researched and found issues with this vehicle regarding coolant line for transmission failing and leaking anti-freeze into transmission. was wondering why it is that there is not a recall by nissan for this issue as it is undetectable, unpreventable, and expensive. *tr

When leaving parking lot at work, xterra lost all power when accelerator was depressed. car would not go forward nor in reverse. come to find out the coolant from the radiator tubing had leaked into the transmission compartment causing complete transmission failure. there were no warning signs or any other issues before complete failure. costs to repair due to defect in coolant tubing is estimated to be $4100 - requiring transmission rebuild, torque converter and valve component to be replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the vehicle shook. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that transmission fluid had leaked into the radiator and both components needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. the failure mileage was 88,000.

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 trans cooler and radiator has busted. almost caused us to wreck / vehicle started shaking badly. was not made aware by nissan that there could be a "mostly likely to occur" problem until this happened to us. fuel guage also quit working a few months back. nissan will not help because vehicle has over 100,000 miles. their hotline (in the phillipines) was of no help or concern. repairs , not including fuel gauge, are starting at $5600. nissan should have told us years ago that the radiators were mostly likely going to be defected so we could have spent the $600 or so then to replace !!!!! *tr

My 2005 nissan xterra transmission went out as i was driving across the causeway and almost ended up in the marsh. i searched online and this is a common problem with the radiator leaking into the transmission. nissan was involved in a class action lawsuit but it's to late for damages. i think this is a safety issue and nissan should have recalled these vehicles before someone is killed. *tr

The transmission suffered an apparent catastrophic breakdown that i have now been informed was caused by the breaking of the transmission cooler within the radiator. a mixture of coolant and transmission fluid destroyed the transmission and caused the car to become inoperable. i have since learned that this is a problem that nissan is aware of but has chosen to do nothing about. they have extended the warranty to 100000 miles (which would not apply to this car) but have not disclosed to me the nature of the problem in order to prevent it. repairs (aftermarket) are going to be approximately $3000 for a rebuilt transmission and new external cooler. i hold nissan primarily responsible for this breakdown and am appalled at the failure of this company to work with their customers to safeguard the well being of their drivers. my daughter and granddaughter were left on the side of the road in the middle of the night because of their failure to act. *tr

I was driving my vehicle to work in the morning and i was about to get in the highway when suddenly i lost power of vehicle and i pulled over to the side shoulder and checked it out i didn't see anything but my car didn't move when i put it in drive so i called a tow truck he took it into the shop and the shop told me it was the transmission fail he said something about the radiator fluid has gone into my transmission and it cause to fail he told me that nissans xterra have this problem from year 05-10 but they haven't issue a recall or have done anything about it. now i have a $3,860 expense that i don't have i hope someone reads this and helps we would appreciated if a investigation is done and it would help other people from this problem. *tr

Antifreeze mixes with trans fluid rendering the trans broken repair replace trans and radiator =$7000.00 repair at dealer. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle lost power then erroneously accelerated. the contact was able to stop the vehicle by applying the emergency brake and shifting the vehicle into park. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic where the contact was informed that the transmission had failed due to coolant from the radiator mixing with the transmission fluid. the transmission was replaced. the failure and current mileages were 143,000. the vin was not available.

Transmission shakes vehicle while shifting going 40-55 mph. dealer evaluated vehicle and stated that a new radiator and transmission is needed. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40-50 mph, the vehicle began to shake without warning. the contact also stated that the radiator was cracked and caused fluid to leak into the transmission. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician advised that the radiator and the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance due to the vehicle not being included in any recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 80,625. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the vehicle started shaking and stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the technician stated a crack in the atf caused a cross contamination of the engine coolant into the transmission. as a result of the failure, the transmission would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 93,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that the radiator cracked and leaked fluid into the transmission. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and was informed that the radiator cap needed to be replaced. the failure recurred so the dealer replaced the u joints. the problem continued and the contact stated the vehicle began to shake while driving and the transmission failed. the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the failure mileage was 106,000 and the current mileage was 106,716.

While driving transmission comes out of gear. *tr

Just started moving after stopping at a light, and the engine stalled. would not restart immediately, but when it finally restarted it was missing. every time i have driven this car since then it has stalled, usually but not always after i have stopped or slowed to make a turn. i took it to the dealer this week (1/5/2013) and was told the problem is the transmission and radiator. the transmission is leaking fluid into the radiator and they both need to be replaced. i was told about the extended warranty and the $3000.00 co-pay. i have to fix the car but i don't know where i'm going to get $3000.00. i don't understand why nissan didn't recall the part that fails which allows the fluid to leak into the radiator. that would have saved hundreds of people and nissan a lot of trouble and expense. there shouldn't be any co-pay since nissan could have prevented this. *tr

Transmission stuck in 4th gear doesnt shift. this is the result of the faulty radiator leaking fluid into transmission. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds and shifting gears, the vehicle would grind and shake abnormally. the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance to the contact. the failure mileage was approximately 60,000. the current mileage was approximately 66,000. the vin was unavailable. *tr

Transmission kept slipping from 4th gear to 3rd, then back to 4th. it was brought in for transmission service and learned the radiator was leaking fluid into the transmission. the radiator needs to be replaced and the transmission rebuilt. nissan is aware of the issue occurring in 2005-2007 models, but have done nothing to correct it, nor have they notified owners of this serious problem. *tr

I recently had to replace my radiator and transmission due to the known 2005 nissan xterra radiator problem. the problem started off as heavy vibration when gears shifted, and the heater was noticeably not as warm as it had been. after a short amount of time with the vibration issues, the transmission got to a point where the vibrations would last longer, meaning the vehicle was not shifting gears reasonably. this became a serious safety issue when i was merging onto the interstate one day and my overdrive completely missed, leaving me in basically neutral at approx 50mph with no ability to accelerate with a car almost slamming into the rear of me since it could not move out of the lane to avoid me. for this not to be considered a safety issue is very ridiculous. a failing transmission is most certainly a safety issue when it fails while you are driving. nissan may have agreed to have this repaired for free for vehicles under 80000 miles, but the likelihood of this problem occurring is past 80000 miles. nissan should not only be responsible for the cost of this repair, but nissan should also be responsible for letting owners know of the symptoms, problems, and associated safety concerns with a failing transmission. as far as i am concerned, nissan has failed in every aspect of dealing with such a costly issue. *tr

Vehicle started making a jerking while shifting into moderate speed of 65 or lower. vehicle was taken to a transmission repair shop where the technitian informed me that there was transmission oil in the radiator, causing the proper engaging of gears. extended warranty is expired and the extended warranty of the radiator issue is also expired. nissan was made aware of the malfunction and denied assistance unless i wanted to pay out of pocket. transmission repair shop offered to fix problem at a cost of $5000! car is still being paid for until 2015! *tr

While driving on the 73n freeway in orange county, my car started shuddering. the temp gauge was ta the max so i pulled over. i was towed in to a nissan dealership where the master mechanic told me that the problem was caused by the transmission cooler in the radiator failing causing radiator fluid and transmission fluid to mix rendering both inoperable. he also told me that this is a growing problem with nissan and he has personally seen many such cases. he said that nissan is using defective radiators which is the main cause of this. *tr

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. *tr

Two years ago my 2005 nissan xterra began rattling, shaking and not heating when idling. i took it for diagnostics at my mechanic he thought it may be a u joint or tire problem. recently, this problem is getting worse. i took it to the dealer after searching the nissan website which has recently posted an extension of the radiator/transmission warranty due to the many reported problems of radiator fluid leaking into the transmission and destroying the transmission. my xterra has 84000 miles on it. i was just told by nissan that they will rebuild the transmission due to the defective manufacturing, however i must pay a co pay of 2500.00 dollars since i am over the 80,000 miles. this is ridiculous. they say it is dangerous for me to driver if i don't pay to replace it. why isn't this a recall item ? how can anyone justify not recalling a defective radiator/transmission on a car with less that 100,000 miles on it ? this must be stopped. nissan must be forced to make right the defective engineering used in it's automobiles. the customer who paid full price for a new car should not have to bear any of the cost for this defective and dangerous workmanship. *tr

My wife was driving the vehicle during the afternoon on a sunny day. the incident occurred while she was exiting the entrance ramp onto i-75 north from business i-75. while accelerating to merge (approximately 60mph) the transmission began to fail, causing the vehicle to "jerk and hesitate" making it difficult to control the vehicle. the entrance ramp enters the freeway in the left lane, she was able to avoid the other cars and get her vehicle off to the right shoulder but there was a near miss. upon contacting nissan they informed me they are aware of the problem but they didn't feel they needed to report the defect to me, and therefore endangering me and my family, because nhtsa had not forced them to into a recall. *tr

Transmission failed due to leakage of coolant from radiator into the transmission. this appears to be systemic to this model and year of vehicle. nissan has only taken action after the filing of a class action lawsuit. nissan has clearly been aware of this isssue for at least four years and has only sent a vague letter regarding an extended warranty on the radiator, not noting the possibility of a catastrophic transmission failure, nor a campaign to fix the issue. *tr

My nissan xterra started vibrating violently while traveling at high speed on the interstate. i sent the vehicle to the dealership to have it fixed. the cause of the problem is a faulty transmission cooler that leaks water into the transmission. after some research i find that this is a common problem with this model vehicle. here is the reference # dp12004. *tr

While out of town at a family wedding i noticed a shuttering noise while driving my 2005 nissan xterra. from time to time there was a loss in acceleration. although we were not involved in any accidents we were lucky to have not been rear ended from losing speed on the freeway. after some research on this issue i have come across numerous reports on a problem with the radiator leaking into the transmission. i went to have my truck looked at and it was confirmed that i have the same problem. nissan knows about this because of the numerous reports, but there has not been a recall. the only thing done was an extended warranty. from what i can tell - by the time you start experiencing these problems you are way over the warranty. this could have been a very dangerous situation, thankfully it wasn't. now we, the consumers, are left with paying for nissan's faulty parts...that could pose a serious risk of an auto accident. *tr

Radiator broke down which causes the transmission fluid to be mixed with radiator fluid. this kills both the transmission and radiator. this was a well known and defined problem by nissan and they never did anything about it. total bill is well over $5k for transmission, radiator, labor. *tr

On september 18, i took my nissan xterra tot he dealership and made an appointment because it had a horrible shifting vibration and was jumping in between gears. however, after making the appointment for the next day, i was rear-ended and had to have body repairs made. i got the car back. the vibration was still there, of course, because the vibration had nothing to do with the body. i was in town where the dealership is located on october 18. i was pulling out of a drive onto a busy road. no power, the car only moved with gravity rolling toward the road and the engine revved with the gas. i stopped quick enough to avoid rolling onto the road which has a 45 mile an hour speed limit where i was. i shut the car off. i started it back up and with my foot on the brake i ran the shifter through the gears. when i tried to accelerate, it had some power, but it was clearly diminished. i headed for the dealership. the car was jerking so hard that it clunked my teeth together and made my neck and back hurt. i got to the dealership. it appears that my radiator rusted or cracked and leaked the fluid into my transmission causing it to destroy my transmission. all total, the repairs would be about $6,300. the car sits at the dealership because i am unemployed and cannot pay that on a car that i have managed while being unemployed since february to continue $482.58/mo payments on and having only 6 left!!! nissan refuses to help me because i have over 100,000 miles on the car. how would they have liked it if i had rolled into traffic and gotten killed or hurt? and, the person from nissan consumer affairs told me that they had just extended the warranty to 100,000 because of this problem. so, they even know it is a major problem. *tr

Our daughter was driving home, late at night, when the engine began making strange sounds and lurching at about 50 mph. she was only a few blocks from home, so drove home very slowly. on later inspection, my husband found the radiator/transmission issue and looked on the internet to see if others had this problem. we were horrified to discover that many, many, many nissan owners have the same exact problem of coolant in the transmission. (our xterra has just over 100,000 miles.) this is obviously a well known issue with nissan, but nothing has been done. we spoke with a regional manager with nissan who listened politely, said she'd look into it, and had her assistant finally call us over a week later (she promised four days) to say nothing could be done. something can be done! i encourage anyone with this same problem to write to nissan, send a cc to your better business bureau, and submit complaints to consumer awareness groups to document this problem and get nissan to act responsibly for their faulty radiator. this is a major, costly, potentially dangerous issue that should never have occurred in the first place. we love our xterra, faithfully change the oil, and have recommended it to so many other people. it feels like a slap in the face that nissan will not admit their role in this problem and do something about it! *tr updated ivoq 11/19/12

While driving down a busy los angeles street during rush hour, my car suddenly lost drivability. the engine rpm's increased, but the car would not engage. nearly got into multiple accidents trying to get to the side of the road. car was towed to a mechanic where a strawberry milk color liquid was found in the transmission. was told coolant and transmission fluid mixing was the cause. required to rebuild transmission, replace radiator and transmission control valve. repair cost estimated at $5050 plus tax. *tr

On september 8th, 2012, i got back from a 20 minute trip and was pulling into my driveway when my xterra would not move. transmission fluid was leaking all over my driveway. i had it towed to a service center where they estimated the cost to be between $2,500 and $2,800. when they realized the transmission and radiator had to be replaced the repair bill would have been much higher but they kept their promise and the final bill was $2,856. i am thankful that this did not occur on the highway. i should not have to pay for a defect that is not my fault and that is a possible safety hazard. *tr

Having the same problem as the rest of the 2005 nissan xterra owners - transmission & radiator failed; coolant looks like chocolate milk....leaked into the transmission & i now have transmission failure! talked to nissan about this, they only cover certain vin numbers & mine was not one of them! seriously?!?!?! god willing, there will be no more nissan's for my household! *tr

My daughter drives this vehicle to college about 5 hours from home. on 9-4-12 it overheated and she had trouble driving it but made it the the dealership in lubbock. they said the radiator needed to be replaced because the old one had internal transmission cooler failure. the service advisor said the fluid from the radiator got in the transmission and the transmission fluid got in the radiator. they said the transmission would be fine after they did a transmission flush on it. we paid the $814 for the repairs. six months later as my daughter is driving home for spring break the xterra started vibrating really bad. luckily she was about 30 minutes from home so she could still drive it as long as she stayed around 40 mph. we took it to the dealership in arlington where it was purchased. the service advisor told us the radiator would have to be replaced again as well as the transmission. they said the lubbock dealership should have also replaced the transmission back in september since a transmission flush doesn't guarantee all the contaminants are removed. we have just paid $5600 more for repairs. nissan has obviously admitted this is a widespread problem by agreeing to make partial reimbursements to customers whose vehicles have less than 100,000 miles on them. unfortunately we are in the group of customers whose vehicles have over 100,000 miles who nissan has chosen to ignore. since nissan has not stepped up to do the right thing we will not be future nissan customers. *tr

Nissan is well-aware of a design flaw that allows radiator fluid to cross-contaminate transmission fluid. they jokingly (at least their dealers) refer to it as a "strawberry milkshake". the antifreeze degrades transmission parts and causes transmission failure. a quick web search shows over 300 such cases. *tr

Car hesitates going into gear, very rough shifting (it is an automatic). very dangerous at intersections and on highway- cannot drive it. brought in for service. when mechanic attempted to flush the transmission, it was discovered that the radiator fluid has been leaking into the transmission. class action lawsuit filed on this complaint, reimbursement only up to 100,000 miles or 10 years, whatever is less, and only costs above 3000k covered! this is at least a $5200k repair job and that may not event remedy all components that may have been affected. additional problem is that my mileage was 5k over what the lawsuit allows. there was no way to know when this problem even started occurring. *tr

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.

Coolant leaking into the transmission ruined both the radiator and transmission. *tr

A crack in radiator assembly causes a transmission failure. *tr