Problems with 2005 Nissan Xterra ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Dear nhtsa, hope you are doing well. the reason of my message is to call to your attention an issue regarding nissan's radiator -transmission problem that has been reported before by other nissan drivers. i own a 2005 x-terra and it wasn't until this year that i had a serious problem with my car. it started earlier this year when my car simply stalled in a parking lot. after spending more than $200 in towing plus $1500 in fixing the transmission computer i thought the problem was fixed. in may, driving back from tampa to miami, the car started to act again but then it went away. about a month ago my car had another episode of 'loosing' power. i brought my car to a nissan dealer in miami for them to take a look and they suggested taking it to a transmission specialist as their protocol for cases like this calls for an expensive transmission change. the weekend of october 7th, i was headed towards my parents home and my car stalled again. i took it to a transmission specialist in coral springs and $4,600 later, i have a new transmission and radiator. he gave me the explanation about the radiator leaking into the transmission. my brother pointed to my attention that there was some sort of settlement with nissan regarding this same issue. i will like to know which are the next steps as it is my understanding that nhtsa continues to investigate this case. thank you for your attention regarding this matter. kind regards, *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. while driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate. the contact maneuvered the vehicle to the side of the road to a complete stop. the vehicle was driven home. the following day, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that radiator coolant leaked into the transmission fluid chamber and the transmission failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 105,000. updated 10/18/16*lj *tr

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Manufacturing defect in radiator caused transmission failure that could have been quite dangerous under some circumstances. this has been widely reported by huge numbers of nissan owners of various year models and styles. nissan refuses to be accountable for the failure and denies acceptable service to their customers on this issue. *tr

When driving at highway speeds, vehicle would start to shudder and thud into gear. had vehicle checked out and told there was a defect in which the connection between radiator and transmission malfunctioned and coolant mixed with transmission fluid, thereby destroying the transmission and radiator. i have found that this is apparently a very common problem of nissan xterras from 2005 to 2010 that i had no idea about. this really should be recalled on all affected vehicle, because it is such a common problem and if one has over 80k miles they still pay half for the repair and if over 100k miles there is no warranty coverage from nissan. the warranty extension was the result of a class action suit but is not enough when full repair can be $6000 and there has been no warning from nissan that this is a potential problem to look for. *tr

Coolant enters into the transmission system from a defective radiator system and destroys transmission. nissan manufacturer is aware of this, even lost a class action lawsuit, but has not recalled the vehicle. as a result, owners are not aware of the defect until transmission is ruined. nissan only agreed to help repair vehicles, after the fact and only up to 100,000 miles - with the owner still having to pay $3,000 toward repair. since we were not aware of the defect, we didn't do anything preemptive so we had to wait until our transmission was ruined. since we are beyond the 100,000 mile mark, nissan will not accept any responsibility for repair. *tr

The vehicle doesn't move,despite acceleration, no engine light. went to the dealer and after diagnosis they said the radiator was cracked and the transmission was leaking. the cost comes to $7500. contacted nissan they say its not within warranty. theses is a defective design on the radiator. updated 05/01/14

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that the transmission failed and the vehicle jerked. the vehicle was taken to an authorized mechanic who stated that radiator fluid leaked into the transmission, which caused the transmission to fail. the transmission was replaced. the contact also stated that the fuel gauge failed. the contact did not know if the fuel tank was full or empty. the fuel gauge was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 140,000.

Internal radiator transmission cooler cracked leaking coolant into the transmission and destroying it, rendering it useless. the transmission failed on me while i was driving and the vehicle gave me absolutely no warning lights or any indication of an issue occurring with the transmission. i had no advance notice so i was unable to avoid any damage to my transmission. *tr

Radiator coolant and oil mixture and due to that, the transmission makes the car vibrate to an undrivable point affecting the driver ability to conduct a safe operation on the road including busy highways. *tr

It was a very cold morning when i get ready for work, just got out of our drive way and suddenly we heard 2 loud thump sound like we have just run over something like rocks or woods. it scared us a little bit because of the vibration, then it runs normally again, the next day it happen again but 1 time only and today the same. i wont wait longer before something worst happen so ill bring my car to the mechanic shop to have it check tomorrow. hope this will give me some answers . hope this is not a recall defect again because i already had 1 vehicle rendered not safe to drive before and the company bought it back.

Transmission died and needs to be replaced, due to the radiator issues of the xterras from the year. *tr

While driving and in flow of traffic vehicle lost all power, but rpms would still increase due to faulty transmission in the xterra. faulty transmission leads to mixing of the radiator and transmission fluid causing loss of acceleration. almost caused an accident with another vehicle. *tr

I had my transmission and radiator replaced in my 05 nissan xterra in dec 2010 at 69,000 miles due to defect of radiator leaking into transmission which caused me to brake down on a 2 lane highway. the nissan service/dealer in kingston ma where we purchased the vehicle tried to tell us all that was needed was a radiator and transmission flush but we had already contacted nissan corporate and found out we were entitled to a new transmission and radiator assembly due to a recall. they unwillingly replaced both assemblies. i have now experienced a 2nd brake down on an on ramp entering the highway and could not move my car as the transmission again failed at 153,900 miles. i had it towed to the nissan service/dealer in kingston ma and was informed the transmission we had put in 2010 was only under warranty for 1 yr/12000 miles and i am responsible for all repair costs. i have to think that the original repair was not done properly and the same problem existed in the new assemblies that were put in as a new transmission should last longer than this. i feel my safety and the safety of other motorists was put at risk due to these problems as severe accidents could have occurred due to the fact that the my vehicle lost the ability to move at all on the highway in two different incidents. nissan should be held responsible for not fixing the initial problem properly. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle shook. the failure occurred multiple times. the dealer stated that the transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 142,000.

My 2005 nissan xterra with 75600 miles jerks when it shifts. after doing my own online research and bringing to the dealership, it was discovered that the radiator was leaking coolant and mixing into the transmission fluid. there is an extended warranty for this defect to 80,000 or 96months. i qualified for the mileage but not the service duration (6 months overdue). the dealership said it would be a $2500 copay to replace my radiator and repair my transmission. i talked to nissan consumer affairs but they refused to help and said $2500 is my only option. this radiator is a known issue and should be a recall for all the damage it caused. i've owned many nissans before and had great loyalty to them. nissan should be held accountable for knowing about their faulty radiator and not fixing them before they caused further damage! *tr

Coolant leaked into the transmission, causing transmission failure. estimate of $5800 to repair. *tr

My 2005 nissan xterra have this common problem where the radiator leaks into transmission and cause the transmission to stop working. and since i was over 100,000 nissan dealers want to charge me a copay of $3000. *tr

I began to have vibration in my vehicle when i reached speeds of 45 mph and got worse around 65 mph. i took my car to nissan twice in aug. 2013 and was told it was road vibration. in early nov. i took my car to my local mechanic for this problem and was told the vibration wasn't road vibration and that it was either my drive shafts or transmission. on nov. 17th i drove from altoona pa to upper marlboro md and arrived around 2 am. i went to drive my car into dc on the morning of the 18th and when i put it in reverse it backed up, but when i put it in drive it wouldn't drive forward. after shifting through the gears for a few minutes my car drove forward so i parked it in my driveway. my car hasn't been able to be driven since. when i put it in gear and press the gas the engine just revs. when i start my car i can hear the engine and transmission making a whining noise. my radiator also broke in late august of 2013 and needed to be replaced. *tr

Transmission started slipping in high gear, because of a leak from a known faulty radiator letting coolant into transmission. *tr

Engine coolant leaked into the transmission, causing transmission failure. replacement transmission is required. *tr

The engine started to overheat and the vehicle transmission started to shift irratically. there was an oily substance in the coolant reservoir. i contacted the dealership and was told that this is a known condition requiring replacement of the radiator and rebuilding of the transmission. i was told that since there was 101000 miles on the vehicle, that the entire $3800 for repair would have to be borne by me . i tried driiving the vehicle several times afterwards with the same result. it has been parked in front of my house for 6 months now as i don't have the money to repair. *tr

My 2005 xterra s-v6 4x2 had loss of power and had to be towed to a dealership. they diagnosed the problem as a failed transmission fluid cooler located in the radiator assembly that allowed coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid, resulting in damaged to the radiator that had to be replaced and the transmission is now damaged. there were no warning signs leading up to the failures. when i spoke to nissan they stated there was no recall. after i did some research, i found out there is a extended warranty. when i called nissan back they stated it was only up to 80,000. so repairs are on me. *tr

While driving on the highway at about 60 mph, my car shifted out of gear and the rpm's shot up causing my car to pretty much stop moving on the highway. i was able to pull over to the side of the road and call for a tow. we had the car towed to a transmission specialist who told us that the transmission was fried. by looking at the fluid in the transmission just on a quick look, he deduced that the radiator had most likely leaked coolant, causing the transmission to fail. upon researching this issue, i learned that this has happened to many nissan vehicles and could be a huge problem for many people. luckily i was able to get to safety and was not hit by another car or sustained any injuries. finally, i had to trade the car in for a gigantic loss! very upset. *tr

My transmission just stuttered and stopped working while in traffic.turns out the radiator leaked coolant into the transmission causing it to fail. this is a known issue from nissan, however the cost of the repair fell to me. luckily, i did not incur any injury when the vehicle just stopped working during 5pm rush hour on a friday. *tr

Check engine light comes on and the trouble shooting number is p0463. which i understand nissan automobiles have a lot of trouble with this situation. i would like to informed when they are having a recall to repair this problem. *tr

I was informed by the dealership service department that radiator fluid had contaminated transmission fluid in my 2005 nissan xterra. this defect in the radiator was known to occur in high mileage vehicles such as mine and was known to nissan as they extended a service warranty to 100,000 miles. unfortunately, my vehicle's mileage is over the extended warranty and i am now responsible for the cost of the repairs. this is a huge safety issue as the transmission plays a vital role in the ability for the vehicle to accelerate into and across traffic on busy highways and roads. the inability to do so properly with a defective transmission may lead to accidents. not to mention that the contaminated radiator coolant may not accomplish the intended goal of cooling engine components leading to over heating and engine dysfunction. i feel strongly that nissan new about the defect and did not take appropriate action to notify consumers to have the radiators replaced prior to having complications from the defective parts. *js

Driving my 2005 nissan xterra i purchased 8 months ago in january 2013, my air conditioner worked intermittently. eventually in july of 2013, my car was not drive able. had it towed to dealership i purchased it at, and they verified that my radiator was leaking coolant, which mixed with my transmission fluid. the resulted in the need to repair the radiator and transmission. *tr

The car began to vibrate at 40 mph. i took it to two mechanics who could not figure out the problem. i tried regular maintenance and tire rotation and balance but the vibration continued. finally, while i was out of town, a mechanic dropped the transmission pan and discovered the engine coolant had entered the transmission system. he discovered that this is a problem with the nissan xterra 2005 - 2010. nissan even has a bypass part to be installed. this piece was installed and the transmission flushed and new transmission fluid put in. the radiator appears to be fine, no cracks as often reported with this problem. now, three months later, i have serious transmission problems. the car jerks violently at 40mph on acceleration and deceleration. the mixing of engine coolant with the transmission has obviously caused serious damage to my transmission. i am devastated. i love this car but have no financial means to fix this problem. *tr

I had my oil changed and was told that i have a leak around my oil filter housing. i only had this vehicle a year, *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle would not accelerate as the check engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. the technician stated that the transmission would have to be replaced because radiator fluid was leaking into the transmission. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 111,400. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. the contact stated that while having the vehicle inspected, she was advised that radiator fluid had entered the transmission. the dealer diagnosed that the radiator and the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 84,000. *tr

Car started vibrating like it was going over a rumble strip, loss of power/rpms, unable to accelerate. problem was intermittent and got worse. took it to nissan dealership, and apparently this is a known problem on some makes and models manufactured between 2005-2010 with defective radiators that leak coolant into the transmission system hence damaging it. since i was at 100,000miles i had a copay of $3000. *tr

The transmission went out when radiator acted up. *tr

I have experience what many other owners of a nissan xterra have experienced with a defective radiator. a leak in the radiator has allowed coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid, resulting in damaged internal transmission components and a damaged internal transmission computer. in less than a week since noticing loss of power in my vehicle it became inoperable. due to the high number of these incidents involving the nissan xterra transmission parts have become impossible to find to rebuild the transmission. as a result they only recourse to resolve this problem is a costly $6000 replacement of the transmission. *tr

Check engine light came up in my 2005 nissan xterra at 85,000 miles. took it to the repair shop where i make oil changes, i was told transmission broke and radiator fluid contamination. took it to the dealer, they confirm that the transmission failure, but they flat out refused the contamination, instead offer to replace both transmission and radiator for $5,500 to avoid future problems. i was not convinced. immediately, another guy in the dealership offers to trade in for a new car. i took the car out and went to another transmission shop. sure enough, they noticed radiation fluid contaminating the transmission fluid. cost was around $3,750. because, the deadline was early june'2013 and now is early july, they are telling me i cannot submit the claim. i hope the court does not approve the final settlement. nissan should recall and pay for the repairs of defective transmission/ radiator. *tr

I was driving down a mountain in tennessee on a family vacation, when my transmission failed because the coolant was leaking into the transmission fluid. in order to get to a safe location i had to drive in reverse to a driveway which could have caused me to be in an accident with a young child and my fiance in the car. upon further research i realized that nissan has over 500 complaint on the same issue and it was never resolved. i paid 4800 dollars out of pocket in order to replace the transmission and radiator. *tr

While driving my 2005 xterra se noticed loud noise coming from front end - found out transmission fluid had become mixed with coolant from radiator. (i have a sample of the cloudy looking fluid). the problem rendered the suv undrivable so was towed to dealer where spent $5,400 to have both transmission and radiator replaced, but do not know for sure if this a permanent fix or not. *tr

Started vehicle and began to drive when the vehicle appeared to have no power. continued around the block to return home and realized that the vehicle was not shifting gears. it appeared to be stuck in 2nd gear and would not shift up or down. shut vehicle down and tried again believing that perhaps "something was stuck" with the same results. the vehicle was towed to a transmission mechanic who diagnosed the problem as glycol contamination in the transmission requiring an entire rebuild of the transmission. upon research of the internet, i have discovered that this is a known problem to nissan with the 2005 xterras and other nissan vehicles. while it is accurate that nissan did offer to extend the warranty for the radiator (the known source of the problem) they did so without explaining the full extent of the problem or known possible catastrophic events if the radiator leaked. the resulting events of a leaking radiator is a damaged transmission requiring a full rebuild due to the glycol contamination. *tr