CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2005-2007 Pathfinder appears to have a widespread defect where coolant leaks into the transmission, causing transmission failure around 90,000 miles. Repair costs are typically upwards of $3,500.

According to the New York Times & a class action lawsuit, the defect actually extends through 2010 model year. More info here.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
101,407 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Nissan Pathfinder drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2006 Nissan Pathfinder Owner Comments (Page 7 of 21)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #292

Feb 142015

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 120,145 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On Saturday, February 14, 2015, my 2006 Nissan Pathfinder started to shudder at 45-50 mph. After taking it to aamco transmission specialists, I was told that the radiator cooling fluid had leaked into the transmission and was causing it to fail. After researching this problem, I found that this is a known problem with Nissan transmissions and usually occurs after high mileage (100,000) and the warranty on the Pathfinders had been extended to 80,000 to 100,000 miles. However, my Pathfinder currently has over 120,000 miles on it so Nissan will probably not pay for any of the repairs. If this problem doesn't occur until after 100,000 miles, why didn't Nissan extend the warranty over 100,000? there are thousands of complaints on the internet from people who are in the same situation as I am right now and have spent $5,000+ to fix something that Nissan knows is defective on their SUVS from 2005 to present.

- Pocono Pines, PA, USA

problem #291

Feb 102015

Pathfinder

  • miles
The car is not heating up. The transmission fluid and radiator fluid is mixing together making a pink color.. we have had it only for less than a year. We have loan on the car. I keep seeing online that even after replacing the transmission. More problems keep happening. I looked up the VIN number and it's saying our car make is recalled for the air bag? is there anyway you can help us or could we just trade to get a different vehicle. I would much appreciate someone to help.

- Southbridge, MA, USA

problem #290

Feb 072015

Pathfinder

  • 93,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder. While the vehicle was at the dealer for an unrelated issue, the technician discovered that the vehicle needed a new transmission. The contact stated that the radiator leaks coolant onto the transmission, which caused corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.

- Kenner, LA, USA

problem #289

Feb 062015

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 90,158 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased my car new with May 3-7 miles on it in 2006. I've never had a problems as I keep it serviced on time at the Nissan dealership. The car started performing weirdly this past week. The noise started out as a ticking sound when I would press the accelerator and by the end of the week my car sounded like a motorcycle when I pressed the accelerator! I would even "stutter" when I what on the interstate like it was not in gear. I got two separate diagnostics, one at the dealership, one at a non-dealership mechanic who said it was the transmission!

- St. Petrsburg, FL, USA

problem #288

Jan 292015

Pathfinder

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving 20 mph, the engine warning light illuminated and the gear shifted into neutral. The vehicle stalled and would not accelerate. The vehicle was pulled to the side of the road and then driven slowly to its destination. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic who stated that the transmission was fractured due to the coolant from the engine. The mechanic diagnosed that the raider, the converter, and the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

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problem #287

Jan 212015

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 150,000 miles
My Nissan Pathfinder was not heating/ defrosting...also, there was excessive noise when the truck was shifting gears. I brought it into my mechanic who told me coolant was leaking into the transmission, and the transmission and radiator would need to be replaced at a cost of approximately $4400.

- Leavenworth, WA, USA

problem #286

Nov 082014

Pathfinder

  • 92,853 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While in gear, traveling approx. 40mph, vehicle stopped moving without warning (no engine light, no overheating) and had to coast during heavy freeway traffic, which caused several other vehicles to suddenly slow or stop. Car was towed & code evaluation was performed. Radiator and transmission had to be replaced due to a defective radiator which leaked coolant into transmission for $5347.52.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #285

Sep 282014

Pathfinder

  • 105,000 miles
Radiator failed and cross contaminated transmission with anti-freeze and transfluid. Replaced radiator and flushed transmission in Sept 2014 and three months later dec18, 2014 the transmission failed. Repair center said it will cost $4500-$5000 for repair of transmission.

- Plainfield, IL, USA

problem #284

Nov 222014

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 131,000 miles
Vibration transmission is dangerous driving 50 mph or more in highway.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #283

Dec 102014

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 93,100 miles
Transmission failure due to radiator coolant mixing with transmission oil. I refuse to spend 4-5K on repair. This is something that is manufacturing design defect and Nissan company know about it. There should have been a recall instead of a class action lawsuit. These were not isolated issue. Nissan should pay for all the repairs. This is a scam because they know that the radiator has a defect. Nissan should be force to issue a recall or have them pay for the full repair of all affected vehicles.

- New Port Richey, FL, USA

problem #282

Oct 052014

Pathfinder

  • 123,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have been without transportation for 2 months due to transmission problems. My truck transmission went out on me Oct. 5, 2014 on my way taking my kids to school. I was very disappointed because I was late to work and had to find other means to get my kids to school. Please help

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #281

Sep 202014

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 101,000 miles
A faulty radiator caused fluid to leak into my transmission, causing major damage to the transmission and the computer inside of it. The issue was initially noticed on a drive up into the mountains (although at the time we did not what it was). As we were climbing uphill we noticed a shuddering and it felt as though the transmission was slipping a bit. We made it back home safely, but on two subsequent trips on the highway the same thing happened as well as it overheating on one occasion. I also noticed that while driving in town, the transmission would jump a bit upon putting it into gear and there was also another occasion of it overheating. Thank goodness we were never put in a dangerous situation due to this issue, although that probably has a lot to do with the fact that we limited driving on the freeway after first noticing the problem, as it was more noticeable when driving at a higher rate of speed.

- Merced, CA, USA

problem #280

Dec 122013

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • miles
On December 12 2013 I was driving down highway 195, speed limit was 65 miles an hour, about ten minutes on my way home I heard a knocking sound coming from my 2006 Nissan Pathfinder, as I pulled over on the break down lane I got out and check under the hood and saw nothing so I continue to drive I got off the highway and drove it to the dealership where I purchase the vehicle, and they looked at the vehicle and told me it was the transmission and it was going to cost me $5400 to replace it and if I don't like it, I can take it to Nissan dealership in dartmouth MA, which I did, and they said the same thing and that there was no recall on the transmission so there is nothing they can do for me but put me in another vehicle with monthly payments, so I took my Nissan Pathfinder to a mechanic business call safe guard transmission located on dartmouth street in new bedford MA, which I ended up paying $3600 to replace the transmission. I need to be reimburse for the amount I spent on the transmission that a recall was on, if your company refuse I will contact the attorney general.

- New Bedford, MA, USA

problem #279

Oct 292014

Pathfinder

  • miles
While in motion in a very busy traffic, the vehicle suddenly started stalling prompting my pumping of the gas pedal in panic, as well as deployment of the hazard light. The energy generated from the engine, while pumping the gas pedal, is not being transferred to the transmission. Eventually the vehicle rolls to a complete stop with the engine dead in the busy traffic, effectively putting me in harms way. I turned the ignition and the engine started, after about a quarter mile it will stall and quit again. This process repeated several times and eventually the vehicle quit for good. It will not start again. I had a wrecker tow the vehicle to the Nissan dealership where the service agent told me, approximately 24 hours later, that the problem resulted from a cracked radiator that leaked antifreeze into the transmission and subsequently damaging or destroying the transmission. The agent told me that it will cost several thousand dollars since it will entail installing new radiator and transmission.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #278

Oct 092014

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 117,000 miles
Transmission failure due to radiator coolant mixing with transmission oil: Reading other similar complaints about 2005-2010 Pathfinder on carcompalints.com, I am wondering if there is a $90 solution to bypass the original setup and have a separate radiator for transmission, why couldn't Nissan do it or atleast inform all owners about it so we could have avoided spending 4-5K on repairing something that is manufacturing design defect. I am in no way claiming to be a mechanic, but I am assuming other vehicles also have a similar setup, even other Nissan models. How come this is the problem only for Pathfinders? this is a design flaw and there should have been a recall instead of a class action lawsuit, but I guess our government is too busy looking out for special interest lobbyists. I am disgusted in Nissan's conduct and also the conduct of NHTSA & cas who did not do anything when there was class-action lawsuit to prove these were not isolated issue with a few vehicles, but a design flaw. As is evident from multiple complaints on www.carcomplaints.com, this problem mostly occurs around 95K+ mile mark and by that time the extended warranty offered by Nissan as part of their class action lawsuit is over. The settlement is an admission of fault on Nissan's part and NHTSA/cas should force Nissan to issue a recall or have them pay for the full repair of all affected vehicles and have them provide a remedy such as separate cooling system for transmission for vehicles which have not experienced this problem yet.

- Pasadena, MD, USA

problem #277

May 012014

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 100,000 miles
Cracked atf line caused transmission to fail..... during a scheduled service and oil change of my 2006 Nissan Pathfinder, the service tech informed me of the presence of engine coolant in my vehicle's transmission. The source of the problem was diagnosed as a cracked atf line. I paid a reputable shop $1,000 to replace the radiator and transmission cooler plus power flush the transmission. The transmission has since stopped working and the shop has attributed the damage to contamination caused by engine coolant. Estimated repairs from a Nissan service department are over $5000! all of the shops that I have spoken with have informed me that this is a common problem with the Nissan Pathfinder. This appears to be a failure on the part of Nissan.

- Curlew, WA, USA

problem #276

Oct 202014

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 106,700 miles
I am the owner of a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder with current mileage of 106,000. I just learned today that I will have to replace the transmission and radiator for $6000. Due to this known product defect. I am infuriated as I read through all the post by people like myself who have been told Nissan will do nothing since the vehicle is over 100,000 miles, especially since the problem does not show up on average until 95,000 miles or more. It would appear Nissan who just reported billions for their earnings could have done the proper product recall of all units manufactured/effected regardless of mileage and fixed the issue!

- Pipe Creek, TX, USA

problem #275

Sep 012014

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 82,000 miles
While driving my 06 Nissan Pathfinder with 82000 miles on the car, it would began to shudder and shake as if running over rumble strips and temporarily lose power that nearly caused me to get in to an accident. As I was merging on to a highway when this shudder and power lose occurred. I later learned how many years of Nissan were having these same issues, from transmission fluid and radiator fluid mixing due to faulty lines causing transmission problems like mine. I am writing this complaint in hopes of making this issue aware so it can be corrected before someone loses their life. As I researched this matter I learned that if your coolant overflow appears to be a milky color than that's a sigh of contamination and of course after my near life experience mine too was contaminated. After reading so many stories of how this same experience happened to so many people, how is this issue being over looked? I got lucky I just have to replace my transmission and radiator, at least I still have my life, iam just fearful that if no action is taken the next person in a Nissan wont be as lucky.

- Youngstown, OH, USA

problem #274

Sep 162014

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 200,000 miles
Transmission went out all of sudden as I was driving on busy highway. Was unable to get speed, coolant is gone as well.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #273

Nov 272013

Pathfinder 4WD 6-cyl

  • 147,000 miles
Transmission cooler inside radiator cracked and allowed coolant into transmission fluid, causing complete transmission faliure....cost to repair 5,000 dollars.

- Crossville, TN, USA

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