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:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
103,399 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.
Radiator failed, leaking antifreeze into transmission. This mixing of antifreeze and transmission fluid caused transmission to fail my Pathfinder is now in a parking spot. I owe payments on a vehicle I can no longer drive, nor afford to repair.
This is all after the vehicle was serviced (by Nissan dealer) for the known radiator leaking coolant into the transmission fluid. Repair back in May 2013 with approx. Mileage 68000. Now vehicle has about 75000. Driving home from dinner with wife in moderate traffic. Herd a clunk and car would not accelerate. Barely made it home. I let vehicle cool down and removed the radiator cap and found thick cream like fluid which is a definite sign of oil based fluid contaminated with water / glycol. Seems to me that Nissan did not replace or fix the leaking radiator. Driving a vehicle that behaves in this manner can not be safe to drive. Back to the shop (dealer) tomorrow.
While driving the vehicle had a sudden loss of power and the service engine light came on. A local Nissan dealer has informed me that due an apparent known issue for this vehicle a total failure of the transmission has occurred. The needed repairs estimate is $7,800 for a new transmission, radiator and electronic components.
Calsonic radiator issue - transmission fluid and coolant mixed causing issues with transmission. Bad transmission cooler area per aamco. Nissan is unwilling to help as my vehicle has 126K miles on it. These issues appear to be happening in a much greater % than Nissan is acknowledging. They moved the warranty from 3 yrs/36000 miles to 8 years/80000 miles but it still doesn't help those whose radiator leaked after the 100K level prematurely. This is a safety issue and also a manufacturing defect issue. It seems that Nissan corporate, dealers, transmission shops and other governmental organizations knew about this issue - sadly, most consumers don't. I would have gladly replaced my radiator for $500 but now I will be out $4000 because Nissan didn't tell their owners about this problem.
I own a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder that just passed 90,000 miles. It seems that I have the same issue as many others. There is a leak in the transmission from the radiator. Now I know that they are taking some responsibility but really how is it that I should responsible to pay for any portion of this repair. It should be a recall no matter how many miles. I didn't know that I was buying a car that was going to last for 90,000 miles I might have went a different direction. If it was a Nissan defect why do we the consumer have to pay for this? please help out the many Nissan owners who are upset and confused at why this burden should be put on us. Thank you.
- Johnstown, CO, USA
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Note: Affected parts are transmission and radiator (not sure what category those fall in) I purchased a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder from a Nissan dealership less than 3 months ago. Immediately after purchasing I noticed what seemed to be a minor lack of power or cutting out when coasting downhill. I mentioned it to my sales rep, and again when I had to take the vehicle back to the shop on two separate occasions for a tire pressure gauge and rear door handle problem. I had never owned a 4WD before and it was dismissed as no big deal since it still drove okay. Then last week, over labor day weekend, my car overheated and immediately discharged a grey milky substance from the radiator without warning. It had not overheated prior to this. I had my car towed to the dealership. They informed me that both the transmission and the radiator need replacing to the tune of $6,600. The cause being the radiator fluid leaking into the transmission. This repair is over half the value of the car. I never would have purchased the vehicle had I known about the defect. At a minimum I would have insisted it be covered by warranty. I paid full retail price for the car not knowing of this defect. While I'm grateful no one was injured by this defect this time, I have no means to pay the repair costs and owe $13,000 to the bank for a vehicle I cannot drive or resell.
Major vibration during shifting gears (transmission). Concerned that coolant has leaked from radiator into transmission as has been reported on thousands of other Pathfinders. Nissan should be forced to recall and replace radiators/transmissions.
The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving 15 mph, the vehicle began to shake violently and lose power before stalling. The vehicle could not be restarted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the radiator fluid and transmission fluids had mixed and both the radiator and transmission would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 93,000.
This Pathfinder is experiencing a failure with the transmission oil cooler / radiator assembly and is within the 10 year period specified by the extended warranty but is beyond the 100,000 mile limit. Due to the nature of this defect, the severity of this failure, the repetitive nature of the failures and the limited or missing failure warning signs, I believe that an investigation is warranted. Extending a warranty for a short period of time a limited mileage that most consumers breeze through in a few years in order to avoid a recall is not good for repeat business or safety. Nissan settled a class action lawsuit where it identified the defective radiator, but capped the warranty at 10 years/100,000 miles. Whether or not the incident happened at 10,000 miles, or 200,000 miles, it is still a manufacture defect, not caused by the consumer. Simply extending the warranty coverage for the radiator without warning consumers of the consequences to the transmission only makes sense to me if Nissan is looking to cut their losses. Why didn't Nissan warn consumers that the transmission could fail very quickly as a result of a cracked cooler tube" how many consumers must needlessly suffer transmission failures in busy intersections and on busy, congested highways before Nissan does the ethical thing and issues a safety recall" this defect need not be left on the consumer's shoulders, and could very easily cause safety issues for the owner.
Vehicle would not start. After examining what may be the problem it was found that the engine coolant and transmission fluid had mixed due to a defective oil cooler inside the radiator that caused the valve body in the transmission to fail that controls starting and transmission shifts. Vehicle was towed by transmission shop for a compete overhaul including a new valve body. Cost of repairs total was $3074 dollars. Transmission shop installed an external transmission cooler and stated they were having to make these repairs on a number of these Nissan for this defect.
The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated was driving 40 mph when the vehicle began to hesitate and shake abnormally. The vehicle then independently shifted out of gear and stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed, which identified the failure as the radiator coolant penetrating the transmission. As a result, the transmission would downshift with abnormal force. The dealer advised the contact that the radiator, torque converter and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 107,000.
Dealership states that transmission needs to be replaced as well as radiator due to manufacture defect. Repair not allowed under warranty due to mileage. Told that repair would be $10,000.
About 2 weeks ago I was driving my 2007 Nissan Pathfinder (automatic), when I try to accelerate a bit the vehicle show signs that the speed-gear will not shift properly. When I am at a red light also for example once the light change to green the car take a few seconds to accelerate to the proper speed making it an inconvenience for other cars behind me since the speed will not pick up on time. Sometimes also it tend to " shot" making a weird not before resuming proper speed and this happen mostly on local roads.
The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, there was an unexpected increase in acceleration for several seconds. In addition, the engine rpms increased. The contact also stated that the vehicle had sporadically decelerated independently with an abnormal reduction in engine rpms. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken an authorized dealer, who stated that the radiator and transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 110,669.
Wife driving home on highway vehicle was like it was in neutral, pulled over and service engine light came on, made it home ok, this vehicle had a recall but due to the mileage did not qualify for the repairs, Nissan knows of the defects of this transmission but refuses to fix it, the components were faulty when assembled and they refuse to take responsibility for the fix that is needed, this is our only vehicle for a family of five and we do not have the money to replace the transmission.
2007 Nissan Pathfinder with 86K miles. Vehicle began hesitating when traveling 40 mph on highway, then loss of power sometimes. The car began to overheat. Took it to a mechanic who told me that it was the transmission and radiator. Cooler line had failed and mixed with transmission. I called Nissan and was told that they extended the warranty to 100K but I would have to pay $2500 out of pocket. Learned of a class action lawsuit in 2012. Nissan never notified me of the transmission problem. If they had notified me on time, I would still be under the 80K warranty. I have no money to fix my car and now I'm stuck paying for a car that I can't drive.
Vehicle was hesitating when shifting gears. Daughter pulled car in driveway, there was a burning smell. Then all of this fluid leaked on to the driveway and the car would not go into gear. Pathfinder at dealership now to be repaired. Will cost me $3000 for a known defect. Doesn't seem right that the consumer has to pay for the mistakes of the manufacturer. There should be a recall with this issue - and Nissan should be the one responsible for paying the entire amount.
2007 Nissan Pathfinder le - 92,000 miles est. - I bought this vehicle new in 2007 and have been very pleased up until the past two weeks. My story is the same as others - transmission started getting rough, particularly around 45-50 mph and on inclines. There is an audible and jolting clunk moving from neutral to drive. While driving in the above range, the vehicle sounds just like driving over a rumble strip on the highway. I haven't even taken the vehicle in to the dealership yet, and I already know what the problem is. This car has been babied for years being that it is the sole automobile that my wife and kids drive in. I'll be [xxx] if I'm going to pay a $3000 deductible for a defect that Nissan has had full knowledge of for years now! to[xxx] with the settlement that left most of us out in the cold while padding the pockets of the attorneys! it is time for the NHTSA to step up and make the only right and safe decision that Nissan refuses to make! these cars are not safe to drive on the road in this condition! mine will remained parked in the drive until Nissan is forced to recall every vehicle with these faulty radiator/transmission issues. This is my complaint. I hope that Nissan does the smart thing here. They have lost me as a customer for life, and I've owned or driven over a dozen Nissan in my time. It's a shame that this company will sit back and let these complaints mount up until truly forced to do something about it. They should be disgraced knowing that right now there are mothers & children driving in vehicles that could suffer complete transmission failure at any point leading to injury and death. My advice to all is to bring this to their doorstep. Technology offers us the ability to bring the fight to the top of the food chain. I'll be bombarding email addresses and voicemail boxes until this is resolved. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Radiator failed, leaking antifreeze into transmission. This mixing of antifreeze and transmission fluid caused transmission to fail. The violent vibrations and rough shifting is a safety hazard and Nissan should recall all models with this radiator. I had to pay $2500 to have this defect repaired.
My vehicle was shifting weird when all of a sudden it violently lurched forward while in traffic. I took it to the transmission repair shop and was notified that my transmission had coolant in it and needed to be replaced. This will cost over $9,000 to repair and the safety issue is that the vehicle lurching forward so violently is unacceptable because of the faulty transmission cooler etc...
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Davie, FL, USA