CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2005-2007 Xterra 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.

The same defect exists in the Pathfinder & Frontier as well. And 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:
105,549 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.

2007 Nissan Xterra drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2007 Nissan Xterra Owner Comments (Page 7 of 11)

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problem #95

Oct 012014

Xterra

  • 95,000 miles

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

This is one of the many transmission issues with 2007 Xterras where the coolant leaks into the transmission and destroys it. The repair cost is 8500 dollars if the 100000 mile extended warranty has been passed. I contacted Nissan and they told me that this is my responsibility despite the hundred of complaints regarding the exact same issue. When driving at any speed, when the Xterra changes gears there is a rough vibration that keeps getting worse the longer it goes for. Had I not learned about this on my own Accord this could have resulted in a very bad accident.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #94

Nov 112014

Xterra 6-cyl

  • 111,000 miles
Was told by dealer that a known problem with radiator caused radiator fluid to seep into transmission causing transmission to fail. Neither dealer nor Nissan would accept responsibility for this known defect.

- Trabuco Canyon, CA, USA

problem #93

Nov 032014

Xterra 6-cyl

  • 90,400 miles
Sitting at light in the left lane, waiting for it to turn green and all of a sudden the car started making a loud racing sound. Not sure if it was transmission or engine making the noise. I looked at my gauges and saw the temperature gauge was on H. I had to wait for the light to turn green, because I was at an intersection, in the left lane, to get on the highway and there were cars on my right and cars going in the other direction. As soon as I could move, I pulled over to a safe spot, but before I could, the car started overheating and smoke started coming out of the hood. It was towed to my garage and after my mechanic looked at it, he said this is a known issue for Nissan Xterras 2007, because the radiator is defective. The coolant mixes with the transmission and the car stops running! apparently, Nissan knows that the part is defective so they extended warranty to 80,000 mile and anything past that I have to pay. Well, I have 90,400 miles and can't believe that Nissan can get away with knowing a part is defective and not recalling all trucks affected. They certainly changed the radiator design for the newer vehicles, admitting that it is a problem. They should recall the cars and replace the defective part. It is all over the internet, because the problem is so widespread and Nissan will not take ownership of it!!!!!!. please look into this and look on the internet to see how common this issue is for Xterras and all the people that got screwed by Nissan. Thank you.

- Monroe, CT, USA

problem #92

Oct 242014

Xterra

  • 102,000 miles

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

While driving at a highway speed of 70 mph in the left lane of an interstate, the transmission completely failed. There was traffic in the right lane. I was unable to move to the outside shoulder until I was traveling at 30 mph. This was very dangerous, especially due to trying to merge between semis that were in the right lane. After towing the vehicle 75 miles to get close to home and at a trusted repair shop, I was told that the coolant leaked into the transmission system (like so many others). This caused the complete failure of the transmission and contamination of all of the lines and gaskets. The vehicle would not travel forward or backward. This appears to be a known issue, based on the large number of complaints on the web and the class action lawsuit. The repairs are estimated at 5,000 to 5,500 dollars, plus the towing. Most of the problems, including mine, occur after the extended period. Due to the rapid failure, this is an extremely unsafe condition.

- Porter, IN, USA

problem #91

Oct 032014

Xterra 6-cyl

  • 125,000 miles
The radiator fluid leaked into the transmission and ruined the transmission and valve body assembly. The car will not run and stalled out in an intersection.

- Austin, TX, USA

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problem #90

Jan 062014

Xterra 6-cyl

  • 98,560 miles
Radiator cracked leaking coolant into the transmission.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #89

Jul 202011

Xterra 6-cyl

  • miles

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

At about 1200 RPM I start to feel a vibration which I think is coming from the transmission. Once I get above 1500 RPM it quits and resumes normal driving condition. I did have my transmission filter and fluids changed right after this started. The mechanic did tell my that the fluid appeared to be milky and he said that he had heard about this problem in some Nissan vehicles. He also said he knew about the transmission coolers in the radiator becoming faulty and would cause radiator fluid (antifreeze) to mix in with the transmission through the transmission lines. There was no symptoms that alerted me before hand, it just happened and I knew there was an issue, took it to my mechanic and discovered what I mentioned above. Please inform me what I may be able to do. Thanks

- Gentry, AR, USA

problem #88

Sep 082014

Xterra

  • 109,574 miles
Car will not upshift sometimes seems electrical.

- Providence Forge, VA, USA

problem #87

Aug 122014

Xterra

  • 101,500 miles
My 2007 Nissan Xterra came on with a check engine light and over drive indicator light stayed on. Obdii code for check engine light was P0700 transmission control system tcs malfunction. The transmission would no longer use 1st, 2nd, or 3rd gear. Reverse, neutral, and drive could still be selected but when in drive it was in 4th gear only. Took it to the Nissan dealership and they told me that coolant from the radiator was leaking into the transmission and this was a common issue that the service department had seen before many times now. They informed me that I was 1500 miles over warranty and that I would have to contact Nissan customer care. That is when I discovered that there was a class action lawsuit for this problem against Nissan because this was a known defect for 2005-2010 Xterras and they wouldn't do a recall. Now Nissan is telling me there is nothing they can do for me and they will charge me $7500 for parts and labor to replace the transmission, radiator, lines and fluid. That is outrageous as my 2007 Xterra only values at $8000. I was never notified when I bought this SUV in August of 2012 that it was part of a class action lawsuit and in the 2 years I have owned I have never been notified by Nissan of a settlement that could have alerted me to have this checked sooner before transmission failure happened. I also wouldn't have bought the car if I had known there was a known issue with the radiator leaking into the transmission that Nissan is not willing to recall for. Now I am trapped with a loan on a lemon I cant drive and cant afford to fix.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #86

Aug 072014

Xterra 6-cyl

  • 150,000 miles
Engine coolant and transmission fluid mixing causing overheating and transmission failures.

- Okatie, SC, USA

problem #85

May 242013

Xterra 6-cyl

  • 101,052 miles

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

Transmission failure due to engine coolant from leaking coiling system.

- Lithia Springs, GA, USA

problem #84

Jan 012014

Xterra

  • 114,000 miles
The first time I noticed something wrong with the transmission, the vehicle would make a large vibrating sound at random times. This would keep getting worse until I had to bring it to a shop, overall just about a week. I was told the transmission and radiator fluids were mixing and that I needed a fluid flush a long with a new radiator. About 6 months later, my car just wouldn't start one morning. I take it to the shop again, hoping it is just a minor fix this time. This time there is something wrong with the transmission and computer system. Luckily I wasn't driving when this happened, otherwise who knows what damage it would have caused to the car or to me.

- Johnson City, TN, USA

problem #83

Sep 072013

Xterra 6-cyl

  • 96,400 miles
Nissan sent a warranty notification letter that the radiator could crack and leak into the transmission. The letter stated the warranty ran out at 80K miles. They would not replace the radiator and transmission until there was an actual problem. I didn't start having problems until about 96K miles. When I brought it in to the dealer, I was told it would cost me $3000 my part to fix it and they would cover the rest. I have not been able to afford to make the repair at this time. Nissan knew the part was bad and still did nothing to correct the problem.

- Maynardville, TN, USA

problem #82

Jun 142014

Xterra

  • 102,000 miles
A defect caused a crack in the transmission radiator which leaked fluid into the transmission causing unexpected catastrophic transmission failure.

- Allentown, PA, USA

problem #81

May 232014

Xterra 6-cyl

  • 161,000 miles
I pulled on to the interstate on which the speed limit was 65 mph, and my Xterra would not shift past second gear or go above 35 mph. Cars were flying by me and those entering interstate behind me were unable to get around me due to the high volume of vehicles on the interstate passing us. I turned on my flashers and limped it to the next exit to get off the interstate. The transmission failed due to coolant being leaked into it. This issue has been investigated and a class action lawsuit settled. However, it was only up to $100,000 miles and I can no longer be part of that lawsuit. I never received notification of an issue with my make and model vehicle. This issue is continuing to happen to other Xterra owners and putting others at risk. Nissan knows about the problem but refuses to take any action to correct it. In fact, according to my mechanic, the valve needed to correct the problem is on back order with Nissan due to the high volume needed for repairs. Apparently, they cannot keep up with production of them.

- Millington, TN, USA

problem #80

Jun 092014

Xterra 6-cyl

  • 150,000 miles
Radiator leaked into the transmission.

- Kyle, TX, USA

problem #79

May 312014

Xterra 6-cyl

  • 107,949 miles
Transmission failure while merging in rush hour traffic. Vehicle suddenly dropped out of gear, then stuck in low gear without warning. Vehicle had to be pulled off the freeway immediately to avoid causing accident.

- Auburn, WA, USA

problem #78

Jun 072014

Xterra 6-cyl

  • 139,000 miles
I purchased a 2007 Nissan Xterra 200 miles away from my home and while driving it home the vehicle transmission stopped working properly. The vehicle drove ok at highway speeds but once I slowed, to in town speeds, the vehicle lost the gears ability to drive the vehicle. If this occurred to me while on the highway I could have been in a much greater danger. This more than likely has occurred to others that own these types of vehicles, putting them in a very unsafe environment. If there was fluid loss or overheating it could lead to a vehicle fire as well. I would like a recall to occur for the transmission/radiator crossover to the 2005-2010 Nissan - Xterra, pathfinder, and frontier.

- Grand Canyon, AZ, USA

problem #77

Jun 122014

Xterra 6-cyl

  • miles
My transmission is ruined because both the radiator antifreeze and the transmission fluid have mixed. My wife could have had a serious accident.

- Duxbury, MA, USA

problem #76

May 072014

Xterra

  • 111,000 miles
This week my sons 2007 Nissan Xterra would not start and we had it towed to a Nissan dealership near his college in scranton pa. Yesterday we were informed that the transmission and radiator need to be replaced, at a cost of around $5000! this is shocking because my son insists that he noticed nothing amiss with the operation of his truck until it he was unable to start it. After spending 10 minutes on the internet, I learned about the Nissan transmission class action lawsuit. We have been religious in terms of scheduled maintenance, and overall care of the vehicle. We were not aware of the cooling/transmissions problems plaguing Nissan trucks. In addition, I have had the vehicle serviced at two separate Nissan dealerships, one in New York and another now in pa. It is disgraceful that neither Nissan dealership mentioned anything! this morning I contacted Nissan corporate and was told that since the vehicle is over 100,000, there is nothing they can do for us. I do not have $5000 and do not know what to do with my sons Nissan. As others have mentioned in postings, there likely many others with vehicles over the 100,000 marker, now just experiencing the negative effects of the defective manufacturing by Nissan. There should be a second class action suit filed against Nissan!!!

- Atlantic Beach, NY, USA

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