CarComplaints.com Notes: Radiators are still cracking, leaking coolant and destroying transmissions. Which is a shame when you consider that otherwise, this would be a great small pickup truck.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
118,484 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 Frontier drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2006 Nissan Frontier Owner Comments (Page 6 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #100

Jul 122014

Frontier

  • 133,000 miles

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

Contacted a mechanic because my truck would shake at speeds at or above 50 mph. It was also starting to shift very hard. The mechanic checked it out and told me that there was a very common problem with the radiator failing and causing coolant and water to get into the transmission... which isnt good at all for it. Radiator and transmission are shot and need to be replaced. He tells me that Nissan has had this problem for some time now which was news to me. You would think Nissan would let owners know about a problem so severe and common. Now I'm on the hook for $4000 thanks to Nissan and it very unprofessionalism.

- Mira Loma, CA, USA

problem #99

May 202014

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 98,500 miles
Radiator coolant failure leaked into transmission causing it to fail...

- Butler, TN, USA

problem #98

Jan 082014

Frontier 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 112,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated while driving 45 mph the transmission failed. The contact mentioned there was no warning lights. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The diagnosis was the faulty radiator contaminated the transmission fluid. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 112,000. Rk updated 8/28/14 updated 09/8/2014

- East Peoria, IL, USA

problem #97

May 122014

Frontier

  • 89,000 miles

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

I am yet another victim of the transmission/radiator problem along with hundreds, possibly thousands of other customers. Defective radiator allowed coolant to mix with transmission which is now outrageously expensive to repair.

- Springfield, VA, USA

problem #96

Apr 132014

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 87,794 miles
On my way to work, 4/13/2014, Sunday a.M. sudden loss of power (no forward motion) I had to immediately pull over to the slow lane and stopped. There was no other option on alameda blvd. All lanes on both sides of the blvd. Had to tow to carson Nissan, they inspected the transmission and said it was bad due to the radiator...... I have noticed other complaints and I am wondering if this site is worthwhile I truly hope so, please and thank you.....

- Carson, CA, USA

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problem #95

Mar 292014

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 76,651 miles
I bought my 2006 Nissan Frontier in for regular maintenance, during the dealer inspection they noticed a noise coming from the engine. The noise is a whining sound and I thought nothing of the noise until they stated that its the timing chain and that it needs to be replaced. From the research I did the timing chain is supposed to be a non-serviceable item and should last the entire life of the vehicle. Upon further investigation I found that this was a known defect that Nissan motor Corp is aware of. Nissan motor Corp had issued tsb's for this item and they have even been part of a class action lawsuit. Why were Nissan owners not made aware of this issue? now I am faced with a $1,500 repair decision. From what I have also read if this chain breaks it can have serious safety issues for the driver, why has Nissan not set up a recall for this issue.

- Naugatuck, CT, USA

problem #94

Mar 212014

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 130,000 miles

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

We bought this Nissan new in 2006 -great little truck. But recently the engine would stall and all the lights on the dash came on. Took it to our mechanic he said it was a tran code took it to the Nissan dealership and they said the coolant had gotten into the trans or vise versa (a lot to take in),so I needed a new transmission and radiator. I found this issue on your website for a recall but my vehicle was within the years of the recall but it has over 100,000 it has130 so the dealership said there was nothing they could do to help with the $5500 bill they just quoted me. Is there any help out there for me on this issue"?" please.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #93

Mar 072014

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 116,589 miles
Radiator coolant leaked into the transmission, destroying the transmission. Transmission needed to be replaced, costing over $4500.

- Pleasant Hill, CA, USA

problem #92

Mar 092014

Frontier

  • 91,000 miles
Cross contamination of the engine coolant and transmission fluid causing a transmission failure.

- Wellsville, PA, USA

problem #91

Sep 112013

Frontier

  • 160,000 miles
Driving 2006 Nissan Frontier truck on hill at stop sign went to go and trans did not pull. Rolled back into a tree. Found out about defective radiator but no recall"??" useless class action law suite $5500 to fix.

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

problem #90

Feb 222014

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 36,175 miles

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

I had just parked my truck in my driveway(truck was off, key was removed) when I removed two bags from the back seat area(the seat was where it all ways is) I walked in the kitchen area put the bags on the table, as I was walking back to my truck I seen the truck roll back about a foot or 2 then stop.there wasn't any snow or ice on my driveway, no black ice either the temp around 45, sun shining. I did see my truck roll this is the god's truth. If I would have under the truckfor any reason I my not be here telling you this. I do not us my parking break I never us it, the trans, locks when you put it in park.the time of day was 1pm this the first I have seen this.

- Quakertown, PA, USA

problem #89

Feb 102014

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
My Nissan Frontier began making a slight engine noise at about 30,000 miles ( I am hearing impaired). The noise became more noticeable when accelerating. At about 39,000 miles someone else heard the noise and told me my timing chains were about to break due to a common Nissan defect and not to drive the car as the engine could lock up while driving without any warning. Although there was a service bulletin by Nissan in 2007 and 2009 (ntb09-128) I was not made aware of the danger of driving this vehicle. I feel the timing chain tensioning system is defective on these vehicles and is dangerous to the public. If the system fails the driver would be unable to accelerate or maintain their speed and expose them to the risk of being rear ended if their vehicle suddenly stalls. I would not have expected an engine with only 30,000 miles to fail. Had they notified me in 2007 or 2009 of the problem I could have had it repaired under my extended warranty. I had to pay to have this common and dangerous defect repaired.

- Carrollton, TX, USA

problem #88

Jan 152013

Frontier

  • 70,000 miles
My Nissan dealer told me I need timing chain guides and it would cost me $1600, then I go on line and Nissan new about this problem in 2009. They said if I had 60,000 miles they would have covered this, they new this was going to happen and did not tell me. This is fraud and something should be done about this.this problem is happening all over the country on these vehicles. What are you going to do about this?

- Norfolk, MA, USA

problem #87

Nov 202013

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 81,000 miles
Driving going 50 trunk shut off, luckily I was able to get off the highway.it happened around 10 more times over a month before it just quit.not having high mileage on the truck now or at the time of receiving a warranty notification back in 2012 never thought of it.so we had it towed to put on a fuel pump that it did not need $400 still will not start.I started looking up reviews on Nissan to find out that Nissan has known about this in 2007.I still owe $3600 on this truck, bought it new with 24 miles on a lease... loved it...so after my lease was up I refinanced 2010 with 41501 miles bought a 3 yr extended warranty, never used it.now after learning about a co - pay for a truck really Nissan...my truck has 81000 miles..I don't have $2500 to put in it.time for Nissan to recall it, and face it you have a problem Nissan.please I need help.

- Grafton, WV, USA

problem #86

Jan 032014

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 127,000 miles
I have a 2006 Nissan Frontier with cross contamination of radiator fluid and transmission fluid. The dealer states the known defect is beyond the 100,000 mile cutoff for the extend manufacturers warranty that deals with this common and well known defect. The estimated cost of repair is $4800 with the full burden resting on me for a common and well known manufacturing defect that could have been avoided had Nissan recalled the vehicles and made the repairs as soon as they were aware. There is a class action lawsuit but again my vehicle is outside of the parameters of the lawsuit. I don't quite know what to do as I like most everyone don't have $5000 sitting around and unfortunately my credit is in horrible shape so I can't get a loan to pay for it nor can I qualify for a loan to trade it in. How in the world can I ever justify buying another Nissan product knowing they don't produce a safe, quality product and they are not willing to fix defective equipment.

- Greenbrier, TN, USA

problem #85

Jun 072012

Frontier

  • 1,000 miles
Was parked at store with truck running when it ran hot. With further look it was the transmission oil mixing with the coolant. Replaced radiator. Now transmission is slipping and now not pulling.

- Cullman, AL, USA

problem #84

Nov 212013

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 139,600 miles
The truck would get a shudder/vibration that shook the whole truck at around 45 and 60 miles per hour and would not shift properly. A Nissan dealer verified that the transmission had been cross contaminated with coolant fluid. I was livid to learn that Nissan knew about this issue since 2007 but did not tell me about the defect when I took the truck for maintenance (a transmission fluid exchange) in 2010 when I had 68,000 miles on the truck. I was robber of the opportunity to take action even at my own cost that would have prevented this catastrophic failure. Nissan refuses to pay anything towards the cost citing the settlement in the class action. I was told the terms of the settlement would not allow Nissan to cover anything after 100,000 miles. I refused to allow the dealer to fix it because they did not give me a warning when I was having the routine maintenance done on the trani and because Nissan will never get another penny from me. The service tech at the Nissan dealer told me not to buy an after market radiator because it would be based on the old radiator design so I could have the same problem of cross contamination again. He said Nissan had a new radiator. Clearly sounds like a manufacturer design defect. Also, I read that it is for 2005-2010 Nissan but I spoke with the owner of a 2011 Nissan Frontier who told me he had the cross contamination but because it was under warranty, Nissan had to pay to fix everything. The fact that Nissan knows about this but is not being proactive in letting customers know that there could be a problem is irresponsible. I had to pay $5200 to fix the trani and radiator, $110 for the dealer to confirm cross contamination, $104 for towing and $330 for a rental car. This is 180 degrees from how Honda is treating the recently announced cooling fluid leak they have. Honda is extending the warranty 10 years with unlimited miles.

- Trabuco Canyon, CA, USA

problem #83

Nov 292013

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 158,983 miles
The Nissan Frontier radiator contaminated the transmission with coolant thus causing the transmission to malfunction in a busy traffic area. This issue caused my vehicle to shutter thus forcing the traffic to the rear of me to lock up brakes to avoid hitting me. To my dismay, this problem is known by Nissan who refuses to fix the issues. To prove the issue is larger than Nissan admits, choose transmission repair shops in any area, make a phone call and tell them you own a Nissan Frontier, you will need say no more, the shop manager will without prompt say "you have transmission issues due to the radiator contaminating the transmission, you will have to rebuild/replace the transmission." It is up to the NHTSA to protect the consumer from fraudulent companies such as Nissan. A recall is the only course of action...most consumers cannot afford the cost of a transmission (upwards or 7000 dollars) and will drive their Nissan regardless of the danger the transmission slippage causes. It is now time for the recall before someone is injured or killed.

- Chester, VA, USA

problem #82

Dec 012012

Frontier 6-cyl

  • 140,000 miles
About 1 yr ago fuel gauge stopped registering-was unaware of issues, never received notice of issues and past mileage for warranty. I have not been able to afford to fix it, so we are constantly worried about running out of gas. In August of this year, truck running rough, hesitating in low gear. Had our mechanic flush transmission, but started again and got intensely worse the past 2 months. Unable to afford to fix, we had to wait, but finally no choice but to take it in. Radiator leaking into transmission, seals cracked, etc. Going to cost 3100 to fix. Called Nissan, but they basically told me I was out of luck as truck past mileage for standard and extended warranties (that they charge you for, knowing there is faulty transmission).

- Dorchester, SC, USA

problem #81

Dec 232013

Frontier

  • 115,000 miles
Was driving fine up to the point where we seemed to have lost all ability to accelerate. When we pressed the gas, it appeared to be in neutral, although it wasn't. this happened as we drove down the middle of the road. We ended up coasting to the side and put the truck into park, then reengaged the gear shift into drive, it then took off and we slowly drove to a parking lot before it failed again. No warning signs on the dash indicated a problem (still no indication) or any sign of trouble before the transmission just fails. This is a known issue with this year and style of truck and no one made us aware. We have had this truck since we bought it new, never received any notification of the known defect from Nissan. It would have been nice to know the radiator leaks into the transmission and causes transmission failure. We would have had this replaced prior to the failure.

- East Peoria, IL, USA

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