CarComplaints.com Notes: While there are fewer "radiator leaked into transmission" complaints for the 2008 model year, they are starting to pile up. Buyer beware.

Nissan has extended their radiator warranty on 2005-2010 Pathfinders to 8 years/80,000 miles. However the average mileage for transmission failure for earlier model years is 95,000 miles, which conveniently (for Nissan) is just past the limit of their extended warranty. Owners beware.

1.8

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
92,540 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.

2008 Nissan Pathfinder engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2008 Nissan Pathfinder Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #61

Jun 152022

Pathfinder

  • miles

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

Bought vehicle I-??m second owner it was sold as is from a dealership with airbag lights on after a certain amount miles check engine light came on said I had e -regular voltage to fuel injectors 1 gear started slipping then loss of power when accelerating next revolutionary trans-sensor went and now when I start the vehicle the A/T ECU Fuse keeps blowing out and the radiator coolant has transmission fluid mixing into it.

- Pennsville, NJ, USA

problem #60

Aug 182015

Pathfinder

  • miles
This is.my 2nd time replacing it the oil is mixing with the anti freeze because the radiator has a hole in it another recall problem for nissan

- Hartford , CT, USA

problem #59

Dec 082021

Pathfinder

  • miles
Contamination from the radiator mixed with the transmission cooler. The car is now inoperable due to this design flaw. This causes the transmission to be extremely sluggish and unresponsive when run, oftentimes the engine won't start or crank due to a blown fuse related to this issue. The slow acceleration causes safety issues when pulling out into traffic. The vehicle was inspected by a licensed Illinois auto rebuilder. The four-wheel-drive indicator is stuck to on although the vehicle is in two-wheel drive and service engine light appeared.

- Galena, IL, USA

problem #58

Oct 012020

Pathfinder

  • 93,500 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that upon placing her vehicle into reverse, the vehicle shut-off without warning. The vehicle started rolling backwards. The contact and her son exited the vehicle, to manually stop the vehicle from rolling back and hitting a building. The contact then had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, where the mechanic replaced the engine coil block however, the vehicle started to overheat at start-up. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was white smoke coming from the engine while the temperature gauge showed a high engine temperature. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 93,500.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #57

Apr 092021

Pathfinder

  • 159,000 miles
Faulty radiator. Leaking coolant into my transmission. Noticed losing coolant and smelled radiator fluid after driving. Did research on the problem was able to find the faulty radiator part number which happened to match the one I had.

- Paw Paw, MI, USA

problem #56

Feb 042021

Pathfinder

  • miles
I was driving in the freeway and the engine was making a wierd noise and the engine seemed to be losing power and skipping gears, I pulled over and there was a mixture of of water and something else, looked like milk comming out the radar area my car only has 153000 miles

- Spring Valley, CA, USA

problem #55

Mar 012020

Pathfinder

  • 60,000 miles

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

Premature failure of the timing chain tensioner/guides and the chains 61,000 miles.

- Toa Baja, PR, USA

problem #54

Sep 272020

Pathfinder

  • 168,000 miles
Just bought and checked the anitfreeze to find a thick sludge in the radiator and overflow. Smells like oil

- Hatboro, PA, USA

problem #53

Nov 012019

Pathfinder

  • 158,000 miles
Passenger airbag light went on last night while driving about 35mph engine shut off completely, no power no lights. It had shut off on me about 1 week ago immediately after starting

- Salida, CA, USA

problem #52

Sep 032019

Pathfinder

  • 170,194 miles
Tamara recall. Vehicle in motion 60mph jumped from 2wd to 4WD automatically. Vehicle then locked in 5th gear. Mechanic stated radiator fluid mixed with transmission fluid, then both control modules expired. Vehicle will not start or crank.

- Avon By The Sea, NJ, USA

problem #51

Apr 012019

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 122,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving at least 40 mph, the vehicle hesitated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics who confirmed that radiator fluid leaked internally into the transmission. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer stated that there was no recall and they could not assist because the warranty was expired. The failure mileage was 122,000.

- South Portland, ME, USA

problem #50

Aug 292019

Pathfinder

  • 65,000 miles
My 2008 Nissan Pathfinder had transmission issues and was replaced twice in 2017. I brought to the Nissan authorized dealer first for a thumbing sound when pushing gas pedal after taking the foot off. When it worsened they said it was the calipers and changed my calipers for $2000. But the thumbing sound persisted. After a few months they said it was transmission issue and they changed the transmission twice. The thumbing sound persisted whenever the vehicle was driven above 40 mph. The transmission was covered under warranty but the sound got worse. I took it to another dealership and they found broken metal pieces in the real axle box. I called Nissan Consumer Affairs and they said they cannot help since there is no recall. I see similar incidents reported by consumers in the internet. Now I have to pay $3000 to replace the rear axle assembly according to the quote given by the Nissan dealership for parts and labor. This was something that could have been diagnosed during the warranty time and Nissan dealership couldn't diagnose it. Not they say the warranty was over a year ago. Having the gear box broken is something that should never happen. This was something that happened during the warranty period but now Nissan rejects to correct it.

- Bergenfield, NJ, USA

problem #49

Apr 242019

Pathfinder

  • 146,000 miles
The vehicle was shifting hard.the Nissan dealership says my transmission cooler failed, causing my coolant and radiator fluid to mix. Because of this I have to replace the transmission, and radiator.

- Walker, WV, USA

problem #48

Dec 182018

Pathfinder

  • 138,800 miles
Bought the truck used at 123,000 was running great till 6 months later at 138860 miles all of a sudden truck did not want to start. No crank nothing. Had been serviced one month before and come to find out radiator fluid leaked into transmission. Bad radiator by Nissan and transmission needs to be replaced/rebuilt

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #47

Aug 172018

Pathfinder

  • 148,000 miles
Experiencing jerking at or above 40 mph, changed transmission fluid, fluid was contaminated appeared pink and milky at draining, hard shifting.

- Burlington, NC, USA

problem #46

Jul 142018

Pathfinder

  • 97,697 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate and lost power. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact looked under the hood and noticed oil in the radiator fluid. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that water was in the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (mossy Nissan national city, 2700 national city blvd, national city, ca 91950, 619-474-7011) where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 97,697.

- San Deigo, CA, USA

problem #45

Jul 102018

Pathfinder

  • miles
I am having issues with the car slipping gears. I took it to a reputable transmission repair shop where I was informed there is a "crack" in the cooling part of my radiator and my radiator and transmission and both need replaced. Also that the radiator fluid and the transmission fluid are mixed together.

- Woodstock, GA, USA

problem #44

Jun 192018

Pathfinder

  • 112,000 miles
I bought the car from a used car dealership with 109,000 miles on it. Not even a month after buying it, the intercooler line cracked causing the transmission fluid and coolant to mix. This completely destroyed my radiator, which I had to replace, along with flushing the entire cooling system. It also caused my transmission to fail. To repair my car will cost me about $5,000. I went to Nissan about this and was told they could not help me because the car has over 100,000 miles on it. I was able to temporarily fix it, but now my transmission is completely junk and I can't afford to fix it or give it back to the bank. All of these issues occurred while I was driving the vehicle.

- Dracut, MA, USA

problem #43

Jul 262018

Pathfinder

  • 110,000 miles
Car begin having issues while shifting, made clunking sounds while driving, not shifting correctly both on highway and city driving. We took it to a repair shop where they discovered coolant from the radiator had leaked into the transmission and caused it to fail. Repair shop quoted us for radiator replacement and transmission service but warned if the transmission was too contaminated it could need a whole replacement of that as well. Upon searching online for this issue we found it is a known problem for Nissan Pathfinders of this age and with this radiator type. It can cause the transmission to seize up while driving and render the car unable to be controlled.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

problem #42

May 122018

Pathfinder

  • miles
When the car was put in reverse or park the gear change started to become delayed and rough this later progressed to a lack of power while driving. These problems hinted to there being a transmission problem. Took it into a shop and was told that the coolant was mixing in with the transmission fluid therefore damaging both the radiator and transmission.

- Moreno Valley, CA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?