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 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
159,184 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.
The transmission was destroyed because a factory default with the radiator leaking antifreeze and transmission fluid into the transmission causing my transmission to self destruct. my safety was not safe since Nissan knew about the defect and I could have ceased into Anything at any time. There was no warning lights it just self destruct. Nissan has done nothing to inspect their failure. It is a well known problem.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Xterra. The contact stated that the vehicle loss motive power while driving. The contact stated that while attempting to move from a stop, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated that the vehicle revved up between 2,000 - 3,000 RPM however, the vehicle failed to respond with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to and independent mechanic and was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the transmission and that the transmission failed due to the coolant contamination. The mechanic informed the contact that the transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither a dealer nor the manufacturer were contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,000.
I was required to replace the oem radiator due to appearance of cross-contamination between automatic transmission fluid and engine coolant. The discovery was made early enough to avoid being stranded. It is unknown whether the amount of contamination that preceded the replacement has caused permanent damage, but the vehicle is functioning normally as of this moment. I am aware that Nissan has been challenged on the topic of extended warranty support and/or recall for this issue over a span of years, and this report is filed to add a data point.
I purchased a 2006 Nissan Xterra with 36K miles. May 15th, 2009. I currently have 112K miles on it and have a not start A/T cont fuse blown issue. My service engine soon light came on and took it to my mechanic who told me there was a code stating a speed differential between the front and rear of the transmission. Soon after further inspection, my mechanic verified radiator fluid leaked into the transmission and I will need to replace both my radiator and transmission to the approx cost of $5500. Needless to say, not only is the extended warranty expired, but I will have to pay the full amount of the repair out of pocket since the lawsuit filed against Nissan concerning this issue expired in 2013. Buyer beware!!! be careful if you purchase a Nissan Xterra from 2005-2010 unless you are prepared to fork out more money than expected to pay for a defect that Nissan knew about but will no longer support.
- San Antonio, TX, USA
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My transmission and drive shaft went out of my vehicle today out of nowhere. I have a new job to get to and no money to fix or replace this vehicle. It's ridiculous considering it only has 136,000 miles on it. I was 2 miles from my house and driving approximately 20mph and it just stopped accelerating. I was stuck on the side of the road in 5 degree weather. I am beyond dismayed and completely without options.
I purchased a 2006 Nissan Xterra after-market in August 2019, mileage 144K. There was no indication of a problem during a test-drive, and it otherwise appeared to be in good condition. Three days later, during city driving, the car began to strain to enter first gear from a stopped position (stop sign, traffic light), first a little, and then significantly, and began obstructing traffic-flow, and began overheating after multiple stop/starts. I was barely able to get the car home (4 miles) without having to pull over and call a tow-truck. A trip to the transmission shop on the next business day confirmed not just a transmission problem, but was told it was due to a known defect in Nissan SUV-type vehicles from this time-period. The car from the used dealer came with "car protection plus" coverage specifically for power-train issues, who denied that they would cover this particular transmission problem for this reason. I now own a very expensive paperweight, or pay a repair bill of $3K-$4K to fix a transmission and radiator that is more than the value of the car.
The metal tubes that separate engine coolant from the transmission fluid crack. Coolant and transmission fluid mixes and cause the transmission to fail. The substance is milky, and cloudy like a milk shake. Car was in motion on the city we were coming from the store.
I have an Nissan Xterra with a bad radiator, it is leaking transmission fluid, according to the internet Nissan has known about this defect for over 13 years and has never issued a recall, I think it needs to recalled due to bad radiators that leak transmission fluid and antifreeze together, Nissan is aware of the defect but has done nothing to fix or adress the issues all Nissan Xterra owners had due to the defect, including replacement of transmissions and radiators and other parts related to the defect, it is a safety issue if the transmission locks up on the roadway at any speed limit..
Radiator coolant leaked into transmission and we only have 70,000 mileage. Purchased extended warranty but Nissan service said they don't covere the repair and our extended warranty expired. We saved this cat for our 16 years old son for his college soon ang preparing for dmv. We save money for his car so we don't need to worry. Now, we are worried because it will cost us$8,000 for repair by replacing transmission and radiator. Besides this I have to pay $190 for diagnostic fee. We are not rich and we prepared this car for our son, for his safety, now his 16 years old this June 2019 and ready to take the wheels, this car is his car for college. Now, I'm heartbreaking because it's garage kept car with blanket all the time. 70K mileage only. Security plus says 72 months/75,000 on odometer. We really need help for repair.
Transmission failure due to known issue involving cooling fluid leaking into transmission due to faulty lines in radiator that crack at 100,000 miles. Quoted $6000 repair cost, car is totaled.,
April 5, 2019 I purchased a 2006 Nissan Xterra with 126K miles. May 15th, 2019 my service engine soon light came on and took it to my mechanic who told me there was a code stating a speed differential between the front and rear of the transmission. I took my vehicle to aamco and after inspection, they verified water from the radiator leaked into the transmission and I will need to replace both my radiator and transmission to the approx cost of $5800. Needless to say, not only is the extended warranty expired, but I will have to pay the full amount of the repair out of pocket since the lawsuit filed against Nissan concerning this issue expired in 2013. Buyer beware!!! do not purchase a Nissan Xterra from 2005-2010 unless you are prepared to fork out more money than expected to pay for a defect that Nissan knew about but will no longer support.
I bought a used 2006 Xterra and I had no idea that the transmission coolers fail prematurely. All seemed ok for 2 weeks. One day driving back from dropping my 2 daughters off at their mothers house, I was on an incline, in a blind curve, and the vehicle stopped pulling completely. While stopped I tried to check the trans fluid and was almost ran over by a tractor and trailer because he couldnt see through the curve to know I was broke down in the road. Then 10 minutes or so goes by and a minivan comes around the curve and had to lock his brakes up to keep from running into me. I was almost hit 2 times in a matter of 20 - 30 minutes waiting for help to arrive.
The radiator has cracked internally and mixed the engine coolant into the transmission reaulting in severly damages fluid leading to transmission damage and shifting damage.
While driving my "check engine soon" light appear, today I took it to a Nissan dealership to get a diagnostic to fix it. To make short the transmission and radiator needs replacement ($4,600 dlls)because there's antifreeze in the transmission fluid. Online I found out that this problem is common to 2006 Xterras, funny thing is Nissan know all about it, but so far hasn't call a recall to fix their own mess. Another thing, I've got serviced my vehicle at to Nissan dealership S and never ever make a simple comment or advised about this problem with the radiator to me on my prior visits. It seems to me that they are reckless for holding critical info about preventable issues, specially since this is a design flaw on their part
Vehicle radiator rusted internally, therefore intermix coolant and transmission fluid. Automobile constantly serviced at Nissan dealers, no warning from Nissan.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Omaha , NE, USA