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.
9.1
really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$3,950
Average Mileage:
112,600 miles
Total Complaints:
159 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
replace radiator and transmission (62 reports)
replace transmission (51 reports)
not sure (30 reports)
flushed trans and replaced radiator (8 reports)
replace radiator and transmission fluid (3 reports)
Nissan Assist - Welcome to NissanAssist.com.
Nissan is committed to providing an outstanding vehicle ownership experience for all our customers. Periodically, we announce extensions to the standard vehicle warranty. These extensions are specific to the vehicle you own, model year, and to individual components on each vehicle.
Nissan Dealers have been advised of these extensions and will provide service to your vehicle if required. As with all vehicle warranties, all work must be completed by your authorized Nissan Dealer.
I recently bought a used 2006 Nissan Xterra 4wd. The truck had 85000 miles when I bought it. After driving it for about a year and a half, I started having issues. One day the truck stopped working, it would not go past 10 miles an hour. I had to tow the truck to my house and had a local mechanic look into the problem. He said that the transmission had fluids in it that came from a cracked or old radiator or something like that. So I replaced the radiator and now the car still won't work. I do not have a warranty on the truck and Nissan says it does not cover the damage because there is no recall on this vehicle for this problem. Now I need a new transmission that cost over 3500 dollars. This sucks. I hope I can get some help.
The manufacture defect caused the radiator fluid to leak into the transmission causing it to completely destroy it. The shop that I took it to put an external cooler on the transmission after the repair to keep it from happening again. If Nissan had done a recall and done this in the first place this wouldn't be continuing to occur on vehicle after vehicle.
I am very upset right now. My radiator was leaking into the coolant which in turn was leaking into the transmission. My "check engine light" didn't come on until it was too late. Early warning signs are: Car vibrates when accelerating to speeds of 60-65 mph, the heater doesn't work. Took my car to Greg's automotive since I have suspected foul play at the Nissan dealership the last few times. I have left my car there. They replaced the radiator, flushed the transmission three times, and replaced the coolant cap. $2,000 later my car was running OK. After driving it for about 30 miles (two days), the check engine light came on. Come to find out, I now need a new transmission. $5,125.00. I have not had a chance to call Nissan yet but after reading several forums it looks like I am SOL. I will NEVER buy a Nissan again. This is criminal.
In October my transmission started acting up. Sure enough the problem is what many of others are having with the transmission leaking into the radiator. Got a couple quotes and they are around $4,000. Of course I am still paying on the car haven't had the money to fix it so I make payments every month for it to sit unused. Thanks Nissan for absolutely no help with this issue that costs half of what the car is worth.
TOTALLY SUCKS...NISSAN SHOULD WARN OWNERS OF THIS PROBLEM AND SUGGEST A BYPASS OF THE SYSTEM ALTOGETHER!! COULD HAVE SAVED ME THE PROBLEM OF HAVING TO PURCHASE ANOTHER VEHICLE!
- James L.,
Charleston, SC, US
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Oct 2014 we took vehicle back to dealership and complained of similar symptoms as previous to transmission replacement. Tried to get Nissan to replace, they basically told us the same "form letter" answer they tell everyone else...Go Screw Yourself. 94508 miles 12 month 12,000 mile warranty on replaced radiator and re-manufactured as they called it transmission. A $98 diagnostic fee... they said we had other issues said drive shaft was warped, and other non transmission related things we needed to address. Told us the transmission was OK.
Fast Forward Oct 2015, we return to dealership problem continues now have a code P0717 Turbine Speed Sensor Failure or Shorted Wiring Harness. They kept vehicle over a week. They 1st called said they say the code...said valve body was shot. They called back later said the transmission was shot and we needed to come up with 3300 more dollars to replace their defective replacement. Nissan Corporate once again blew us off said they would not cover anything...no labor...no parts...they had done their part. Blew us off again. We are currently dealing with attempting to get this repaired at a fair price.
Suggest all Nissan owners install exterior independent transmission cooler and save your transmission. I will never buy another Nissan...my first new car...and my LAST. I know this is only good for me because NISSAN DOES NOT CARE!
Update from Dec 1, 2016: October 22 2016 Tramsmission left us stranded at the beach on return trip home. TCM fuse blown( Valve body computer failure shorted out) replaced fuse after 2 hours drove 185 miles home. Did not turn vehicle off during return trip. Upon arrival turned off , attempted to restart...no go. Replaced fuse once more vehicle started. Tried 3rd time failed. Had vehicle towed to a local rebuild shop with a 2 year 24000 mile warranty service that also does rebuilds inhouse. Repair costs including isolating the transmission cooling lines by installing new stand alone cooler. New radiator had failed causing the valve body to fail. The original Code P0717 Turbine Speed Sensor part was also replaced during rebuild, along with new rebuild kit and torque convertor. Total cost this trip over $3800.00. We also attempted to get Nissan help....again they blew us off....3rd transmission 113,000 miles. No wonder they discontinued Xterras. Definitely my last Nissan.
We had just replaced the Catalytic Converter for $1,000. My wife had complained at the auto mechanic's that there was something wrong with the transmission --it shuddered when shifting sometimes. They said it would be really difficult to trace exactly what the problem was intermittent. Two weeks later, while we were 150 miles from home in a very remote place, it failed. Fortunately we were able to limp home, but it was obvious there was something seriously wrong. A few months earlier, when we were getting oil change, the dealer gave us a written offer for $6900 for a trade in value. So now if we fix it it will be $4800 plus the $1,000 we spent last month on the catalytic converter, and we will end up with a value of zero.
If we had known earlier about the propensity for the radiator to fail and cause this damage, we could have been on the look-out for it, and possibly could have replaced ONLY the radiator.
I am not the only person who has had this problem with this car. This is a common issue that Nissan! knows about. They cover only $800 of the $3800 its going to cost me to fix THEIR mistake? Who was the judge that signed off on this? This should have been a recall and everyone got a new tranny, BS!
TOOK TO MECHANIC 3 TIMES HE HAS FLUSHED IT OUT 3 TIMES, AND CLEARED CODES ALSO. FINALLY HE TOLD US TAKE TO TRANSMISSION PLACE. IN TURN WE DID AND THEY TOLD US IT WAS UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM NISSAN, TO GO TO OUR NISSAN DEALER. MADE APPOINTMENT TO TAKE ON SEPT.22,2015. ITS REALLY A BIG PAIN IN THE ASS. PLUS THE VEHICLE WAS SITTING ALL THE TIME UNTIL THE SHOP COULD TAKE IT. HOPE WHEN IT GETS REPAIRED I DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT FOR WARRANTY. SHOULD BE COVERED OVER $2500 NISSAN IS NOT ON TOP OF MY LIST AT PRESENT.
My 2006 Nissan XTerra is the 2nd Nissan I've purchased new from the same dealership. I've been a loyal customer. I was told by a third party that the coolant had leaked into the transmission system and I should take it to the dealership to have them confirm. I called Uftring Nissan and right away was told to contact Nissan Consumer Affairs to have a case opened. I did so and was told a specialist would contact me the next business day. Four business days later I finally receive a call telling me that since the vehicle was just over the 10 year/100,000 mile limit (114,400) I was on my own.
Nissan, the rat bastards that they are, did not hesitate to tell me "Hit the Bricks...We're not going to offer you any assistance." I will never buy another Nissan!! I will spend the rest of my time here on this green earth warning people about the Sh*t-Show that is Nissan and their lack of customer service. If you're going to build and sell a product, at least have the decency to stand behind it. I wish I could take back every single time I had a conversation where I proudly stated we're a "Nissan Family". And last but not least...Nissan, I hate you for putting me in this situation. You put me at risk and most importantly, you put my family at risk. You should be ashamed!
Went for oil change any as mechanic is doing complementary 50 point inspection, he found oil in the radiator an noticed the hoses starting to break down. This is a $900 fix..have to replace radiator and all hoses plus do a complete flush as well as flushing tranny. Before we get that done though, we have to spend another $300 to have the transmission checked to see is if there is water in there. If there is, that is a transmission replacement!!!! $4000!!! Isn't it about time Nissan comes clean about this known problem? Nissan needs to do right by their customers an fix this to my satisfaction!
I purchased this car 2 months ago and no one advised that there was a $90 fix to prevent this from happening. The dealership basically told me to get out if I wasn't going to trade the car in or pay for the fix. Clearly this should have been addressed. They charged $600 for an inspection that clearly wasn't completed. I have been taken for a ride, lied to and screwed over by this dealer.
This is ridiculous. If Nissan had gotten the word out I would have proactively performed a preventative repair. And there's no instrumentation / warning lights to alert the driver to a potential problem The moment you detect the issue you're out $5000. Totally unacceptable. I loved my XTerra, right up to the moment the transmission failed due to this horrible, antiquated design, and total lack of warning indicators.
An incredibly dedicated, loyal Nissan customer lost. I was even thinking about buyer a new Armada. No longer. Stay well clear of Nissan.
I am the original owner of my '06 Nissan Xterra and have never had a problem with it, until now. I only put about 10,000 mi on it per year and it has been very well taken care of. When the "service engine soon" light came on, I immediately had it towed to the dealer where it was purchased.
I was told the radiator had cracked & leaked coolant into my transmission, ruining it! I did some research and found out that this is a known defect, so why isn't this a recall? I was told I ONLY had to pay $3000 instead of the $6,500 it would have taken to fix it. Nissan extended warranties to 100% for cars with up to 80,000 mi and vehicles in the 90,000 range were partially covered (as a result of a class action suit that was filed), but it seems like the majority of these issues occur after 80,000 miles.
I have always raved about my Xterra, and thought I'd buy another Nissan, but that is not the case now!
Nissan, you are losing one loyal customer and I am sure there are many more to come.
Why wasn't this reported to Nissan owners? I feel like I've been a target for everything that goes wrong with a car. I had a Toyota 4Runner that had 391 thousand miles on it and wish I never would have gotten rid of it. What a rip off.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I recently bought a used 2006 Nissan Xterra 4wd. The truck had 85000 miles when I bought it. After driving it for about a year and a half, I started having issues. One day the truck stopped working, it would not go past 10 miles an hour. I had to tow the truck to my house and had a local mechanic look into the problem. He said that the transmission had fluids in it that came from a cracked or old radiator or something like that. So I replaced the radiator and now the car still won't work. I do not have a warranty on the truck and Nissan says it does not cover the damage because there is no recall on this vehicle for this problem. Now I need a new transmission that cost over 3500 dollars. This sucks. I hope I can get some help.
- Carlos Z., Santa Ana, CA, US