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.

9.0

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$4,180
Average Mileage:
113,550 miles
Total Complaints:
148 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. replace transmission and radiator (92 reports)
  2. not sure (19 reports)
  3. replace transmission (19 reports)
  4. replace radiator and flush transmission (10 reports)
  5. rebuild transmission/replace radiator (5 reports)
  6. replace radiator, possible transmission (2 reports)
2007 Nissan Xterra transmission problems

transmission problem

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2007 Nissan Xterra Owner Comments (Page 1 of 8)

problem #148

Apr 152020

Xterra SE 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 125,000 miles

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

Went out to go to work and the car wouldn’t start. After towing and a significant bill found I had to spend $3000.00 more to get my car back so I could go to work again. The consumer is getting ripped off by these companies and it’s not fair. You buy a nice car cause you need it and it’s a significant part of your budget and the consumer has to foot the bill when a car maker will not make a legitimate PROBLEM with their product known or help with the consequences. Won't be no better off with any big company. The little guy don’t stand a chance to be treated fairly.

- Willard L., Elkin, US

problem #147

May 012019

Xterra

  • Automatic transmission
  • 105,000 miles

I put the vehicle in the dealer and asked for them to inform me of any defects and recalls on this vehicle in November of 2015, in which they lied to me and told me that there wasn't any. I just found out 2021 that there is two major defects, and two recalls. I paid over $1,000 for this inspection.

I just went down to the court house to start a lawsuit.

- Kerry D., Baltimore, MD, US

problem #146

Jan 052015

Xterra SEL V6

  • Manual transmission
  • 90,000 miles

Not to sound too critical but why did anyone wait before fixing the problem? Nissan warned me and extended the warranty to 90000 miles. When I got to 89000, I simply replaced the radiator for less than $800. Much cheaper than a $5000 repair.

- adastra08 , Scottsdale, US

problem #145

Dec 132019

Xterra S 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 185,000 miles

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

Of course I purchase a used vehicle and discover a major fault after the fact. I had owned two other Nissan vehicles before this and loved them. Very disappointing that these car dealers don't back up their products. Same goes for suburu with their head gaskets. I loved discovering the pink milkshake in my radiator when I went to top it off. Shame that no recall was made as now I'm like many other Xterra owners who have to buy another car as its cheaper than fixing the problem with a car with such high mileage.

Of course all the car manufacturers do the same thing so who can you really trust to stand behind their product? No one really. Just a roll of the dice when trying to buy a reliable vehicle these days. Nissan should be ashamed. Of course they are considered the low end of the market in the UK for cars and truck so its no wonder they don't stand behind their products. Shame on them.

- Speak T., East Wilton, ME, US

problem #144

Jun 012019

Xterra S V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 89,000 miles

I had the shuttering problem that turned out to be the radiator fluid leaking into the transmission. It hadn't been going on long and I don't drive that much. The service center replaced the radiator with one that is a fix for this problem (Altrom 432180 $344). They flushed the transmission and a new thermostat. They said this is a permanent fix and will not happen again. $1,644.00. I hope they are right! and this helps others with this problem.

Update from Aug 15, 2019: So I got my car back after that work and I hadn't driven much less than 50 miles and a week and a half later. Just doing 40 mph and it would not shift (automatic). Pulled over to see what happened (check engine soon light came on). Had to turn around and put it in reverse. It didn't go. Shut off the engine. Started and went into reverse. Went home and called the shop. Brought it in they replaced the low coast brake solenoid and added a conditioner to the transmission. Runs fine, they say just drive it. But that I may have to replace the transmission. Anyone out there with similar problem with hopefully positive results? $200 bill this time. I am at 89,700 miles with my 2007 Nissan Xterra.

Thanks

- A B., Santa Cruz, US

problem #143

May 052019

Xterra S 4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 184,979 miles

Stupid Nissan and their STUPID SMOD problem they REFUSE to fix. Oil mixed in with my trans fluid. Flushed Everything. New radiator. NOW I'm throwing codes left and right and can't afford to fix this POS. Nissan does not care. They said on Facebook to call their # and file a report. Why? So nothing can be done? Taking my truck to a tranny shop tomorrow. Will update when I finally find out what's going on.

- Bridget E., Memphis, TN, US

problem #142

Jun 262018

Xterra V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 135,000 miles

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

I put a new transmission in and a radiator and flushed everything and 2 months later the same thing happened where the transmission fluid was mixing with the coolant. Now I'm sitting at my mechanics trying to figure out what I'm going to do.

- Dorothy M., homer, NY, US

problem #141

Jul 012018

Xterra V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 86,000 miles

This is terrible...I'm sick to my stomach about this...how can a car maker knowingly have a design flaw and not fix the problem it started. I'm the original owner and probably need to go buy a brand new vehicle because of their poor design...I can tell you one thing it won't be a Nissan if this is the way they treat their customers.

- Vince F., Philadelphia, PA, US

problem #140

Aug 312017

Xterra

  • Automatic transmission
  • 135,000 miles

Bought a 2007 Nissan xterra with 125000 miles in December of 2016. August 31 2017 my family and I were on our way to the state fair when transmission suddenly gave out in the middle of traffic. We tried to nurse back into town but got stuck in the middle of the road with a semi truck barreling down us. Had to get out and push car to the side of the road to avoid getting struck. NHTSA says the is no safety risk with the this type of problem for this model of car. They are dead wrong my family was almost killed because the radiator leaked coolant into the transmission causing it to fail. Nissan knows about the defective radiators but has issued no recall whatsoever. Is it going to take a whole family getting killed before Nissan does something or the government does something. Repair cost is 6150 dollars to replace radiator and transmission. Contacted Nissan and they said nothing we can do for you your sol goodbye.

- angryman123, Hastings, US

problem #139

Jul 022017

Xterra SE 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 124,000 miles

This is terrible customer service if the company knows about the defect and does nothing to help or warn the customer!

- Joyce K., Elyria, OH, US

problem #138

Jun 152017

Xterra LX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 92,122 miles

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

I went to Nissan with the problem in January and they wanted me to pay $10,000 to fix it. No. really what they wanted was for me to trade it in and buy a new car. I checked around with some transmission places and they wanted half what Nissan wanted to fix the he same problem, actually they fixed the universal joint that failed as well, for a lot less money.The universal joint fell off while they were trying to tow it.

- grimesfelecia99, Portsmouth, US

problem #137

Jul 242014

Xterra SE

  • Automatic transmission
  • 95,000 miles

I had problems with the transmission fluid mixing also. Truck had no power to it. Problem went on for months, no one had any idea what was going on. I brought the Xterra into Nissan, they recommended new tires and balancing. So I priced around for tires, got new tires and balancing at Sears. Same problem. Got oil changed, they said someone must have accidentally put oil in the wrong hole, so they flushed it out and refilled everything.

A couple of weeks later, my truck lost power and steering when I was driving locally. After turning on truck OFF and ON again, it reset, but I was totally freaked out by that time already. The next day I brought it back to Nissan. Only after bringing the truck back to Nissan for the third time did I get an answer from a Nissan Service Manager.

Apparently when I brought my truck in the last couple of times I dealt with other Service Techs that were unaware of the transmission fluid issues. Unfortunately, my truck now had over 100,000 miles and they wouldn't do ANYTHING to help me out. They said it would cost $6,000 to repair, but they do accept credit cards. So I traded it in.

They deducted the $6,000 from the current value of the truck and gave me $2,000 toward my next vehicle. I bought an Altima only because I felt like I was stuck and in a bind. I won't be buying anymore NISSAN products in the future.

- jherleth, Jackson, nj, US

problem #136

Jun 152017

Xterra

  • Automatic transmission
  • 97,000 miles

The radiator had a malfunction sending antifreeze into the transmission pan,causing the tranny to go. Not happy. After looking up because I've never heard of this happening, there are a lot of nissans this is happening to over 90000 miles. Nissan should be held responsible. This isn't fair. I will never buy from nissan again.

- heatherandmark286, Stillwater, US

problem #135

Jul 092016

Xterra X 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 171,168 miles

$6500.00 is a bit high your website says...Well that is the original estimate that General Transmission gave me after they inspected it. The transmission was blown on account the radiator failed internally and sent coolant into the transmission. I purchased it from a dealer and there was no evidence at the time of purchase so clearly someone hid the problem by changing fluids in both tranny and radiator. I paid 8500.00 for the Xterra which is high retail. Two days later with a full tank of fuel and three passengers and myself were getting on the freeway to drive just one mile and then exit. Two miles later at home, a heavy gear oil smell could be smelled and it was massively slipping in drive and reverse and totally lost 4x4. I had it towed the next day after reading some yelp reviews. General Transmission in Reno have it at pressent and the bill has been lowered a bit and the used car lot that sold it to me is picking up some of the bill. Less than half, but at least I am getting some compensation. I was told it had a 90 day warranty on the power train and if anything should go wrong with any part that makes the vehicle go forward, the warranty would fully cover it. Well that is what Mill Street Auto in Reno Nv. said. But the fine print says a max of 500.00 of coverage. So again not what I expected. But at least that is another 500.00 off the bill. I cant wait to get back on the road and drive because the Nissan really is a nice comfortable vehicle to drive. Plenty of room to travel and camp so enough about this. Wish Nissan would have put out a service bulliten to all the Xterra owners to replace the radiator and prevent this whole mess. I would have rather spent 800.00 on a new radiator.

- Dorothy H., Palm Springs, CA, US

problem #134

Apr 242017

Xterra LS V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 124,000 miles

I have had my Xterra serviced from day 1 of purchase at the dealership. Always tell the service department to do whatever it needs. Never have they mentioned to me the transmission problems that have been going on with this model. I could have had the radiator or whatever needed to prevent this.

Now last week my car makes a strange jerking when going into 4th gear and I take it straight to Nissan. They call me and tell me it is going to be $5000 to repair? Unbelievable ! They act like it is no big deal. After looking on line and seeing they have known of this issue for quite a while angers me even more. There should be a recall on this problem. No one should be stuck with bills like this for the fault of Nissan.

I will tell everyone I can STAY AWAY FROM NISSAN!!!

- cylindersplus, Evans, US

problem #133

Feb 252017

Xterra SE 4L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 148,609 miles

My car started having trouble heating unless the car was moving >20 mph, I also noticed it started to "skip" when I would it would shift gears and at times felt as if I was running on a wash board surface. Finally took it in and found the radiator leaked into the transmission. Had to order the new transmission and it and the radiator are being replaced next week.

- Lisa B., Edmonds, WA, US

problem #132

Sep 142016

Xterra SE 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 111,569 miles

The second of the many common, expensive and necessary repairs we've had to make on our Xterra.

Around 110k miles, I took it in for a free inspection and asked them to take a look at the tranny fluid. I had just heard about the potential issue and wanted to check before I rerouted the cooler line away from the radiator. Sure enough mine had mixed.

The dealership offered the options of replacing the radiator and flushing the transmission. Was i believe $400 for the former and upwards of $3,000 for the latter. I opted to change the radiator myself (bought online for ~$100) and then paid a transmission shop to flush the transmission for $260 until it ran clean (through the torque converter, as recommended by a transmission friend). Now driving with fingers crossed we caught it in time to save the transmission.

A couple of videos online for replacing the radiator, took me about 2 hours, wasn't too bad.

- John F., Portland, OR, US

problem #131

Feb 032016

Xterra LX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 107,000 miles

The warranty was good to 100,000 miles however the problem has been in existence since the manufacture date. I was never informed of the problem even though Nissan says they sent out notice. Poor business practice. I had purchased a 2015 Nissan Armada prior to knowledge of the existing problem. I will never buy another Nissan

- horntx, Lufkin, TX, US

problem #130

Dec 232015

Xterra

  • Automatic transmission
  • 105,345 miles

This vehicle originated from USA, bought from a Canadian and shipped across border. My dilemma is that due to this aforementioned reason neither Nissan North America or Nissan Canada take ownership for this vehicle. I was told by dealer that USA sent out a warning letter, which I did not receive, Canada did not therefore I was unaware to monitor the cracked radiator leaking into transmission. By the time I was alerted due to a sound like I was driving on gridlines, it was too late.

Last December 23, 2015 I was told it was going to cost 7000.00 Canadian to fix my vehicle and that it was not covered under warranty due to mileage (105345 miles) and that Nissan Smiths Falls had never had them cover it past extended warranty. Merry Christmas to me! I decided it was worth fixing as vehicle otherwise is a good, solid vehicle. I had just put new tires on it in September 2015. It was cheaper than buying another vehicle to which I could not afford as I am a single person with one income, stretched by a mortgage.

To say the least, I was overwhelmed due to time of year and was sobbing in the Nissan dealerships parking lot wondering what to do. Smiths Falls Nissan was amazing with me and gave me a rental for the 3 weeks it took (due to holiday period it would take longer to fix). I have the vehicle and it is running fine, but don’t trust it any longer.

- Christine C., Kingston, ON, Canada

problem #129

Oct 252016

Xterra

  • Automatic transmission
  • 97,000 miles

Nissan refused to fix the problem. I paid a lot of money for this truck. I'm angry.

- Micheline A., Brooklyn, NY, US

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