My 2005 nissan frontiers transmission failed at 137,000 miles. I was driving on the freeway when it seemed to jolt out of 5th gear to 4th. Check engine light came on. I headed to nissan but it seemed to only remain in a high gear (3rd or 4th). They diagnosed it as a failed transmission due to coolant leaking into the transmission. Its a known problem. I called nissan headquarters and asked for help they said no. I had an extended powertrain warranty through aul, but because it was the radiator that leaked and not a transmission failure they won't cover it.
2005 Nissan Frontier: engine overheating
30 of the 532 complaints about the 2005 Nissan Frontier describe engine overheating.
- owner complaints
- 30
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 103,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 14 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Engine overheating by model year
What owners say
Vehicle shaking and complete turn off. A/t cont fuse blows out. Known issue in internet regarding transmission and coolant leak.
Vehicle was driving then hurt a loud thud. Engine raced. Took it to mechanic. Then a transmission shop. They said coolant leaked into transmission. Need new tranny and radiator.
Transmission started shuddering in od - radiator coolant leaked into transmission
Transmission oil leaking into coolant system and coolant leaking into transmission.
Radiator and transmission failure due to coolant leaking into the transmission. This poses a significant safety issue when I lose power on a busy interstate. The transmission loses power when trying to upshift. Inspection completed via an authorized nissan dealership. Efforts to rectify with nissan have failed. This issue has been known for quite some time and is marked as an open the federal safety agency investigation.
Nissan transmission destroyed by engine coolant leak. Had no problem with transmission until one day, shifted into drive and transmission was stuck in higher gear. Thought it was electrical. Turned the car off then back on. Would not engage in reverse, but forward was back to normal. Took to aamco transmission repair and was told this was a common problem with nissans in that the design flaw allows engine coolant to mix with transmission fluid and destroys the transmission. Cost to replace is estimated at $4100, can not obtain a used transmission because all the same transmissions have the same problem with engine coolant leakage. Vehicle has 155k miles, and did not have any warning signs of transmission problems. Nissan needs to be responsible for their design flaw. This truck which was running fine last week, will now be sold for scrap at a junkyard as I can not afford to repair for $4100. Aamco transmission said junk yards are full of same nissans due to other owners with the same problem.
2005 nissan frontier. Consumer writes in regards to coolant leaks from radiator into transmission.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan frontier. While driving at approximately 35 MPH, the radiator overheated and allowed coolant to spill into the transmission. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle began to decelerate and was towed to a local dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the transmission and the radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.
Due to a defect known by nissan, the radiator coolant leaked into the transmission causing transmission failure. Nissan knew about the defect and did nothing to correct it. Instead they added an "extended warranty" that most people will not be able to take advantage of due to years/mileage limitations. I made it into the last bracket, where my co-pay for the repair is $3000 instead of the full $5800. The dealer did not research the warranty and tried to have me pay full price. I will never buy a nissan again due to their decision not to take responsibility for a known defect.
Transmission began to shudder at speeds 40-50 MPH a few weeks ago, feels like going over shallow rumble strips. Did research online and found that the issue is coolant leaking into the transmission fluid.this has been a major issue with all 2005 nissan frontiers. My truck has 103,xxx miles. Outside the warranty now. Never new of this warranty and now I'm stuck paying thousands of dollars out of pocket for new transmission and radiator.
I was driving on the highway and my truck shutters like going over shallow rumble strips for about 3 weeks. I realized it was my transmission and searched on transmission issues with my truck and found the big one (coolant leaking into the transmission fluid). I immediately flushed the coolant and the transmission fluid, performed the at cooler bypass operation and refilled. I'm now saying my prayers, taking my vitamins, and exercising hoping for the best.
Service bulletins that may apply
- MIL on with DTC P0448
- These SKUs are Exhaust Manifolds with Catalytic Converters
- MIL on with DTC P0448
- OBD II evap
- Service information
- Nissan: DTC P0420 (tw catalyst sys-bi) stored in the ECM. confirm
- Nissan service campaign: voluntary emissions recall campaign - 2003-2005 sentra / 2005-2006 frontier ECM...
- Buzzing/whining noise from timing chain area
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- Nissan is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 armada, titan, infiniti qx56 and model year 2005-2006 frontier, pathfinder and xterra vehicles. The intelligent power distribution module (ipdm) assembly contains an engine control module (ECM) relay that has a diode for electrical current noise reduction. The ECM relay may allow silicon vapor to form and, over time, the silicon evaporates from the diode molding which causes silicon oxide to develop on the ECM relay contact due to arcing.
- Risk
- This could cause engine stalling increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the ECM relay inside the ipdm assembly. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on december 6, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 10V517000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2005 Nissan Frontier overheating
Is engine overheating a common problem on the 2005 Nissan Frontier?
30 of 532 owner complaints about the 2005 Nissan Frontier (6%) mention engine overheating. The model year with the most reports is 2005.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2005 Nissan Frontier?
There is 1 recall and 14 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2005 Nissan Frontier
Fuel gauge 137Check engine light 65Transmission failure 65Stalling 38Slipping 33Loss of power 24Shudder 20Jerking 16Won't start 12Fuel pump 9Hesitation 9Harsh shifting 6Airbag light 5Won't shift 5
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