Driving home from post office in august 2010 truck would not exceed 35 MPH and started to shake intensely. I got it towed to the dealer who diagnosed $9500 to fix, I was over mileage by about 1500 miles so all out of pocket. I parked it immediately due to lack of funds, much due to a $565 payment for a $30k new truck for 5plus years. Nissan north america denied me any assistance, and was actually more rude than the have the least bit of empathy while I was told I did reach the top person who was the final say. Many months passed and I replaced the radiator and other things, so it appeared as I saved the trans from harm by parking it but now at 98000 miles the service engine light is on coding an at brake issue while the tranny is getting jumpy and sluggish again. Quick search returns a big expense and cross contamination most likely did occur and can end up costing me well over $40000 in the long run for a midsize truck that I have owned and took good care of since new and I cant even get rid of it now except for losing even more money...very unhappy as an owner of 4 nissans in my time I really expected a quality product, now I worry about when it could go, as I was recently laid off I don't have the money for repairs or another car.
2005 Nissan Frontier transmission complaints
Page 6 of 10: complaints 131 to 160 of 262, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Driving down the road at 50 and suddenly as im going up a hill the truck bucks like its running out of gas and then suddenly I lose all forward power no symptoms previously just up and stopped the engines still running but not power come to find out its a transmission failure from what my tech said its a very common problem with certain 2005 and newer nissan models said the radiator transmission and transmission controller atm may need to be replaced. I would of never bought this truck if I new about this horrendous oversight in the manufacture of these vehicles and of nissans continued lack of attention to this common and very painful problem.
The transmission failed caused by a ruptured seal in the radiator.
I was going to yuma az, when all of the sudent the car started to loose speed whike the rmp was going crazy, we almost got hit by a hugh commercial truck, since then I have had a lots of problems with the trans, right now I have to buy the valve body!
Radiator ruptured and coolant leaked into transmission causing transmission problems and had to be fixed. Transmission performance declined and then could not drive vehicle.
When the car had about 60 thousand miles I went to the dealership because I felt like there was something wrong in the way car started to drive. I asked for paper work of the inspection but was not provided instead got the estimate of things that were not important at that time had noting to do with the issue I was having with the car. After a while I had to use that vehicle my only car,it start slipping on the gears. Car had about 98 thousand on it!! And little after that transmission went!! I have taken the car to norwich dealership for answers. When they have told me is not covered by my warranty because car had at that time over a 100,000 miles (103,000 miles). I bought the car from nissan dealership car was display model and had 7 thousand miles on it when I got it. Dealership stated that's a new car and this 7 thousand miles wont count to the warranty major selling point price was lower!!! When I told them about it they said its over the warranty and they cant do anything unless I pay my self. I have received a letter from nissan about class action unfortunately it doesn't help me because my car has more that 100 thousand miles. So I have a car which has been paid of and it just sits on the driveway because its broke and I don't have $3000 to just go and fix it and I don't think I should since they new what was the problem since the beginning!!!
After accelerating up to 50mph I let up off of the gas and then the transmission kicked in again and caused me to go lunge forward. I thought that I had been rear ended but there was no one behind me and obviously no damage to my vehicle. It felt as if I had a standard and had revved up the engine and popped the clutch. This is very unsafe especially if I had been an inexperienced driver. Nissan had a class action lawsuit out for this but it only covered up to 100,000 miles, although they knew about this being a manufacturer's defect. I took this to the nissan dealer and had to pay them $119 to diagnose the problem and tell me that it would cost me $5600.00 plus tax. I don't have this to pay on a manufacturer's defect that causes a safety hazard. I hope no one is killed before nissan is made to fix this problem.
After buying the truck from a dealership, I was driving home. I got about 5 miles from the dealership when the vehicle started shaking. I took it to a nissan dealership to who confirmed what I was afraid of. There was coolant in the transmission fluid. We submitted it to the warranty company that I had purchased a warranty from when I bought the truck only to find out that since the transmission failure was due to an uncovered part(oil cooler) they would not honor the warranty. After doing more research on the problem and seeing as many claims of this issue how has nissan not recalled the transmission? It is obvious that this normally does not normally happen until after the extended warranty ends. Like everyone else I am looking at a $6000+ repair bill, and until I can come up with that money I have to look outside at my $12,000 lawn ornament...
At the time of the transmission failure I had no prior signs of a problem. As I was merging on to the 4 lane at a speed of about 45-50 MPH the truck began shaking violently. I thought I had gotten some bad fuel because I had just filled the fuel. The shaking somewhat smoothed out at about 60 MPH, though the truck was lacking normal power, and would shudder when pulling a grade. I drove the truck about 10 miles and stopped to get some fuel treatment because I still thought I was having fuel problems. At this point the truck began to act as if the transmission was in neutral, then the transmission would grab and jar the truck violently. At this time I was in heavy traffic and nearly hit. I barely got the truck to my mechanic. Further inspection by my mechanic showed antifreeze in the transmission. I had to have the transmission totally rebuilt and replaced the radiator, at a cost of about $4,000. About a year prior I had the transmission flushed, replaced filter and fluid as preventative maintenance. The truck has been maintained properly because I planned to keep the truck for long term. My truck is past the warranty so total cost is incurred by me.
My truck first started shuddering on acceleration in 2011 at 68,000 miles. I checked it out and found foamy coolant and strawberry like milk shake in my transmission. Since it was out of warranty I tried to save it by changing the fluid and doing the bypass which worked for a while. Soon after I received a notice that they extended the warranty on this issue (making it within warranty). I then took it to the nissan dealer to have them check it out, they said they checked the pressure on the radiator and said everything was fine. Now 2 years later at 100,000 miles my truck can't shift into overdrive. This is very upsetting and I feel you guys should be responsible for fixing this problem. All these vehicles should be recalled!
Started it up... Hardly moved. Squeaking sound under the hood. Looks like the infamous radiator leak into the transmission....
The truck lurched ahead while at a stop light, just missing a pedestrian. Took the car to the nissan dealership today. Was told that coolant from a cracked radiator had ruined the transmission and repair would be $5700.00. Car was in perfect condition and always dealer maintained. Dealership said they could do nothing as far as warranty. They gave me nissan north america's number. They refused to do anything. This is a defect. Not a worn out part. This vehicle should be recalled. Not safe.
I was driven @ 45 MPH I fell the roughness of the truck, I took the truck to the dealer the technician said that the transmission got mixed up w/ the coolant and they told me that it need to replace the transmission and radiator. Anyway I purchased outside extended warranty for my truck last year and I cannot used it because their policy that it doesn't cover cooling system. I call north nissan they said they give us extended warranty for me is not the warranty it is manufacture defect pls. Help me that nissan will fix the problem.
Sudden loss of power/stalling. Check engine light came on as well as anti-slip light. Took vehicle same day to nissan dealership. Truck actually stalled on the way to the dealership however I was able to get it started again. Diagnosed the problem as a bad cam shaft sensor. Sensor was replaced. They also mentioned that transmission fluid was contaminated with engine coolant. Suggested repair was to replace the radiator and the transmission-$4800. I chose to just replace the cam sensor. Three days later, 8/9, lost power at highway speed. Radiator and hoses leaked and had to be towed to dealership. Again dealership suggested replacing the radiator as well as the transmission. Replaced radiator and hoses, flushed transmission twice. I plan to dispose the truck. There were no warning signs prior to these two incidents. My opinion is that this is definitely a manufacturing/engineering defect.
Three days after receiving the letter from nissan regarding the "possible" problem with the radiator failing I was on my way to work and my truck started to shudder at about 45mph. I pulled off the road but could not see anything wrong. I then had it checked out and found out about the radiator failing and damaged the transmission resulting in a total rebuild! Called nissan and after 3 weeks of back and forth talks of "seeing what we can do for you" the end result was sorry theirs nothing we can do for you! If this problem would of happen on an interstate highway with my family along I hate to think what could have happened!
My slip started to go on and it would down shift and sometimes stall. I needed brakes so I went to tony nissan to have my brakes done and the slip checked out and they called me and said that a transmission line inside my radiator cracked and was leaking into my transmission and I needed to replaced both ( $9000.00 dollars that I don't have.) nissan has extended it's warrant to 10 years and 100000 miles, but my truck has over 147000 miles. This is not my fault as it is due to a faulty radiator that they knew about. It's just not right, I drive a lot do to my work. I don't know what to do. Please help .. I do not know the VIN number it is at the nissan dealer having my brakes done.
I started noticing my automatic nissan frontier having problems shifting gears around november of 2012. I eventually took the truck into a dealership to take a look at it after receiving paperwork in regards to a lawsuit nissan is encountering due to radiator leaks. When I took the truck into the dealer they told me this did not have anything to do with radiator leak. They quoted me 5,000 in repairs. I did not have the money to fix the problem so I continued to drive it until july 12th it finally gave out. I was getting off of the freeway and as I was stopping at the red light to get off of the freeway the truck started to feel like it was going to give and it started shaking, it jerked suddenly and almost caused the car behind me to crash into my bumper, I put a little more gas into the truck and made it into the parking lot of the nearest place around. As I was going to park it finally gave out for good. I called a local towing company and they took the car back my house, I called up a mechanic to come to the house and examine the truck and he advised me of the radiator leak, the one the nissan dealership denied having. I am very upset that they lied to me as well as nissan only extending the warranty to 80,000 miles when most people are experiencing this problem after that. I have aprox 118,000 miles, I will look for a lawyer to file a class action lawsuit against nissan.
Took my frontier to the local nissan dealer for transmission flush. I was told by the service manager that this service could not be completed due radiator coolant leaking into my transmission. Through research, I have found many owners of frontiers have reported the same transmission issue and have share this issue with nissan. There were no warning signs and no support to owners like myself with trucks over a 100,000 miles. It appears nissan has been aware of this transmission/radiator issue with this vehicle and their suvs for some time. This defect is a major safety concern and very costly for owners to correct. Thank you for your time and support.
Vehicle shuddered and lost acceleration when passing another vehicle. Vehicle following behind had to make panic stop in order to avoid collision with rear of my vehicle. Was advised by a mechanic that this vehicle has a known transmission failure issue.
I brought my truck into the nissan dealer after transmission problems. Nissan acknowledged that there is a known defect with the 2005 frontier that causes cross contamination between the radiator and transmission. Despite only being 6k over the 80k free repair, I had to pay $2500 out of pocket for deductible. This seems unreasonable as it is a known defect affecting 2005-2009 frontiers and xterras.
The radiator developed a crack and cause fluid to leak into the transmission lines causing a failure to both pieces of equipment. This could have been avoided if nissan would have warned me about issues concerning this failure that is occurring in lots of similar models.
My 2005 frontier has never given me any problems until 2 days ago. The transmission started messing up. I came upon a 4 way stop & when I went to cross the road it was like I had it in neutral. I pulled over & stopped then tried to start again & it did the same thing. I've since heard & read about all the problems involving the coolant & transmission. The quotes I have received to fix this are outrageous. Nissan should recall these vehicles because they know they have a problem with them. Not a happy customer anymore.
To whom it may concern: I own a 2005 nissan frontier se. On saturday, june 15, 2013 the vehicle failed while I was approaching an overpass in a downpour of thunderstorms. It appeared the vehicle's transmission failed. I had to steer my vehicle off the road as the transmission seemed to have slipped into neutral. Thankfully, no injury or accident occurred. After speaking with a nissan of north american customer service representative, I had it towed into pat fisher nissan in titusville on monday morning, june 17th. In the meantime after researching on the internet (www.nissanhelp.com), I learned nissan is in litigation due to a 'design flaw' in the radiator; causing cross contamination of fluids (radiator to transmission) resulting in major damage to the vehicle. This results in replacing the radiator and having the engine flushed ($1097.00); and an additional fee ($4524.00) for replacing the transmission. After a class action law suit, nissan has agreed to pay partial payment for the repairs if your vehicle falls under their specific guidelines (year of vehicle and odometer reading). Unfortunately, my vehicle did not. My concern: since this malfunction is a 'design flaw' (told this by a nissan employee) by the manufacturer, how do customers get nissan of north america to accept responsibility? There should be no limitations or guidelines to meet. All vehicles with this problem should be repaired by nissan of north america before death or a serious accident occurs. This is a safety issue. The vehicle shifts itself into neutral while engaged in drive. This should be a safety recall and the expense of repair be reimbursed by nissan of north america corporation to the consumer. Thank you for your consideration and review. I look forward to a response. Sincerely
Driving on freeway, felt a vibration in the vehicle, and then a rapid decrease in speed as the transmission seemed to shift out of gear and loose power. Luckily, was able to make it across three lanes in heavy traffic to safety. Vehicle would not shift into gear, and had to be towed to my local dealer. Luckily I was driving the truck instead of my wife or son, and was able to maneuver the vehicle out of this dangerous situation.
Automatic transmission began stumbling and then I lost 5th gear. Took to durabuild transmission shop and was told that engine coolant had gotten into the transmission from the radiator transmission cooling lines. Transmission had to be cleaned & repaired. The valve body assembly had to be replaced along with the solenoid. Repair bill came to $4100.00.
At highway speed of 70 MPH and in a rainstorm, nissan frontier 2005 seemed to slip out of gear and never re engage. Was left on the roadside unable to shift into any gear. Motor would start and when shifted into any gear, would rev with no transmission engagement. Vehicle towed to a transmission shop who pulled the pan and found radiator fluid in the transmission. Told me that this was a common problem with frontiers, pathfinders, and xterras, but nissan was not taking responsibility for the design flaw. I am now left with a $6000.00 dollar repair on a truck the is only worth about $6000.00.
Took my truck in for air-conditioning service. Nissan dealer found transmission fluid in my coolant. They stated I needed a new radiator due to transmission cooler in radiator failure. They changed out the radiator, the cost was over 1200.00. Once radiator was fixed they stated they found a small amount of coolant in my transmission. They flushed the transmission twice (additional 250.00) but could not tell me if there was any damage to the transmission. They also stated they have never had this failure at this dealership in fredericksburg, va before the new nissan extended warranty expires (90000 miles or 9 years). Nissan has known about this issue for a long time.....
I was driving the nissan frontier about 50 MPH when the RPM shot up then dropped and the transmission quit causing the vehicle to stop. I had to cross two lanes of traffic to avoid a major accident. I managed to get the truck to the dealer and was told it was a problem with the transmission leaking fluid into the radiator causing the transmission to fail with out any warning. I was told the fix would cost me around 5,500.00 dollars. Nissan is aware of this problem and really should correct it before some one is killed by this obvious major malfunction in the design of there product.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan frontier. The contact observed an oil leave in the driveway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics, who stated that coolant fluid was leaking and the transmission fluid was mixing with the coolant fluid. The vehicle was repaired by replacing the radiator and the transmission assembly. The failure was not reported to the manufacturer. The failure and current mileage was 89,047.
Engine warning light came on, shudders at 40mph, transmission shifting erratic. Took into nissan service center who told us that coolant had leaked into transmission from a faulty radiator and it would cost $5500 to replace transmission as we were out of warranty. Nissan knows about this problem.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2005 Nissan Frontier?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history