I have a cracked radiator that is leaking coolant into the transmission of my 2006 nissan frontier. When the 2 fluids mix it creates a mixture called toxic hell stew that is irreversible and will eventually kill my 5-speed automatic transmission.
2006 Nissan Frontier engine complaints
Page 3 of 6: complaints 41 to 70 of 155, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Timing chains guides and tensioners used by nissan were known by nissan to be faulty resulting premature failure and extremely costly engine repairs
I bought the truck from a private party. As it was not registered, I have not tried. I subsequently overview, that the transmission was not normal. I looked at the worst default of the frontier on the internet and I find that everyone has a problem radiator crack leaked into transmission fluid. I have been to the garage. They said there was coolant in the oil transmission. I had to replace the transmission and radiator coolant radiator bypass. It cost me $ 2,408 cad
According to the mechanic, the transmission coolant reservoir (which is connected to the radiator) collapsed causing water, antifreeze and transmission fluid to mix. These fluids then made their way into the radiator, transmission and coolant reservoir. This, in turn, caused extensive damage to my transmission. My transmission then required replacement/rebuild. The first possible sign of the problem was rough automatic shifting of the vehicle. I then noticed a leak of transmission fluid from the front passenger side of the vehicle (which was parked in my driveway). This was followed by a loss of power/drivability.
I bought my 06 nissan frontier with 95000 miles great truck loved it when it got to 118000 miles the radiator messed up causing me to replace the rad and trans flush 500$ two weeks later no reverse one day headed home from work going up lick hill second gear gos out causing me to get rearened then there's 200$ for towing and a smashed up truck just spent 8000 on the truck and can not afford to put 4000 more in it what the hell this is a joke my truck will rot to the ground before I spend 4000 more I hope this is taken care of nobody should have to deal with this now I a piece of just that's not worth 2500 nissan u suck
Cross contamination of coolant and transmission fluid due to factory defect in radiator. Began with no heat suddenly in the middle of january. No check engine light to warn of issue. Changed out the thermonstat and noticed the strawberry foamy liquid in the radiator then search 2006 nissan transmission problems on line. Vehicle also stops and starts very, very, slowly in intersections, on ramps.
While driving down the highway at 60 MPH, my 2006 nissan frontier suddenly was running very rough, it decelerated and I only had low gear enough to barely make it off the hwy and out of the way of high speed traffic. No dash/idiot lights came on identifying any problems, there was no warning at all. Truck was towed to nissan dealership who said the transmission, and radiator, and thermostat all needed to be replaced!! They charged us $5,500. This truck only had 135,000 miles, and was kept in great condition, at time of it's failure. Nissan should be ashamed of making the consumer bear the cost of nissan's faulty parts!! They are flat out lucky if no one's been injured, or killed due to this failure! Had I been on the interstate as planned the very next day, in this truck, I wonder if I'd be here today. There should be no question or hesitation that this "transmission failure" is a safety issue and needs to be a full fledged recall. And we should not have to foot the bill for nissan's screw-ups with our hard earned money. It is simply wrong.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 nissan frontier. While driving 40 MPH, the vehicle shifted out of gear independently. The vehicle decelerated and stalled. During the failure, the check engine soon light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the radiator coolant tank leaked fluid onto the transmission. The radiator and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 nissan frontier. The contact stated that the vehicle would start independently with the key in his pocket and when depressing the brake pedal, the engine would fail. The contact also stated that when he disconnect or reconnect the battery, the engine would start up without the key in the ignition. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000. Updated 04/14/16*lj updated 05/11/18*jb
The vehicle has 86,700 miles, I always took care of it, changing oil at 3000 mile intervals, never towed with it, etc., etc., while driving the trans slipped out of gear, luckily I was able to pull over and nobody was in back of me, when I got it to the dealer, they said the timing chain and guides needed replacement plus the radiator leaked and the trans cooler contaminated the transmission and they both had to be replaced and it cost me near $5000.00 for total repairs.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 nissan frontier. After taking the vehicle on a trip, it was witnessed that the vehicle was leaking transmission and radiator fluid. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that water was mixing with transmission fluid, which resulted in engine failure. Details of the repair were unavailable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 142,000. Updated 1/21/16
Whining noise coming from timing chain or timing chain tensioner when engine running (both during idle or running on highway). The video below is the exact sound coming from my engine. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iadr9xnazco
Bought the truck used at a nissan dealership. Had under 50k miles. 2 months ago check engine light came on and heat was not working. Had it looked at several times spending money each time but they could not find problem. Last month truck started running rough. Found out this week it needs a new transmission/radiator due to a problem that nissan has known about for years. There was a class action lawsuit about the problem. They said my truck is too old to qualify for help. According to sites I see we do qualify and I need some help. It overheated today and broke down on highway and is not drivable. I need someone to help me with this.
I was informed that there was a cracked radiator in my truck that was leaking fluids into my transmission. This was on sunday 9/27/15. The employee of my local dealership informed me about this. The following I was informed by the service department that I would need to replace the radiator and transmission. I was told that this was an "ongoing" issue going on with vehicles that match my make and model.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 nissan frontier. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle independently switched into four wheel drive as the vehicle lost power. The four wheel drive light illuminated. The engine warning light also illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the ECM (engine control module) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 10v517000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure mileage was 124,000.
The transmission on my truck suddenly went out with no warning during my morning commute in heavy traffic on the 202 loop in phoenix. Shifting to a different gear had the same effect as stepping on the gas, which was that the engine revved with no increase or decrease in speed. I had to coast across 4 lanes of fast moving traffic. It was an incredibly dangerous situation. I am told by the nissan dealership that transmission fluid mixed with coolant and that it was a catastrophic failure. I have received no notices of any kind from nissan and was shocked to learn that this is a known, commonly occurring defect and that the defect manifests instantaneously and without warning most of the time. Nissan should be held accountable for the defective system and for not notifying me that I should have the dealer fix it before they put my life and property and that of every person around me at risk. Updated 09/15/15*lj
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 nissan frontier. While idling or coming to stop, the vehicle would shutter. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a routine oil change and diagnostic testing. The technician determined that there was a leak in the radiator causing the coolant to seep in to the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 92,000.
While driving, the truck stalled on a hill due to transmission failure. Truck began rolling backwards into traffic. Transmission failure was caused by radiator coolant leaking into transmission. This is a known issue by nissan, and a safety concern.
Weather turned from rain to icy. South bound on street that overpass interstate. Truck spun around several times first in south bound lane hitting guard rail on west side, went over the curb and median into north bound lane spin again before coming to rest against 4ft high concrete divider on bridge. The driver side air bag is the only one that deployed. My wife was in passenger seat. No other air bags deployed. This truck had dual stage supplemental front air bags and nissan aabs.. Thankfully our seat belts were probably what protected us from being thrown from the truck. As I stated only the air bag in steering wheel deployed. This should be looked into with all the recalls going on. I had not received any notice about this problem. I went to emergency room the following tuesday to get xray of chest because of pain. My wife went to her dr also.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 nissan frontier. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under the federal safety agency campaign number: 10v517000 (engine, engine cooling); however, after the remedy was performed, the dealer stated that the vehicle was inoperable due to the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 126,000.
In eight years I have changed two zd30 engines in my frontier,because of burned out pistons and bad cylinder heads,eight burned out pistons in total,and as of today december 3/2014 my frontier lost power sending blue smoke from the exhaust and oil,my mechanic says the engine has to be opened again. My fuel pump went bad soon after the warranty was up.sent it over seas to be repaired ,at a cost of $1500.00 the dangerous part is the steering going loose,lucky for my wife and self I was in traffic driving at 10 MPH. The local dealer disclaimed everything. I am about to lodge a complaint to our local bureau of standards.
Transmission blew due to radiator fluid leaking into transmission. Known problem by nissan, yet no recall issued and deadline to be part of class action lawsuit has passed.
My vehicle shuddered and felt to slip out of gear while driving! Because of this known issue of leaking coolant causes transmission failure. I bought this frontier with very low miles and was never told of this potential issue from the dealership. It should be a safety recall as it prevents the vehicle from accelerating and if you are driving can cause an accident. I am now reading that nissan owners have no idea this is happening until too late. Once the coolant is mixed with the transmission fluid this lethal combination kills the valves, seals and torque converter -- rendering your entire transmission useless. I read that this issue is currently contained to the 2005?2010 model years. I have a 2006 with 64k miles! It is only time until this issue causes multiple accidents since this issue happens while cars are driving. Please push nissan for a recall. I should not have to pay for a known engineering / manufacturing defect.
I purchased my vehicle directly from the manufactured on june 27, 2006. On or about september 26, 2014 my 2006 nissan frontier started having a strong vibration causing my steering the be unstable and the automatic transmission seemed to slip and then catch when my car changes gears from 30-35-40-45-50-55 MPH. On october 3, 2014, I took my vehicle into the nissan dealership here on kauai and after 5.5 hours I was informed my radiator had a crack and was leaking into my transmission. I was told there was a class action lawsuit file regarding this issue and there was now extended warranties on these parts for failure. The extended warranty for no cost to customer is 80000 miles/8 years. My vehicle is under the 80000 miles, but I am over the 8 years by 3 months. I spoke with the manager and he called nissan north america to see if there was anything they would do regarding the fact my truck was only 3 months over the 8 years and below the miles on the extended warranty. I received a call back from him stating they would not cover anything additional and I would need to cover the $2500 co-payment to replace the radiator and transmission. I was however told if I wanted to trade in my vehicle for a new one, they would deduct the $2500 from the price of a new vehicle. I told him I would not buy another nissan sine they do not stand by their product. There are hundreds if not thousands of people who bought nissans with this issue. Nissan is aware of the problem and there should be a recall on this item as it could cause the transmission to cease. I now have to drive this vehicle with the vibration I believe is unsafe until the parts come in. I guess they are going to wait until this causes an accident and someone gets hurt to recall the defect in their automobiles.
Vehicle ran hot, was towed to dealership. Needed a new radiator transmission fluid mixing with antifreeze.
The automatic transmission radiator cracked and coolant leaked into the transmission rendering it useless.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 nissan frontier. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle began jerking and the transmission failed. The contact also stated that vehicle would not accelerate properly and began to over heat as the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the mechanic stated that there was a cracked atf line that ran through the engine coolant chamber, in the radiator, which caused contamination. As a result, the radiator needed to be replaced and the transmission needed to be rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000.
Hello fellow "nissaners"! Well, was so happy with this truck and my wife as well, because that was her first idea to purchase this good-looking vehicle. Our son was driving our frontier to school and back home a few years ago, then to a local university. Everybody were so happy! Then my son mentioned that truck is behaving very strange: heavy shaking/jumping at highway speeds around 60-65 MPH. I didn't believed it till I draw myself. True! A few times I felt like heavy hit from behind, looks like someone ended up to truck's rear side! Then I searched web and after some exploration realized the problem is radiator coolant contaminates with automatic transmission fluid! How?! I opened radiator cup and saw milky substance on it and transmission fluid was not a clear pink color, it was more like pinkish milk shake color! That was it!!! After almost $32k were paid in full and happy family for a few years, now a huge frustration and helplessness!!! Dealers "offer a help" only if we pay full price for transmission and radiator to change - about $6k. I have not so much money!!! I heard nissan refusing a recall on this huge issue. Mr. Nissan or whoever you are, please do something about it, are you sleeping well every night?! We don't!!! Are you (mr. Nissan) afraid to go bankrupt of this big problem - I've bet you are! But think of those people who are behind the wheels of your trucks and suvs and on this cars one day might get stuck in middle of fast highway because of this failure...!!! I really hope somebody can hear us out there. Please do something!!! Please!!! Other frontiers, pathfinders, xterras - please write your complaints!!! Don't seat and wait when something will happen, or till something happens!!! Thank you!!!
Radiator coolant failure leaked into transmission causing it to fail...
I am yet another victim of the transmission/radiator problem along with hundreds, possibly thousands of other customers. Defective radiator allowed coolant to mix with transmission which is now outrageously expensive to repair.
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