The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Frontier. The contact stated that while driving at speeds over 40 MPH, the vehicle would shake and vibrate. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the radiator fluid had leaked into the transmission causing severe damage to the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 86,000.
2008 Nissan Frontier engine problems
35 complaints (26% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 88,779.
- owner complaints
- 35
- of this car's complaints
- 26%
- typical mileage
- 88,779
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Cooling system: radiator assembly1
- Cooling system1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Nissan Frontier engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2008 Nissan Frontier engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2008 Nissan Frontier owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Transmission fluid cooler integrated in the radiator that allowed engine coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid causing damage to the transmission. Radiator had to be replaced along with flushing out of the trans fluid at a service station costing a few thousand of dollars. Months later the check engine light went on and found out that the transmission is slipping caused by the fluid contamination.
Driving on street truck began to shake and vibrate I loss power and car couldn't shift into gear it seemed I pulled over and stopped and shut off. Car I started it began to drive and it wudnt go over 30mph I stopped and noticed leaking under the truck towards the engine and when I pressed on gas it wouldn't go still so I stopped and got towed
The antifreeze and transmission fluid got mixed together in my truck and I am now told that the manufacturer knew that the truck would at least give me 100,000 miles before that would actually happen.
The cooler tubes for the transmission and the radiator cracked, allowing for fluid to leak into the transmission. This resulted in rapid degradation of the friction elements within the transmission. The frontier is now undrivable.
This vehicle has known timing belt issues. The vehicle starts making a loud noise(whining) that gets louder as I drive faster on any road. This is a common problem and nissan has not done anything to correct this problem. It will cost over 2400 dollars to fix this problem and nissan doesn't seem to recall for this issue
Truck stops running while driving at speeds around 45mph. Engine off.
Transmission cooler in radiater failed and coolant leaked into transmission causing transmission failure and overheating.broke down on side of road and had to be towed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, he observed an abnormal thumping sound from the hood of the vehicle without warning. The contact made the manufacturer aware of the failure, and the manufacturer referred the contact to his local dealer to have the vehicle diagnosed. The vehicle was taken to local dealer (tom hesser nissan , 900 oneil hwy, dunmore, pa, 18512) where it was diagnosed that the radiator hose was leaking fluid into the transmission causing the transmission to fail. The dealer stated that the transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 46,892. ... .updated 11/16/17 *bf the consumer requested to be reimbursed for the repairs. Updated 11/30/2017
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 nissan frontier. While driving 5 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the check engine and slip warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle on the first attempt. The contact stated that the failure occurred a total of three times. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
Questions about the 2008 Nissan Frontier engine
Does the 2008 Nissan Frontier have engine problems?
Owners have filed 35 complaints about the engine of the 2008 Nissan Frontier, 26% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2008 Nissan Frontier engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 88,779 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Nissan Frontier engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Nissan Frontier have bad engine?
The Nissan Frontier model years with the most engine complaints are 2005 (186 complaints), 2006 (155 complaints) and 2007 (133 complaints).
Other 2008 Nissan Frontier problems
Transmission 54Airbags 21Fuel system 16Electrical 13Brakes 12Driver assistance 4Seat belts 4Steering 4Suspension 4Body 3Acceleration 2Lights 2Seats 2Locks 1Tires 1Wheels 1
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