2007 Nissan Pathfinder: shudder or vibration when accelerating

Filed Apr 26, 2017 · Acceleration, Transmission · 109,000 miles · VA

Lost motive power lots of shuddering and hard shifting.

Filed Apr 14, 2017 · Transmission · 113,000 miles · CA

I started having the problem with my 2007 nissan pathfinder on april 6, 2017 while I was driving home from work. It was shuddering and it wouldn't move when I stepped on the accelerator or put it in reverse. There were no warning signs before. I had it towed to my mechanic 45 min. Away. Later that day I learned that the radiator had broken and the water and gone into the transmission and destroyed the transmission. Someone told me that they had that same problem with their nissan so I looked online and lo and behold...this was a big issue with nissan. The nissan dealer referred me to consumer affairs for nissan. They told me that I would have to have it towed from my repair person down to the nissan dealership to be evaluated. Consumer affairs for nissan agreed to have me pay $3,000 copay and they would pay the rest even though my car was 2 weeks past the warranty date and it was 13,000 miles over. I, as a consumer, was never notified that this was an issue with my car. If I had, I probably would have replaced the radiator at $800 instead of the transmission and radiator for $5700. I am still out $3,000 which is a huge amount and two tows for my vehicle.

Filed Dec 30, 2016 · Engine, Transmission · 150,000 miles · OR

Car started to shudder when driving, heater would get cold when car was sitting, vibrations when driving. Garage said radiator cracked and leaked fluid into transmission fluid and destroyed engine.

Filed Jun 22, 2016 · 124,177 miles · CA

It started when my pathfinder would make shuddering noises and vibrate heavily while accelerating. I later found out that my radiator had cracked and caused coolant to leak into the transmission. I had the radiator replaced and the transmission flushed. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. After driving my car for a couple of weeks it completely lost power while I was driving on city streets and I was left stranded on a really hot day with dogs in the car. Apparently once the leaking radiator fluid mixed with the transmission fluid this lethal combination killed the valves, seals and torque converter -- rendering my entire transmission useless. No amount of flushing the transmission was going to save it. The total repair cost over $6000.00 and nissan is well aware of this issue in their cars yet have not done the right thing and issued a recall.

Filed Jul 21, 2015 · Engine, Transmission · 75,000 miles · NY

As I was driving the vehicle on the highway it started to shudder and shake and then finally completely turned off on the highway. Once I got it started again it would only go about 20mph I was able to move over to the shoulder and exit the highway. Once we took the car to the dealer, they told us that the radiator had leaked into the transmission and also that I needed to replace two catalyctic converters. The total repairs and replacements would cost me $8000 as I would also need to replace the transmission and radiator. We replaced the radiator but of course that is only half the problem. I still owe about $13k on the vehicle, have only had it for 8 months and am now stuck because I dont have the money to replace the transmission and I cant get rid of the truck knowing this problem.

Filed Mar 20, 2015 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 182,100 miles · TX

Heavy vibration while shifting heavy vibration while accelerating shuddering noises I am fearful that my car will die while I am driving down the street.

Filed Nov 18, 2014 · Transmission, Visibility · 124,000 miles · LA

Vehicle starts shuddering and jerking at 45 miles per hour.... Heater only blows hot air when car is moving, blows cold air when idling.

Filed Oct 17, 2014 · Transmission · 116,000 miles · WA

At acceleration or while driving at lower speeds the transmission shudders, I am aware of a poorly settled class action lawsuit,however it does nothing to protect vehicles above 100,000 miles. The radiator is documented for cracking and leaking coolant into the transmission. This is my first vehicle purchase and I can assure you I will never purchase a nissan product again,I realize all vehicles break down however nissan was aware of the common problem and continued to disregard the value of their brand by neglecting to recall and repair this common failure.

Filed Sep 17, 2014 · Transmission · 110,000 miles · CA

Have experiences shudder while driving over last few months. On date of incident, I pulled over after one such shudder, then continued and had no torque but was able to proceed, as if lower gears were no longer working. This issue continued while accelerating after every stop light and sign. Got home (with sick child) and shut down vehicle. Tried to start 30 minutes later and would not restart. Towed to mechanic.

Filed Jan 30, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 111,349 miles · CA

For the past week when ever I drove my car the entire vehicle shudders, shakes and has a harsh upshift when it is changing gears. It happens the most on highways going at high speeds (55-65 miles). I took my car into a nissan dealership on 1-29-14 to get it checked out. The dealership diagnosed my car with a "broken trans cooler line in radiator which made the coolant leak and mixed with transmission fluid. Advise replace entire transmission, radiator, and flush engine block as well as replace thermostat, (price to fix: $5938.00 + 9% tax)". I researched this issue online and found this to be a common defect issue that nissan has been dancing around since 2007, as well as a class action lawsuit being filed against nissan. I bought the car on july 28, 2011, so I have only owned the car for a little over 2 years in which the dealership I purchased the car from did not inform us of this warranty being offered by nissan from the lawsuit or informed us of the possible transmission problem. I had the car completely checked out by a mechanic in november of 2013 and it passed with no issues. Now here we are 2 months later, and over 100,000 miles and my nissan experiences this issue. This can be a very detrimental and dramatic failure, causing massive safety issues if I continue to drive my car, especially on highways going high speeds. I contacted nissan this morning to see if they are going to stand behind their product and since I am only 11,000 miles over their "warranty" (which has high deductibles), they denied to help and I am left holding a $6500.00 price tag to fix my car.

Filed Jan 28, 2014 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 90,000 miles · PA · crash

I request that the dot the federal safety agency investigate manufacturer defects in 2007 nissan pathfinders cooling system and transmission as unexpected failure relates to driver safety. My 2007 pathfinder with 90,000 miles caused a major collision with a deer as the transmission began to fail. Driving home, at around 40mph, up a hill (engine under load @ 2,200-2,500 RPM) the whole car began suddenly to "shudder"- similar to the feeling/ sound of riding over highway rumble strips. This resulted in a loss of control over the speed of the vehicle and a noticeable distraction leaving me unprepared as a large buck ran out from the tree line attempting to cross the road- the buck did not make it across. As I have found in my research afterwards, there is a widely known manufacturer defect in which engine coolant mixes with transmission fluid. The resulting "goop" shreds the internal parts of the transmission rendering it (along with the radiator and components) completely useless. These vehicles are unsafe for the roadways as this problem occurs suddenly and unexpectedly without warning. I consider myself lucky for being alive- now, but since nissan nor any other organization is willing to recall or replace this vehicle/ affected parts, I am stuck, forced to drive on the road being a hazard to others and myself.

Filed Oct 12, 2013 · Engine, Transmission · 104,000 miles · GA

Radiator failed (product defect, no accident or external causes) and leaked into the transmission, effectively destroying it. Had to get both radiator and transmission replaced. Symptoms started with shuddering during shifting, which LED to rough shifting, gear slippage, check-engine light, and eventually the car not even starting.