Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle shook. The failure occurred multiple times. The dealer stated that the transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.
2005 Nissan Xterra engine complaints
Page 4 of 10: complaints 71 to 100 of 280, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Purchased my '05 nissan xterra in the spring of 2012 with about 160,000 miles. For the past 2 months I had minor issues like shuddering/vibrations randomly when I accelerated and the heat not working when I was at a complete stop. It was not until the other day when I was at a complete stop and my car would not accelerate properly that I knew I had a problem with the transmission. I took my xterra to 3 different mechanics and each one explained to me that I would need a completely new transmission and from there they would see if I in fact needed to change the radiator (which they were positive was the original issue due to similar issues with other nissan SUV owners). The repairs will cost me well over $4,000 and unfortunately as a college student, there is no way I can afford to repair the transmission and radiator. What was appalling to me was when I researched the issue online. There are hundreds upon hundreds of complaints online on various websites about this issue and nissan has yet to issue a recall. The extended warranty excluded many people and put many more at an unfair disadvantage. I personally bought my nissan, because of their reputation, but the fact that they will not come to the aid of their consumers speaks volumes of this company.
While driving vehicle vibrated as if it didn't know whether to shift or not. Found out later that I had water in my trans and trans fluid in my radiator.
2nd owner of 2005 nissan xterra. First had issues with heat not working when at a complete stop, then car would begin to vibrate on the hwy, and now car is having issues up shifting. 2 mechanics have told me the same thing, stating defective radiator was leaking fluid into transmission. Now I must replace both at about $4000. After doing some research online, I have found this is a common issue with this model and nissan has not issued a recall. Jeopardizing the safety of many and being very costly to those who can not afford a major issue like this.
The radiator leaked into the transmission causing the transmission to stop working. I had to have the transmission rebuilt and a whole new radiator system put in my truck. 5300.00 .this is a common problem with this model. Tried to send in a claim but was told they are no longer excepting claims because of the problem. If they are aware of the problem then they should help those of us it happened to!!!!!!
Complete catastrophic engine failure during rush hour traffic. Luckily I was approaching a red light and there were cars slowing ahead of me I was able to brake slowly to a stop while I was not able to be steer. I had to be pushed to the side of the road by the help of others. The vehicle was towed to the pinnacle nissan dealership where they informed me that the transmission and the radiator has to be fully replaced due to a faulty valve . Nissan said the valve that connects the radiator and transmission broke allowing coolant and anti freeze to mix together and immediately catastrophically destroying both components. I was informed that their was a classaction suit for this very reason that was settled but this is very dangerous if I had been in a freeway situation. Nissan has had numerous complaints for this vehicle for this reason. I have had every recall part for this vehicle needed to be replaced due to faulty manufacturing, this is a very expensive repair and it has been known due to the # of complaints on this particular part being faulty but a recall needs to happen not at the expense of nissan. I am expected to cover this with a deductible of $2500.00 at no fault of my own . I am lucky to be alive. I have maintained all necessary/reccomended service outlined by nissan up till l this failure. Thank you
Luckily I was waiting in a drive thru when the known defect occurred. The radiator is known to crack and leak in to the transmission mixing both the coolant and transmission fluid requiring the replacement of both the radiator and transmission. The failure of the radiator also requires that the engine be flushed multiple times. I received a letter from nissan a few years ago that this is a rare occurrence. It doesn't appear that they were telling the truth. Nissan settled a class action suit so I will have to pay $2560 to get the problem fixed. Because the parts have to be ordered it takes a week or longer to get the car fixed. This is a known problem that affects multiple nissan models from 2005 through 2010. Nissan should be required to recall and fix everyone of the affected models.
Because of a failed radiator, coolant became mixed with automatic transmission fluid and the transmission stopped working in rush hour traffic.
The cooling system failed and mixed coolant with transmission fluid, transmission subsequently failed.
Radiator defect causes leakage into transmission. Transmission fails and vehicle abruptly stops unpredictably on the freeway.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. The contact stated there was a loud noise heard from the front of the vehicle intermittently. The authorized dealer was unable to replicate or diagnose the failure on several occasions. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the timing belt was repaired however, the failure recurred. The contact was also advised that there was a leak in the engine. Additionally, when the hood was opened the cap to the transmission overflow was missing and was replaced by the dealer. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for further inspection and diagnosis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000. The current mileage was 65,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. The contact stated there was a loud noise in the front of the vehicle intermittently. An authorized dealer was unable to replicate nor diagnose the failure on several occasions. The vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer again who diagnosed that the timing needed to be reset. The timing was reset and the failure recurred. The vehicle was also leaking fluid; the hood was opened and the cap to the transmission overflow fluid was missing however, the dealer replaced the cap. The contact continued to hear a loud noise intermittently. The vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer for further inspection and diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000. The current mileage was 65,000.
Manufacturing defect in radiator caused transmission failure that could have been quite dangerous under some circumstances. This has been widely reported by huge numbers of nissan owners of various year models and styles. Nissan refuses to be accountable for the failure and denies acceptable service to their customers on this issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration power and would not exceed 25 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the transmission had failed due to being contaminated by coolant. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 102,000.
When driving at highway speeds, vehicle would start to shudder and thud into gear. Had vehicle checked out and told there was a defect in which the connection between radiator and transmission malfunctioned and coolant mixed with transmission fluid, thereby destroying the transmission and radiator. I have found that this is apparently a very common problem of nissan xterras from 2005 to 2010 that I had no idea about. This really should be recalled on all affected vehicle, because it is such a common problem and if one has over 80k miles they still pay half for the repair and if over 100k miles there is no warranty coverage from nissan. The warranty extension was the result of a class action suit but is not enough when full repair can be $6000 and there has been no warning from nissan that this is a potential problem to look for.
I was driving on an interstate highway where the speed limit is 70mph. Car begins have a large rumble. Can't tell if it the rear end, the drive shaft or transmission. There is no pattern to the rumble and it continues for several weeks, so I take it to an auto repair shop. They tell me that I have water in my transmission fluid, which was caused by a cracked line in the radiator. I am told to check on the internet, because this is a big problem that lot of nissan xterra owners are facing. So, I check it out and the issue is huge. I bought the xterra about 2 years ago and during that time was never contacted by anyone warning me of this issue. Now, at the time I find that there was a settlement, my vehicle has over the 100,000 mile limit. From what I read, the majority of the vehicles are over the 100,000 mile limit when the problem occurs. My vehicle still will drive and only get the rumble occasionally, but I now know it's fate. It's ashamed that I could not have been warned by nissan before facing costly repairs. Nissan could have saved us lots of headache and money if we had know and been able to be pro-active before the damage was done.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan xterra. The contact stated that radiator fluid was interchanging with the transmission fluid and causing failures. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the radiator needed to be replaced. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The manufacture was not notified. The failure and the current mileage was 103,000.
The vehicle doesn't move,despite acceleration, no engine light. Went to the dealer and after diagnosis they said the radiator was cracked and the transmission was leaking. The cost comes to $7500. Contacted nissan they say its not within warranty. Theses is a defective design on the radiator. Updated 05/01/14
Internal radiator transmission cooler cracked leaking coolant into the transmission and destroying it, rendering it useless. The transmission failed on me while I was driving and the vehicle gave me absolutely no warning lights or any indication of an issue occurring with the transmission. I had no advance notice so I was unable to avoid any damage to my transmission.
Transmission failure due to a problem well known by nissan. Coolant entered through a failed radiator and causes failure of the automatic transmission. Timing chain failure also well known by nissan.
I took my car into the shop because of a rumbling noise and shake that was happening while driving. It feels like hitting the safety strips on the edge of the road by the shoulder. The mechanics pulled things apart and identified that there was radiator fluid and engine coolant leaking into my transmission. There were also metal shavings mixed in with the fluids.
Driving with family on interstate 5 on the right lane going 60-62 MPH. Without no light sensor warning from the xterra or no other warning whatsoever, it slowed down drastically from 60mph to 30mph, and I can see fast moving vehicles passing me. There was a huge semi truck behind us, he started to flash his high beam on us from behind. I try to accelerate but it would not, it just make a very loud engine sound. The semi truck so close behind us, I got scared, I signal right to pull over to the shoulder and doing so we almost got hit by another car that was merging to the freeway because the xterra was very slow. We pulled to the shoulder, put in park and the xterra has a weird smell coming out of the engine front. I try to shift to drive but it didn't move. I try to shift to reverse to park the xterra in a better position off the freeway but it didn't move. Two hours later, the tow truck arrive. I was extremely upset our entire family could have been kill because there was no warning light.
Radiator coolant and oil mixture and due to that, the transmission makes the car vibrate to an undrivable point affecting the driver ability to conduct a safe operation on the road including busy highways.
I was driving down a mountain in tennessee on a family vacation, when my transmission failed because the coolant was leaking into the transmission fluid. In order to get to a safe location I had to drive in reverse to a driveway which could have caused me to be in an accident with a young child and my fiance in the car. Upon further research I realized that nissan has over 500 complaint on the same issue and it was never resolved. I paid 4800 dollars out of pocket in order to replace the transmission and radiator.
There is a manufacturer's defect with the radiator in which it cracks and leaks fluid into the transmission, which then destroys the transmission. When we called nissan to ask if they were going to stand by their product, they told us there was nothing they could do for us.
"service engine soon" light came on at 106000 miles. Immediately took it in to get it diagnosed (the next morning). They said that the radiator was leaking radiator fluid into the transmission, and therefore, I would need a new radiator and transmission. This apparently seems to be a problem with 2005-2010 nissan suvs and nissan is doing nothing about it. The class action settlement does nothing for us.
It was a very cold morning when I get ready for work, just got out of our drive way and suddenly we heard 2 loud thump sound like we have just run over something like rocks or woods. It scared us a little bit because of the vibration, then it runs normally again, the next day it happen again but 1 time only and today the same. I wont wait longer before something worst happen so ill bring my car to the mechanic shop to have it check tomorrow. Hope this will give me some answers . Hope this is not a recall defect again because I already had 1 vehicle rendered not safe to drive before and the company bought it back.
My 16 year son was driving home at 11:00 pm on the interstate when, with no warning, the car lost all acceleration power. He was able to get the car to the side of the road and turn the car off and on and got it into 3rd gear. It would not work in drive. He proceeded very slowly for a short distance until he would lose acceleration power. He had to continue to turn the car off and on the highway multiple times to get it home that evening. He continued very slowly with his flashing lights on. It subsequently had to be towed. Thankfully, it did not result in a crash on the interstate. The car is black and it was very dark. It would've been very difficult for someone immediately behind him to react on the interstate. My son's safety was severely compromised. The problem turned out to be the radiator/transmission problem nissan is already being investigated for (the federal safety agency action number dp12004). It required a new radiator, a new transmission and a new transmission computer as this was all ruined with the catastrophic failure of the radiator. The cost of repairs was $4632.97 including the tow charge. Nissan has been aware of this problem for quite some time and even settled a class action lawsuit for this very issue a few years ago. Had they voluntarily recalled the vehicle and fixed the problem, my son would not have been put in this dangerous situation and the costs would have been minimized. I desire for nissan to be held liable for this - you have received literally hundreds of the very same complaint. Please conduct a recall on the xterra, pathfinders and frontiers you know are impacted. We were fortunate not to have a crash resulting in injury or death; the next family may not be so lucky.
I started to notice a problem while driving on the highway and thought it may be a engine oil issue. I knew there was something wrong because it did not feel right when driving the car it on the highway. Attaining the speeds on the highway was difficult and slow. When braking it was also slower to react. I took it too nissan thinking it an easy fixed, I paid $700 dollars to fix whatever they could analyze. I thought the problem was solved, but no. Then I was hit with a $3000 to replace the transmission and radiator, which was known about back in 2010. What a rip off nissan, you knew there was an issue and you neglect to inform your customers. I hope you go bankrupt now!
Transmission died and needs to be replaced, due to the radiator issues of the xterras from the year.
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