2005 Nissan Xterra: shudder or vibration when accelerating

Filed May 20, 2017 · 140,000 miles · NC

My wife's 05 nissan xterra started having problems when driving with shuttering, and rumble strip noises.started noticing the heater would not blow hot when stationary.took to transmission shop and my worst fear came true.water in transmission I been hearing about.to top it off had rear end replaced six months ago cause the owner guaranteed me that was where the shuddering was coming from.that was a 2000 dollar repair. Needless to say it was not the [xxx] rear end.will never ever buy nissan again! They know all about this huge problem.people are hurting from this mess!the latest repair shop won't 4600 hundred for replacement of transmission &a radiator.do not know what to do because u hear and read the about the engine could be corroded.of course nissan doing nora! Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed May 22, 2016 · Engine, Transmission · 68,400 miles · NJ

I purchased this car used from a dealer with approx 64,000 miles. After 2 days and less than 200 miles the car started shuddering as if I was driving over rumble strips and the check engine light came on. The next morning when I went to take it to the dealer there was a horrible rattling sound coming from under the hood that softened as the car warmed up. Needless to say that both of the more common complaints about this car raised their ugly heads at the same time: transmission and timing chains!! I took it to my local nissan dealer for evaluation and repair and was told that the cost would be between $8-9,000. Thank god for aftermarket warranty. Anyway... If nissan does not intend to issue a recall, there should be a disclosure on carfax/autocheck/etc for these significant problems.

Filed Feb 4, 2016 · Engine · 152,000 miles · TX

Takata recall. - xterra has had radiator replaced, transmission fixed twice due to bad valve body. Now it is shuddering again at 40mph down the road. This needs to be addressed. Transmission failed going down the highway, causing it to go into failure mode. I lost all power by the time I could get pulled over and stopped.

Filed Sep 8, 2015 · Transmission · 75,000 miles · RI

The car shudders and wont accelerate. The transmission won't shift properly. I understand this was was a class action lawsuit and recall. I am outside the time frame. I was never notified and was deployed at the time.

Filed Aug 5, 2014 · Engine, Fuel system · 177,700 miles · DE

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.

Filed Apr 21, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 95,550 miles · KY

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.

Filed Nov 1, 2012 · Engine, Transmission · 127,607 miles · CA

While driving on the 73n freeway in orange county, my car started shuddering. The temp gauge was ta the max so I pulled over. I was towed in to a nissan dealership where the master mechanic told me that the problem was caused by the transmission cooler in the radiator failing causing radiator fluid and transmission fluid to mix rendering both inoperable. He also told me that this is a growing problem with nissan and he has personally seen many such cases. He said that nissan is using defective radiators which is the main cause of this.

Filed Apr 10, 2012 · Engine, Transmission · 104,000 miles · MO

I've noticed recently that my xterra started shuddering while cruising at highway speeds, and has been shaking while shifting between gears. Additionally, there was a specific occasion where my vehicle stopped accelerating while merging onto the highway. When I took it to a local nissan dealership for to fix a separate recall notice, I was told that my transmission fluid had mixed with my coolant, which meant that I would need to replace both my transmission and radiator.

Filed Mar 8, 2012 · Transmission · 85,000 miles · FL

While driving my xterra I started to notice it shuddering and vibrating while driving to work. This was getting worse so I brought it in to be looked at and they new what it was from the moment I drove in. They told me it was my transmissions and they have fixed multiple xterras with this problem. So naturally the warranty has expired so my cost is 3800.00.

Filed Mar 5, 2012 · Transmission · 95,000 miles · TX

As with most of the 2nd generation xterras, my radiator failed causing coolant to mix with transmission fluid. This causes the transmission to seize up and/or an inability to shift. I first felt shuddering while shifting into 4th (automatic transmission). I immediately recognized a problem and and began driving to my mechanic. I entered the freeway and found myself unable to get out of 1st or 2nd gear - I could not drive faster than 20 miles per hour with traffic traveling at 65+ and no shoulder. This is a serious safety issue. Nissan has acknowledged the problem and extended their warranty to 80,000 miles but apparently this issue happens between 85k and 100k typically (my issue came to light at around 95,000). I was in serious danger on the highway and this is not an isolated incident by any means.

Filed Dec 6, 2011 · Engine, Transmission · 76,000 miles · IL

My nissan xterra started making a vibration sound around august of 2011. It sounded like your vehicle was running over a "rumble strip". It was infrequent at first so I ignored it. I did notice some other warning signs of potential trouble (at hindsight). The vehicles heater would never heat the interior of the vehicle at idle, but would do it at speed. Nissan knows the issue is a defect but refuses to take responsibility. Several times while I have been driving the vehicle it would shudder and almost result in a accident. I have only narrowly avoided a collision on 3 separate occasions. Nissan extended the powertrain warranty to 80,000 miles because they know of the issue, but refuse to admit its a defect. Had I been informed about the warranty extension I may have been able to have it services while within the warranty period. My vehicle is currently at 83,000 miles, but within the 96 month portion of the warranty. I'm currently afraid to drive the vehicle on the highway because I'm worried the transmission will fail at high speed and result in a serious accident.

Filed Sep 20, 2011 · Transmission · 136,000 miles · OH

Transmission shudders violently periodically between speeds of 40mph and 65mph. Brought truck to buckeye nissan in hilliard, oh where all of my repairs have been completed over the entire life of my vehicle and they informed me that I had coolant in transmission and transmission fluid in radiator. This problem can lead to sudden and catastrophic failure of transmission while in motion which could have lead to a serious auto accident.