Coolant leaking into transmission. Well-known Nissan issue. Vehicle started rumbling intermittently going between 4th and 5th gear around 40 and 60 mph. The rumbling will last between 2 and 5 seconds until the accelerator is depressed hard enough to force the vehicle to downshift which results in a loud banging noise and a jerk. Also noticed what looks like curdled milk all around the radiator cap. I have an appointment with the dealership, Nissan of saco, on 08/28/2012 and am almost certain they will try and get out of covering this under the "lifetime powertrain warranty".

- Scarborough , ME, USA

Radiator failed and coolant leaked into transmission.

- Spring, TX, USA

I was driving my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder on August 11th, 2012 with my entire family inside the vehicle. We were rolling in traffic at about 40 TO45 mph when the vehicle all of a sudden stopped accelerating. I was able to safely pull over to the side of the road. While inside the vehicle trying to figure out what was going on, a passerby told me he saw a fire under the vehicle. I immediately got my family out and called 911 to have the fire department come out and look at it. By the time the fire department got on scene, the fire had died out. I had my vehicle towed to a transmission shop because a fireman suggested it was an issue with my transmission. The repair shop told me a cooler under the radiator busted causing coolant to get inside my transmission, which caused transmission fluid to get on my catalytic converter which started the fire. They quoted me $4900 in repairs, telling me I needed to have my transmission and radiator replaced. I am extremely upset because for one, my entire family could have been killed or injured including myself, my wife, and 3 sons ages 3 9 & 13. Secondly, I've only had the car for 5 and half months at the time and still making payments on it. In fact, I owe just about $1000 more on the loan for the vehicle verses the cost of repairs. So now I am left with no vehicle, no way to take my kids to school, and the ugly fact that I am not the only person who has experienced the same issue with this vehicle. After a little research via the internet, it looks like this is a normal occurrence with this model. In closing, I am just looking for any sort of help I can get to help give me and my family some relief of this tragic and dangerous situation. Things could have ended up much worse and I really feel this vehicle presents a safety hazard to our roadways.

- Arlington, TX, USA

2005 Nissan Pathfinder...radiator cracked leaked coolant into transmission. Common problem Nissan will do nothing about.

- Canfield, OH, USA

My 2005 Pathfinder was running fine until it started developing a case of thermostat fluctuation; it would almost go into the red and then drop all the way back down to the normal level. I took it to precision tune and they replaced the radiator hose assembly. A few weeks after that, the tranny started slipping. As I had already read from other consumers, I knew what was happening to my truck, and because the truck already had 120K + miles on it, I knew what Nissan would likely say. Sure enough, one afternoon, I got in the truck and it wouldn't accelerate forward. I immediately had it towed to Nissan in April and began the fight to get it fixed; they quoted me $5100 to replace the tranny and radiator due to coolant leaking into the transmission case and transmission fluid leaking into the radiator. I contacted their Consumer Affairs, and not only did they tell me they wouldn't cover it, but referred me to the BBB (a very brazen move in my mind, to have a company refer you to them about them). They already knew the BBB wouldn't help because it was outside of the warranty. Nearly four months later, it still sits at the dealer, because I can't afford to pay the repair cost (I still owe for two years on the vehicle), and Nissan refuses to fix it, although they know the problem exists. Someone has to die, I guess, before they pull their vehicles off the road and fix the problem.

- Columbia, SC, USA

In 2009, at 74,000 miles, I noticed the car "bucking" when driving. Started doing research and found that the radiator coolant leaks into the transmission cooler destroying the transmission. Nissan offered no help or recalls despite the fact that hundreds of the same vehicle were experiencing the same thing. Shortly after my vehicle passed 80,000 miles, Nissan issued a recall on only the radiator which doesn't help me. I immediately flushed the transmission and radiator to try to avoid complete failure of the transmission, bypassing the transmission cooler part of the radiator. The vehicle drove but the transmission constantly slipped in and out of gear at random times throughout the next 30,000 miles. Last week, the transmission finally quit in the middle of a busy intersection. I had to push the car into the nearest parking lot. Now the car is sitting in my driveway because it will cost me $6,000 to repair the transmission and radiator. Nissan needs to step up and admit that this should be a recall. I love Nissan (this is my 3rd) but after this problem I may never buy another one.

- Wrentham, MA, USA

Radiator crack and leaked coolant into the transmission causing damage. This problem is well known to Nissan.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Radiator coolant leaked into my transmission, with cross contamination into the radiator at 96,000 miles. There is a known defect of radiators failing from the inside, leaking coolant, thus ruining the transmission. Nissan extended radiator warranty to 80,000 miles but most failure is between 80K-120K. I had radiator replaced and a transmission flush for $900. I fear the transmission is ruined. Nissan should have notified all owners of this potential problem rather than ignoring it.

- San Mateo, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder.while examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the radiator transmission coolant line was cracked. Th vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the part needed to be replaced, however the vehicle was not serviced.the current mileage was 94,000 and the failure mileage was 48,000.

- Omaha, NE, USA

I have a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder and my transmission oil leaked into my radiator causing me to have to totally replace my radiator and I had to have my transmission flushed but it still damaged my transmission. This was a manufacture error but Nissan refused to pay because it had over 80,000 miles. I have three Nissan in our family but I will never buy another. I also am having trouble with the heating and air conditioner controls in both my 2005 and 2006 Nissan Pathfinders. The control quit working in both!!!! so disappointed with Nissan!!!!

- Jesup, GA, USA

I began to have trouble when attempting to accelerate, the car appeared to stay in low gear. Took it to Nissan they recommended to replace the radiator and transmission for $5,000! I bought this car on good faith knowing Nissan is a quality product and this is now happening. Nissan apparently knows about the issues with a leak starting in the radiator, and leaking fluids into the transmission, which causes the transmission to go out. Nissan extended the warranty on the radiator till 80,000 miles knowing about this problem, but after doing research everyone having the problem is over 80,000 miles! Nissan will not do a recall! this is unbelievable. I paid very good money for this car, and now have to spend another $5,000 to repair, with a known problem that Nissan will not cover. I will never purchase another Nissan vehicle, since they do not apparently care about their customers.

- Murfreesboro, TN, USA

The check engine light came on in the vehicle and the car stalled or wouldn't accelerate after the gas pedal was pushed. We took the vehicle to the Nissan dealership and were told that there was a crack in the radiator and were advised to have it replaced and also flush the transmission to remove any radiator fluid. Paid over $1000 for the replacement. Picked up the vehicle on 4/11/12. On the evening of 4/12/12 the car stalled and wouldn't accelerate again while in drive, check engine light came back on. We had the car towed to the dealership and now we have been advised to replace the transmission ($4700 repair). Have not moved forward with the repair but found that other owners have experienced the same problem. Hoping to participate in a lawsuit to avoid this issue for other owners in the future. On March 26 approx. We took the car to the dealership to address an issue we were having when we started the car. Sometimes the car would jump at the start as if it were in drive. The issue couldn't be found by he service tech so they advised us to get a tune up. We paid over $500 that week for a tune up. The car was inspected at that service visit but nothing was mentioned or noticed about the radiator. We wondered how this catastrophic breakdown could appear out of nowhere. The problem happened a few days after the car was serviced and inspected.

- Smyrna, GA, USA

My wife noticed acceleration decreasing and then when she change the gear to drive the car didn't move. Then, it finally went into drive. We took it to dealership and they stated the radiator and transmission will have to be replaced due to radiator fluid leaking into the transmission. We heard about this issue happening frequently with other Nissan Pathfinders. Therefore, we contacted 1-800-nissan1 to see if we could get some kind of help. I talked to a representative named [xxx] from a company that creates a case with the hope that Nissan will cover the costs. After two and half weeks a decision was made not to cover the cost of repair due to the car was bought used and it is over the 80,000 mile extended warranty. If it is a defect, isn't the manufacturer responsible. This is not caused by the consumer and is not wear and tear. I have a Nissan Altima with over 230,000 miles and the transmission is still producing. I loved Nissan cars up until this very moment. I have been researching to purchase another Nissan, but after this my mind has changed. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Charlotte, NC, USA

Transmission gave out on me while traveling with family on highway. The problem was due to faulty parts Nissan has placed on the Pathfinder. My finding to the problems not only included transmissions problems not covered under warranty but also other defects in which they are unwilling to pay for. I hope it doesn't take for someone to die for them to get this is a serious problem. Americans are in danger due to this company and it's cars!

- Charlotte, NC, USA

While driving vehicle stalls and shuts down without warning. Vdc off and slip lights come on in dash board has happened multiple time in last four weeks. Nissan dealership had vehicle for nine days and could not recreate problem when picked up from dealership vehicle died on way home.contacted dealership said nothing they can do without them witness the problem. Now vehicle sits useless in carport.

- Blountstown, FL, USA

Tuesday morning after dropping my children off at school, I had just made a left hand turn through an intersection in heavy traffic. I was traveling approx. 45 mph when bam!....my car all but stalled and would not accelerate. The car behind me almost hit me, I could barely get the car to steer and had trouble getting enough juice to pull it over safely to the side of the road. After much research, I see that Nissan radiators are defective; they rupture and allow the coolant to spill over into the coolant system in transmission, contaminating both and ruining both radiator and transmission. There are countless stories of people stalling in traffic or completely losing enough acceleration power in a very abrupt manner that someone is going to get very hurt, if not die. What if my kids had been in the car with me" what if we would have been in heavier traffic in different circumstances? the thought of this makes me sick to my stomach. I was very lucky not to have been hurt or hurt someone else after what happened. Nissan and you all need to acknowledge that a real safety risk exists here. A recall must be done! sickens me to think of those who will eventually lose their lives. How can going from a full functioning speed to no speed at all in the most abrupt, nerve-jarring manner possible in heavy traffic and not being able to maneuver your vehicle not be a safety issue" please explain this to me. Oh, and as if it isn't enough that Nissan obviously has no regard for their consumer's safety, they are limiting the warranties in such an unrealistic manner that the consumer is forced to foot $6,000-$8,000 to fix the issue that they clearly knew about and could have prevented from the get-go.

- Fayetteville, GA, USA

The transmission is starting to slip. Sometimes when I'm coming to a stop I'll jump forward. The dealer said the radiator and transmission needs to be replaced. Why would do radiator affect a transmission. Nissan know there is a problem with the transmission and a radiator leak inside transmission. They should recall and fix this problem. The estimate I got to repair is $5200 dollars.

- Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA

I took in my Pathfinder this week after weeks of hearing a deep noise coming from the engine when I tried to accelerate around 2000 RPM. Turns out the radiator wall cracked and came apart allowing the coolant and transmission fluid to mix together. Apparently this has been a problem in Pathfinders, especially the 2005 model. I had the radiator replaced (total cost $1,671.61) but was told this is probably a band-aid fix because there's no way to tell how much damage has been done to the transmission.

- Orange, CA, USA

Internal components of the radiator fail allowing coolant to leak into the transmission via the tranny cooler. This ruins the internals of the transmission and cause irreparable damage.

- Conyers, GA, USA

I was not told by anyone in the service dept of the radiator assembly issue with Nissan 2005-2010 frontier, Pathfinder, and xterra. I found this information by surfing Nissan website. I did this because I was being told by every repair shop in the surrounding area of birmingham that Nissan is well aware of this issue and should do a recall on it. I called Nissan Consumer Affairs on 1-10-2011 about the information that I discovered. I was told that I needed to take my vehicle back to the Nissan dealership to access the repairs a because it had been over 30 days since I took my vehicle into a Nissan dealership for service. Then, my request would be reviewed by Consumer Affairs to see if Nissan would pay for the repairs. I explained to the representative that I did not have another $100 to have the service dept to tell me the same thing again. I got an email 2 weeks ago from Nissan for a survey and never heard anything back. I am paying for a vehicle I have not been able to use since November of 2011. When I purchased this vehicle in 2008 I also purchased the extended warranty with Nissan, which now is expired. I could not afford to pay $5,695 for repairs so I went out and found a license transmission shop that could do it at a lesser amount. The transmission shop told me that they are having a difficult time with Nissan and ordering parts for the transmission because Nissan can not produce the parts fast enough due to the high demand for repairs for this issue. Even though, I have 114,700 miles on my vehicle I am asking Nissan to do the honorable thing and pay for the repairs.

- Birmingham, AL, USA