Radiator leaked into transmission just after 100,000 miles. So why didn't Nissan tell us this was going to happen?

- Sun City, AZ, USA

First noticed a stuttering when driving and a clunking sound when moving the shifter from park to reverse to drive in February. Also experienced no heat and over heating in March. Upon repair of thermostat, draining the radiator showed an accumulation of thick grey gunk in the coolant. Thermostat seal itself was melted. Had dealer evaluate clunking sound and they diagnosed it as intermix (the problem identified by the coolant) a manufacturing defect in the radiator/transmission cooling components that allows the coolant to contaminate the transmission fluid causing transmission damage. As a result of class action lawsuit, dealership explained that mileage was over the Nissan warranty limit of 100,000 even though the problem did not manifest until almost 120,000 miles. Recommended fix was in stages - 1) replace radiator and transmission flush $1200++ 2) if problem is not solved, replace transmission $4000++ have talked with Nissan corporate to no avail. Case # is [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Woodland Park, CO, USA

There is a known service problem and bulletin on defective timing chain guides that cause a chain to skip, break lose, or break causing the vehicle to go into a high speed stall. My is just grinding, will repair, but Nissan is well aware of this problem and won't participate in a solution.

- Duluth, MN, USA

The radiator leaked and the coolant went into the transmission and now has totally screwed up the transmission to the point of having to replace it and the radiator. Nissan knows about this problem and will not make a recall on either parts which is completely wrong.

- Rocky Mount , VA, USA

I have a 2007 Nissan Xterra which started to "stutter" and hesitate when pressing the gas. The car almost felt like it was shutting off while on I-4 highway. The shuts down and wont start. I had the car checking and found out that there was a crack in my radiator and that the fluid had leaked over into the transmission. I had the radiator replaced, a few months later, transmission is still not working. I took the car to Nissan, they told me I would have to replace the whole transmission which would run about $5200. I called the Nissan headquarters and was told that there was nothing they could do because my truck was at 109,000 miles.

- Tampa, FL, USA

Failed transmission cooler-engine jerks at speeds 40 mph and higher.

- Rochester, NY, USA

While driving, it would feel/sound like I ran over the speed bumps on the side of the interstate. The vehicle then started jerking into gear. We immediately started looking on the internet for possible problems, the only one that we came up with was the transmission/coolant issue. We took the vehicle to Nissan and was told that it was not under warranty and would cost $6,000 to fix. Since there was no recall we would be buying another faulty transmission/coolant and could happen again. This is not a normal wear and tear problem from what we have been reading, but a faulty design. We called Nissan and made a complaint with them and was told that there was nothing they could do. My vehicle started overheating today 4/7/14 and when we checked the coolant, it is the consistency of a milkshake. If Nissan stood behind their product they would do a recall and get this problem fixed. We are probably going to have to get a loan to get this fixed since we have not been able to save the money up and the problem is getting worse. It's just a shame that when we do get this fixed we are buying another faulty transmission. It's a lose/lose situation. We thought about trading in and getting a newer vehicle but would be upside down on our purchase. Very dissatisfied customer!

- Mount Hope, WV, USA

Radiator and transmission failed while driving on highway, part was settled in class action suite and owner was never made aware of defect and or how it can be fixed until failure on highway with family of four in it on 3/28/2014, the owner is the sole owner of vehicle since 2007, owner never received any information at all from Nissan regarding this manufacturer issue until service department at Nissan informed owner of issue and also informed owner of $3,000 repair charge for the faulty parts.

- Liverpool, NY, USA

Radiator cracked causing coolant to mix with transmission fluid.

- Grain Valley, MO, USA

The radiator fluid and transmission fluid have some how mixed together cause damage to both my radiator and transmission. I purchase my Xterra brand new in 2007 and kept up with the maintenance. I have read several articles and even received a letter about a class action lawsuit. But at the time no symptoms were showing on my vehicle. So upset that this is not a recall!!! I am a single mom and this was my only means of transportation. Now it just sits in my yard. Frustrating!!!

- Newark, OH, USA

The radiator leaked fluid into the transmission and cause a complete and total loss of both. A lawsuit was filed and settled by Nissan without them taking any responsibility for their faulty design. I guess this won't get noticed until people start dying from Nissan's defective design. When that does happen, Nissan will just payoff the families so this whole issue just goes away!

- Elk Grove Village, IL, USA

Problem with radiator fluid leaking into the transmission, which has now damaged the transmission. Since Nissan won't do the right thing and we're beyond the 80,000 miles, we're stuck paying for a new radiator and transmission. Instead of getting away with doing nothing except for extending the warranty, Nissan should have been required to notify all affected people regarding the exact problem and issued a recall and pay for a new radiator. This obviously is still an issue for alot people and probably many, many more in the future, long after the so-called proposed settlement. Too the NHTSA! please investigate and require Nissan do the right thing!

- Wernersville, PA, USA

I was driving on the highway in my 2007 Nissan Xterra with my family (myself, my wife, and 2 children). We experienced a complete breakdown while traveling 60 miles per hour. The truck started to make all kinds of noises, the steering wheel started shaking uncontrollably, and I completely lost all acceleration. Fortunately for myself and my family, I was able to steer the car out of any immediate danger and bring the car to a stop on the shoulder because of my quick reactions. My family and I were stranded on the highway with no means of transportation. This was a very traumatic experience for all of us. I was able to call another family member to come and pick up my family, but I had to stay with the truck until I was able to have it towed to my house. After doing a little research, I learned of this faulty Nissan design problem and was advised to contact the NHTSA because they have an open investigation into this type of occurrence. I am pleading with you to seriously look into this problem before anyone has to lose their life or face a permanent disability resulting from this type of occurrence. I hope that the NHTSA can complete this investigation soon. I would strongly recommend a recall for this safety hazard and potential life threatening occurrence that is a direct result of Nissan's faulty design, which they are completely aware of, but deny taking any responsibility!

- Elk Grove Village, IL, USA

At 60mph and also 40mph the vehicle vibrates heavily and is slow to react to power inputs with no warning signs prior. This was determined to be caused by the known defect related to the radiator / heat exchanger, where the engine coolant mixes with the transmission fluid and gets into the transmission. This then turns into a "pink milkshake" consistency fluid and completely ruins the entire transmission and valve assembly. This requires a complete rebuild or replacement of the transmission and radiator to correct the issue. There is no warning sign and this affects these vehicles at different rates. This can cause cars to seize up unexpectedly in the middle of driving creating a dangerous situation. Since this is a known issue for Nissan trucks model year 2005 - 2010 this should be a safety recall. It is not a matter of if this will happen, it is a matter of when. In my personal situation I had no injury or immediate car shutdown, however I would have no warning if that did occur and has the potential to be dangerous, especially at highway speeds. This has to be investigated and is uncalled for to have a known defect and not disclose this to owners of these vehicles. Additionally, there is a perfectly good way to mitigate this issue by adding a dedicated cooler for the transmission and bypass the radiator, which is a cheap and easy fix to never have this issue.

- Havertown, PA, USA

At varying speeds above 45mph the vehicle will shudder as if you were driving on a rumble strip. This can be startling as there is no indication of when or where it will occur. When the radiator failed our mechanic informed us that the transmission was destroyed because of design of the radiator and transmission cooling lines, which allowed coolant to seep into the transmission fluid thus destroying the transmission..

- Sparks, NV, USA

Transmission failure in my 07 Nissan Xterra. A complete loss of motive power and needed to be towed. The dealer diagnosed the problem as a failed transmission fluid cooler located in the radiator assembly that allowed coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid, resulting in damaged internal transmission components and a damaged internal transmission computer. Was told that this is a huge problem with these vehicles and the Nissan corporation is well aware of this problem.

- Crawfordville, FL, USA

Internal leakage of engine coolant in to transmission.

- Gardner, KS, USA

My cars coolant gage jumped straight to H out of nowhere. After pulling into a shell station for antifreeze, it was apparent what had happened. There was something mixed in with the antifreeze. It was the transmission fluid. After being told I would need a new transmission and radiator, I started researching and im not the only one dealing with an otherwise great body you can't do anything with and doubt I will be the last. After further research it appears that no recall has been approved and I believe there are many of us wondering why" this is a consistent problem with hundreds of cars and it's not even one make, it's many. 3 in my category. Does a recall only happen when it has fatality attached" this is a faulty system and Nissan approved these coolants in the transmissions and continued to even after complaints of the system. I was lucky to catch mine right away but still need $3000 to fix it! it won't be long until fatality is attached once someone's transmission goes out on a highway or in 5 O'clock traffic! Nissan needs to issue a recall!!!

- Hardy, VA, USA

Our 2007 Nissan Xterra, purchased brand new, began to overheat. Upon checking the fluids I noticed the coolant level was dangerously low. I was certainly puzzled where the fluid had gone because there has never been any visible leaks or any warning lights or any other symptom to draw my attention. I began to look into the situation because I was puzzled and quickly learned of the massive number of Nissan owners experiencing the same problem. Sadly, I was now one of those victims. Yes, the coolant had contaminated the transmission fluid via the faulty transmission cooler. There is a class action lawsuit that I am sure you are aware of but I was unaware of. I do not recall any contact notifying me of a class action lawsuit and the potential damage. I had no reason for worry because my vehicle had not given me any trouble signs and the fluids have always checked normal during normal service checks. Like many, I cannot afford to shell out the dollars that this negligence on Nissan corporation behalf has caused. I encourage you to please force Nissan corporation to issue a recall requiring them to make all the appropriate repairs for these damages. Please, do not put a cap on the mileage or set the mileage relatively high if you must. My vehicle has only 89,000 miles and only gave signs of damage less than 500 miles ago.

- Statesville, NC, USA

I have a 2007 Nissan Xterra with a common issue...the faulty radiator leaks into the transmission causing transmission failure. This can cause the transmission to seize up leaving a moving car to lose speed rapidly which is an unsafe situation. This has not happened to me yet as I caught the issue and am fighting with Nissan for them to fix defect..until then I am stuck with this as my car. Great. Nissan has asked me to pay a $3K "co-pay" to share in fixing the fault...

- Southington, CT, USA