Bought this car used for my daughter's first car. It had 133,000 miles when we purchased it and after driving it less than 30 days the transmission went out. upon further investigation I have come to find that I am 1 of many that have had this problem. Cross contamination of the antifreeze and the transmission. Antifreeze got into the transmission which fried the TCM and corroded all of the gaskets.

I called the local Nissan dealer and told them what type of vehicle I had and that I was having a transmission problem and they knew right away what the problem was and were very quick with an estimate of $6000 to fix the problem. The car is only worth $7500 on KBB. I have found a local mechanic that fixes the Xterra, Pathfinder, and Frontiers all the time and will do it for around $2000. The effected models range from 2005 to the 2010.

I have called North America Nissan and filed a complaint with them but I am not very optimistic of the outcome. If Nissan hasn't owned up to their mistake by now they probably never will. So if you are looking to buy a used car steer away from any the models listed above unless they can prove to you the problem has been fixed. Because it's not a matter of will it happen, it's a matter of when will it happen!

Update from Oct 27, 2016: Update: my transmission guy replaced the valve body in the tranny last week. I went to pick it up and had gotten a mile from the shop and the CEL came on. I put an OBD meter on it and came up with a P0717 which is the input speed senor no signal. I took it back and got a call a week later he told me that the valve body he got from Nissan was bad. when he asked the service manager at the dealer he was told that they have had quite a few of the new one's coming back with that problem. This is yet another screw up from Nissan that they are not willing to fess up to. The mechanic had to replace the bad valve body at his cost. he said this would probably would be the last Nissan he would do because of their poor support. Going to pick it up tomorrow and just hope that this one works.

Update from Nov 7, 2016: Got the xterra back and have driven it for almost 2 weeks now with no problems, it actually drives and shifts better than it did originally. big thanks to my tranny guy who fixed me up. Hopefully no more problems!!!!!

Update from Oct 4, 2018: Been almost 2 years and the Xterra is doing great. No more problems!

2007 Xterra in great condition , made my last payment on September 3rd , 2016 , on September 10th , 2016 , I lost any kind of power to the wheels , it was like I was stuck in neutral , coasted into a parking lot , I could shift through every gear but it wouldn't move , got it towed to a repair shop , he said it was something to do with the transmission that he doesn't work on and I should take it to a Nissan dealer , got it towed to the nearest dealer , and they said the radiator had failed causing coolant to mix with the transmission , and I would need a new radiator and transmission , cost : $6,200 , Wtf , that is more than the value of the car . I had applied for Social Security Disability a year ago so for the past year I've had absolutely no income and then to be told it's basically junk was devastating , why sink $6,200 that I don't have into a 10 yr old car that's only worth $5,000 , so now I'm selling my perfectly looking Xterra for whatever i can get for it and have no transportation to get to my many drs appointments , to get online and see all the other Nissan owners with the same problems was disheartening , we all got screwed and Nissan could care less , won't ever buy another Nissan again and advise others to avoid them also .

This vehicle gave us no warning, I was backing out if the driveway and put it in drive and it would not go. Turned car off, then the thing would not start and never did. From that point I was told that I would need a new transmission and radiator due to the sensor in the transmission going bad and mixing the oil and coolant together and it has ruined the whole car. We are a family of 5 and only have 1 car for both to get to work and kids to care for and living pay check to pay check. No way to fiance another car or buy one. Thanks Nissan, you suck.

The transmission started to slip over the last couple of weeks until it felt like it was having a very hard time going into gear. I did some research online and became aware of the very common problem of the coolant leaking into the transmission.

I contacted the Nissan dealership where I purchased my vehicle (brand new)and had almost all of the service done and was told there is nothing that they could do. Apparently there WAS a class action lawsuit that was filed and has already been settled. So I'm out of luck there. So the dealership won't help, Nissan won't help, and now I'm stuck with a $4,500 repair to a vehicle I bought brand new and have taken good care of. So incredibly frustrating.

You would think that with so many cases like this that Nissan would issue a recall or even be willing to do more for their customers. I will never purchase another Nissan again.

This is known defect in these vehicles that Nissan refuses to own up to. They are ignoring a major problem by not covering this problem over 80,000 miles when the majority of problems occur beyond that. All the service advisors and techs know this is a problem. It's a poorly engineered vehicle to allow coolant to leak into and destroy the transmission. This should be a clear cut recall. I was lucky it occurred at a stop or this could have involved a major accident with death. Nissan needs to own up to this problem.

We bought the Xterra used. Everything checked out okay. We got a really good deal according to Kelly Blue Book, so we financed it at a very good interest rate. We drove the vehicle for several months with no problems. When it wouldn't start again after stopping at the store, we had to have it towed. We had a mechanic look at it and he suggested to take it to the Nissan dealership. We couldn't afford that right away, so we set about saving money to accomplish that.

We had it towed to Crown Nissan in Greenville, SC. They called and said it needed a module in the transmission...$2175. We were okay with that, since we had saved that. They called back the next day and David it had to have a new transmission and radiator, because coolant had leaked into the transmission...$5900. We couldn't afford that. They called back the next day and they had gotten it down to around $4700. I was curious because I had never heard of coolant leaking into the transmission, so I Googled it.

I found that there had been many complaints about Nissan Pathfinder, Xterra and 2 others having the same thing happened. Once I called the Nissan dealership and told them what I had learned, they gave me the number for Nissan of North America. After making a complaint and getting a case #, I received a call back from Regional in Franklin, Tn, from someone named Lauren saying there was nothing they could do for me, because the mileage was to high and past the extended warranty.

When I told her what I had found out and explained to her this was Nissans fault and not ours and they didn't want to take responsibility for it. I said I would have to contact the BBB, an attorney and anyone else that would listen, she said there was already a class action lawsuit and there was nothing I could do.

This is the first time I have ever owned a foreign made car and the last time. We're retired and my husband is a retired Vietnam/Desert Storm disabled veteran. We can't afford to be screwed over by a deceitful company like Nissan of North America. Now we have to finish paying for a vehicle that we can't even drive.

I bought my Xterra new in 2007. I started having issues with it in 2015, less than a year after paying it off, and at around 85,000 miles. I've now been told by two different transmission shops that it needs a new transmission and after looking on line, I see this is a common problem with the fluids leaking in the Xterras causing this. I've also been told that I need $3,500 to replace the radiator. As a single parent and homeowner, I don't have $3,500 laying around to do this. Very upset that the dealerships aren't taking care of their customers. Prior to this I was going to give this vehicle to my daughter and get another Nissan. Not now. Why would I give my business to these people, or put my daughter in what apparently is an unsafe vehicle.

We had this vehicle for a year, bought it used. We have owned previous Nissan vehicle and thought the Xterra would be great for our family. It was a great fit, until the transmission started the vibrate and shutter, took it into a Nissan dealership and they wanted $5,000+ to fix the issue. Other local mechanics and transmission shops have priced between $3,500 through $4,700. We don't have this kind of money laying around, right now we are cancelling all our vacations for the next year to try and save up money to fix the Xterra.

Now we are 1 vehicle short with 2 kids, and both of us working. I can't believe that Nissan doesn't have a recall on this issue. It's not like an issue that is visible to the naked eye and you can see it. We love this vehicle but have to get it fixed because we are still paying a loan to own it.

2007 Nissan Xterra TRANSMISSION FAILURE RADIATOR MIXTURE

Students (sons) Driving Truck it STALLED at stop light going under 25 mph. and slowing down.

No restart. NO VEHICLES were nearby as they had taken an off back road home from college. THIS one element saved their lives I believe.

After NUMEROUS failed diagnosis, by numerous IDIOT shops in the DAYTONA BEACH AREA ONE shop, and only ONE in the AREA and ONE electrical specialist -DIAGNOSED the ISSUE:

Transmission and Radiator MIXED! causing the TCM (ruined by the water) to fail, and zapped the IPCM (Independent Power Control Module) to fail as well.

THE TRANSMISSION VALVCE BODY and the TCM was replaced and the IPCM.

$1,700.00 TRANNY and $600.00 electrical IPCM and diagnosis of WHY truck would not START!

WE LOST MONEY about $700.00 on MISDIAGNOSIS!!!!!!!! BEWARE OF THIS!!!!!!!!! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ IDIOTS put in a new steering wheel! ASSUMING it was all due to a AFTER MARKET ALARM not starting the truck! The wheel was put in crooked with no horn and now the truck steering needs to be re-calibrated!!

Interestingly, the family has ANOTHER 2007 XTERRA, same milage! which has NOT had tranny failure, runs great but will soon be in the shop for preventative BYPASS!! MY tranny/Auto man said the BYPASS will prevent the EPIC TRANNY FAILURE. He said the XTERRA ENGINE is a decent valid motor and it is a shame that NISSAN is AWARE of the defective radiator /mixture issue!

FCK NISSAN.

THEY ARE AWARE. This may have caused a FATAL WRECK of my sons! I hope the get their ASSES SUED NISSAN and pray the class action lawsuit either puts them out of business or makes them very generously (Like Volkswagon) pat all the Nissan owners on the back here and tell them to carry on, sign petition, call the complaint lines, we will have ears here on forum to listen to your disaster.

by the way, The TRUCK was down for a total of three months!

AGAIN there is NO Control at all once the tranny fails! The only hope you have of surviving such an incident is :

1) You are driving slow starting or stopping. 2) Driving on a deserted back road with no sharp turns or hills. 3) It fails when no other vehicles are present, and you can turn off safely 4) God is driving.

Vehicle just stopped in the middle of the road. This vehicle has never given us any problems and it quit running in 10 minutes . It has 113k miles and I am learning now that Nissan has known about this issue and issued no recall and did nothing to alert owners. The dealership is saying that the radiator coolant leaked into the transmission fluid and now the transmission and radiator and the auto transmission cooler needs to be replaced to the tune of $9800.00.

This vehicle went from a great daily commuter with no issues to a pile of scarp metal without any warning lights or check engine lights coming on it just stopped pulling and stopped in the middle of the road. So it lasted just long enough to get it paid for and then collapsed .

Nissan knows about this issue it is posted all over the internet and they failed to protect consumers. I approached the dealership and they simply turned there back on me. What a sad excuse for standing behind your brand.

Sad to say I have to join the ranks of previously satisfied XTerra owners who has had the radiator leak into the transmission. It started about 5 months ago with the sensation of driving over bumps in the road. I never would have associated that with a transmission problem. Then the transmission started not going into gear properly upon acceleration. I took the vehicle to my mechanic who noticed that the transmission fluid was about 2 quarts low. He filled it and the problem seemed to be solved. Thus, I just thought I was low on transmission fluid.

Then about 2 weeks ago, the "going over small bumps" sensation reappeared. Soon thereafter, the jamoica shake sludge boiled out over the radiator overflow tank. I immediately drove to the repair shop and they indicated that the radiator leaked coolant into the transmission requiring a radiator replacement, transmission flush and another type of flush. $1,000!!! But worse is the not knowing. Based on everybody elses reports, it would appear I am driving a transmission time bomb. This sucks. I was planning on driving this Xterra another 2 years at least. Now I feel I have to bail quickly. Sure didn't want that new car payment! This was my first Nissan(and last). I sure thought they would be engineered better than that!

Bought vehicle used and had an extended warranty forced on me for $2500, which should have covered transmission issues (Liberty Ford, Maple Hts., OH). Driving the vehicle on 10/18 on the freeway and the car started to vibrate and shutter and lost the ability to accelerate, vehicle check engine light came on, vehicle started smoking under the engine. Luckily there was an off ramp, took it, pulled into a empty business parking lot, left it there, drove it to my mechanic approx. 1 mile.

He diagnosed the problem as the problem with the transmission coolant hose, broke and leaked fluid into my transmission and radiator. Took it to Nissan dealer at the advise of Liberty Ford, place where I purchased the lemon, and was told after $99 diagnostic fee that it would cost $6,000 to fix the vehicle. The vehicle is only worth $5,000 and I owe $8,000. They said that Ford (extended warranty) will not cover anything on the vehicle. Total bullshit, why did I purchase the extended warranty if it doesn't cover transmission problems. TOTAL RIP OFF.

I was kicking myself for not noticing the symptoms of a problem on my 2007 Xterra that was slowly occurring over a 3 month time frame. First I was losing coolant slowly by the heater not working properly in the winter months. Never had a coolant puddle under car or overheating issues. Level was low so I checked for leaks but did not find any real issues. Filled radiator and continued on my way, then after about 2 and 1/2 months the transmission started to behave oddly. When accelerating on the highway, the tranny would shift into a lower gear and the rpm would go up. Could ease off on the throttle and then it would shift into a higher gear. If I babied the throttle the tranny would behave.

Thinking that this might have to do with a throttle position sensor (total guess) I made an appointment with my local Nissan dealer. Then 2 days before the appointment I accelerated on the highway and the car started to buck, I noticed my engine temperature didn't spike but it was closing in on the max idiot scale. Losing power I pulled over and turned the vehicle off and noticed the steam coming out from the hood. Hmmm, temp gauge not pegged but certainly overheated. Thought I could let it cool off, refill radiator, and at least limp home. NOT SO! Took off radiator cap and behold, the truth be told by the white mucus like substance in the radiator. Seen enough oil in coolant problems to know exactly what was going on with the symptoms mentioned above. It then hit me, radiator, transmission, hmmm why didn't I see this coming.

Could not restart, had it towed to Dealer for scheduled appointment and waited for the bad news. I was told that the radiator and transmission were toast and it would cost $5,100 to repair. Told them I would get back to them. After thinking, at best, if I did the work myself with an after market radiator and junk yard tranny it would cost at least $2,500. With 102,000 miles and no desire to be crawling under cars anymore, I'm trading her in.

What really kills me was this was/is a known problem that could have been avoided by bypassing the oil thru the radiator and let the oil cooler for the radiator do the job it was intended to do. A recall or even a notice could have easily avoided this problem. Was happy with the vehicle up to then, but after thinking about Nissan's inaction the material waste is very disgraceful. Not honorable. This problem historically had been avoided decades ago by isolating the two radiators so you would never mix fluids. A poor engineering solution to supplement transmission oil cooling by also running it thru an exchanger built into the engine's radiator. Not smart. End of gripe.

My Xterra was driving fine. Once in a while, not very often, it had a hesitation. I took it to a random auto shop to have the breaks fixed and they told me I had a bigger problem. Oil in the radiator. Got that fixed, but it wouldn't drive. Took it to a Nissan dealer where they told me I had to have the transmission replaced. I loved my Xterra so I bit the bullet. Still wasn't fixed. I was told it needed a new sensor.

They covered it for me. Now, it's even worse. I was told it needed three new coils. They covered it for me. Now, it will NOT drive at all. Worse than EVER!! Now, they are saying I need 2 new catalytic converters and it's going to cost $1,800. They have had it for over 3 months and it has not run since I took it to have the brakes fixed which I never did.

I have lost complete faith in Nissan. I filed a complaint with Nissan Consumer Affairs which went nowhere....like everyone else. I am stuck with a piece of junk and not sure what to do at this point. I will never buy another Nissan. They need to stop making cars. Obviously they don't know what they're doing and they DON'T stand behind there product.