2007 Nissan Frontier

THE TRANSMISSION LINE RUNS THROUGH THE RADIATOR IN THESE VEHICLES. IT BROKE INSIDE RADIATOR AND PUT TRANSMISSION FLUID INTO COOLING SYSTEM AND COOLANT INTO TRANSMISSION, CAUSING FAILURE OF BOTH SYSTEMS. WHEN PROBLEM WAS DETECTED(SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND TRANSMISSION SLIPPING) I TOOK TO MECHANIC, WE FLUSHED TRANSMISSION AND COOLING SYSTEM. TRANSMISSION IS SYSTEMATICALLY FAILING ,

THE TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO A KNOWN DESIGN FLAW THAT ALLOWS COLLAR FROM THE RADIATOR TO LEAK INTO THE TRANSMISSION CAUSING IT TO FAIL. ON MY VEHICLE IT FAILED AT 100,800 MILES, JUST BARELY OUTSIDE WARRANTY. IT WILL NO LONGER CLIMB HILLS AND HAS GREAT DIFFICULTY GAINING INITIAL MOMENTUM ON FLATTER ROADS. IT DOESN'T STALL, JUST SITS IN ONE PLACE, ROLLS BACKWARD INSTEAD OF FORWARD, OR EXCELERATES LIKE A 3 TOED SLOTH. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WE WERE DRIVING UP STEEP DRIVEWAY AND IT JUST STOPPED MOVING. THE SECOND TIME WE WERE ON A LESS STEEP BUSY ROADWAY AND WE'RE FORCED TO ROLL BACKWARDS IN TRAFFIC UNTIL WE COULD FIND A PLACE TO TURN AROUND. ISSUE HAD NOT BEEN SPECIFICALLY NOTICEABLE PRIOR TO THIS.

MY NISSAN FRONTIER PICK UP WENT COMPLETELY DEAD AND WOULD NOT START AFTER I HAD REFUELED AT A GAS STATION. I CHECKED OUT THE BATTERY CONNECTIONS AND IGNITION AND FOUND NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. I THEN CALLED A LOCAL DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND HAD IT TOWED IN FOR DIAGNOSIS FOR REPAIR. THE SERVICE MANAGER CALLED ME THE NEXT DAY AND INFORMED ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY WAS IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT AT A COST OF $1800.00. AFTER A WEEK OR SO I CALLED AND WAS TOLD MY VEHICLE WAS READY. I PICKED IT UP AND PAID THE BILL. SHORTLY AFTERWARD I NOTICED THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTING AN LITTLE HARD BUT DISMISSED IT AS POSSIBLE CHARACTERISTIC OF A NEW PART FUNCTIONING DIFFERENTLY. AFTER ABOUT 4 MONTHS I NOTICED AN INCREASE IN THIS SHIFTING AND SO I CHECKED TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVEL WHICH WAS A LITTLE LOW BUT A HEALTHY COLOR. I ADDED TRANSMISSION FLUID AND TRANSMISSION OPERATED OK FOR ABOUT 6 WEEKS NOW THE TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTING VERY HARD AND SLIPS AND SOME TIMES THE VEHICLE JUMP FORWARD JUST SLIGHTLY WHEN AT A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT. I HAVE BEGAN INVESTIGATING THIS PROBLEM ONLINE AND DISCOVERED THIS IS HAPPENING A LOT WITH NISSANS VEHICLES NOT JUST THE FRONTIERS, BUT ALSO PATHFINDERS AND EXTERRAS. SOME CONSUMER GROUP ARE SEEKING A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AND I HOPE THEY GET IT BECAUSE I CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY $1800.00 EVERY SIX MONTHS.

VEHICLE IS WELL MAINTAINED WITH 115,000 MILES ODOMETER READING. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME THE REAR AXLE SEAS HAVE FAILED, RESULTING IN GEAR OIL SOAKING REAR BRAKES, RESULTING IN OIL CONTAMINATION OF BRAKE PADS AND RENDERING THE PARKING BRAKE INEFFECTIVE. THE REASON WAS EXPLAINED BY NISSAN AS A RUSTED $14 BREATHER TUBE IN THE DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING CAUSING PRESSURE BUILD UP TO RUIN THE $7 DOLLAR SEALS. THE RESULT IS A REPAIR ANY WHERE FRO $1500 FOR A DIFFICULT AXLE PULL TO GET TO THE SEALS OR UP TO$6500 TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE REAR ASSEMBLY. THE PROBLEM WITH SEAL REPLACEMENT IS IT IS DIFFICULT AND TIME CONSUMING AND MUST BE PERFORMED PERFECTLY OR THE SEALS WILL LEAK AGAIN. THE ROOT CAUSE IS A POOR BREATHER SYSTEM,. NISSAN IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEFECTIVE DESIGN AND APPLICATION. CONTINUED USE WILL CAUSE PREMATURE REAR BRAKE FAILURE AND TOO MUCH STRESS ON THE FRONT BRAKES TO STOP THE VEHICLE.

THE PROBLEM BEGAN AS "SHUDDER" RESEMBLING WHAT IS FELT WHEN THE CAR MOVES ONTO THE "RUMBLE STRIP" NEAR THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. THIS OCCURRED WHILE TRAVELING AT LOWER RPMS (1500 - 2000) AT AVERAGE HIGHWAY SPEEDS IN 5TH GEAR (55 - 65 MPH). SINCE THE VEHICLE IS PRIMARILY DRIVEN IN TOWN AT LOWER SPEEDS, THE "SHUDDER" OCCURRED RARELY AND WAS NOT INITIALLY IDENTIFIED AS A PROBLEM. OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL MONTHS, THE PROBLEM BEGAN OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY AND AT LOWER SPEEDS, BUT ALWAYS AT LOWER RPMS (1500 TO 2000) AND IN ALL GEARS. AS THE SHUDDER WORSENED, THE VEHICLE ALSO BEGAN TO SHIFT MORE ROUGHLY, OFTEN JARRING AS IT MOVED FROM ONE GEAR TO THE NEXT. (THIS OCCURS AT ALL GEAR CHANGES.). THE VEHICLE IS NOW "SLIPPING" QUITE BADLY AS IT MOVES FROM 4TH TO 5TH GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED TORQUE CONVERTER PROBLEMS AND POSSIBLE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE MECHANIC HAS RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION. IT APPEARS THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A VALVE BODY FAILURE IN THE TRANSMISSION AND CROSS-CONTAMINATION OF THE COOLANT AND TRANSMISSION FLUID.

DROVE A VERY SHORT DISTANCE NEAR MY WORK AND HEARD A BUBBLING SOUND IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, KNEW IMMEDIATELY SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE RADIATOR. A FEW SECONDS LATER IT WAS LIKE A SMALL EXPLOSION AND I WAS ABLE TO PARK. THE GOO COMING FROM UNDERNEATH WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING I HAD SEEN BEFORE. I HAD USAA TOW IT OFF, DEALERSHIP SAID CRACK IN THE RADIATOR CAUSED FLUIDS TO MIX AND CORRUPT THE TRANSMISSION AND FOUND OUT 15 DAYS LATER THAT NOTHING WOULD BE COVERED. DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE MASSIVE, WIDE-SPREAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS EXACT SCENARIO. DEALER DIDN'T KNOW, INSURANCE AND ADJUSTER NEVER SAID ANYTHING. WASN'T UNTIL A SMALL TOWN MECHANIC TOLD MY MOTHER-IN-LAW, THAT WE HEARD ABOUT THESE ISSUES FROM OTHER NISSAN OWNERS. I AM HESITANT TO HAVE FACTOR PARTS PUT BACK IN IT IF, ACCORDING TO OTHERS, THE SAME PROBLEM COULD RE-OCCUR.

TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO COOLANT INTERMIXING WITH TRANSMISSION FLUID. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD CATASTROPHIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE DUE TO A CRACK IN THE COOLING SYSTEM. FIRST TIME WAS JUST OVER THE WARRANTY SO I WAS FORCED TO PAY A $2500 COPAY. THE VIHICLE STARTED SHOWING SIGNS OF A SECONDARY FAILURE JUST PRIOR TO 100000 MILES AND WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER THEY LIED TO ME AND SAID THERE WAS JUST RESIDUAL OIL IN THE RADIATOR FROM THE FIRST FAILURE... NOW I AM PAST ANY WARRANTY COPAY AND THE TRANSMISSION IS FAILING AT JUST 100500 MILES. THAT IS JUST TWO YEARS (LESS THAN 18000 MILES) AFTER THEY REPLACED THE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE THAT CONSUMERS ARE BEING FORCED TO PAY FOR A KNOWN ISSUE OF POOR ENGINEERING ESPECIALLY WHEN IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY FIXED BY THE DEALER WITH NISSAN PARTS. THEY HAVE OBVIOUSLY NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM BUT JUST REPLACED WITH ANOTHER DEFECTIVE PART. ON TOP OF THAT THEY DENIED THERE WAS A PROBLEM TO SO I WOULD CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE UNTIL IT WAS PAST THE EXTENDED WARRANTY (FROM 2012 CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT). WHILE THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT IN EITHER INDECENT THERE WAS A NEAR COLLISION THE FIRST TIME AS I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION AND THE SECOND THERE WAS TRAFFIC BEHIND ME THAT HAD TO AVOID REAR-ENDING ME AS THE VEHICLE STOPPED, THIS IS A DANGEROUS DEFECT THAT COULD RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 NISSAN FRONTIER. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, A CLUNKING AND STUTTERING NOISE EMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC AND DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE TRANSMISSION AND MAIN COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NHTSA INVESTIGATION NUMBER: DP12004 (POWER TRAIN) WAS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000. ....UPDATED 07/05/16 *BF *CN