IllustrationCONTAMINATION OF TRANSMISSION FLUID ON 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER. COLOR OF COOLANT IS PURPLE AND CLOUDY IN OVERFLOW AND RADIATOR. TRANSMISSION HAS STARTED SHUTTERING BETWEEN 35 - 45 MPH. SYMPTOMS BEGAN AT 130K MILES.
2005 Nissan Pathfinder
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Pathfinder years
Owner complaints for the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder are substantially higher than the model-year median of 97.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Pathfinder years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
260–25K
5625–50K
20650–75K
29075–100K
318100–150K
60150K+
956 reports with mileage · 94 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 585 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 290 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 186 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
14 crash reports6 fire reports7 injury reports
Power Train complaints
585 reportsCOOLANT AND TRANSMISSION FLUID ARE MIXING! THE TRANSMISSION IS STARTING TO SKIP AND THE COOLANT IS MILKY/ CREAMY LOOKING AND I ADDED 3 QUARTS TRANSMISSION FLUID 7DAYS AGO AND NOW HAVE TO ADD MORE. THE COOLANT IS BEING PUSHED OUT OF THE OVERFLOW DO TO THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND COOLANT MIXING TOGETHER.
THE DREADED COOLANT LEAKAGE FROM A FAULTY OIL COOLER CAUSES FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR.
TRANSMISSION
2005 PATHFINDER DRIVES GREAT AT LOWER SPEEDS, BUT OCCASIONALLY SOUNDS AND FEELS LIKE I'M GOING OVER RUMBLE STRIPS AT SPEEDS HIGHER THAN 40 MPH. TOOK IT TO NISSAN AND WAS TOLD THAT WE HAVE THE WELL KNOWN ISSUE WHERE THE RADIATOR CRACKS AND LEAKS INTO THE TRANSMISSION, RUINING BOTH. THE CAR HAS 95,000 MILES ON IT AND NISSAN WILL…
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2005 PATHFINDER DRIVES GREAT AT LOWER SPEEDS, BUT OCCASIONALLY SOUNDS AND FEELS LIKE I'M GOING OVER RUMBLE STRIPS AT SPEEDS HIGHER THAN 40 MPH. TOOK IT TO NISSAN AND WAS TOLD THAT WE HAVE THE WELL KNOWN ISSUE WHERE THE RADIATOR CRACKS AND LEAKS INTO THE TRANSMISSION, RUINING BOTH. THE CAR HAS 95,000 MILES ON IT AND NISSAN WILL DO NOTHING TO HELP. THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP WANTED $6,500 TO FIX. NOW I'M READING THAT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED WITH A WORK AROUND. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED, OR AT THE VERY LEAST, INFORMATION GIVEN ABOUT THE WORK AROUND TO FIX PRIOR TO THE TRANS GOING OUT.
VEHICLE HAS SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS PROPERLY WHILE IN TRAFFIC AND OCCUR SPORADICALLY. DIAGNOSTIC CODE REVEALED P1754 A KNOWN ISSUE WITH TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED ROUGHLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND THE RADIATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED ROUGHLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND THE RADIATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 111,000.
THE COOLANT FROM THE RADIATOR LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION IN TURNED DESTROYING THE TRANSMISSION. SHORTED THE SAFETY FEATURE IN THE TRANSMISSION TO WHERE IT WOULD NOT START. I WAS STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON THE VECHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. NISSAN TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A 100K AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT. I RUINED…
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THE COOLANT FROM THE RADIATOR LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION IN TURNED DESTROYING THE TRANSMISSION. SHORTED THE SAFETY FEATURE IN THE TRANSMISSION TO WHERE IT WOULD NOT START. I WAS STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON THE VECHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. NISSAN TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A 100K AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT. I RUINED MY CREDIT AND 2 YEARS LATER I AM STILL HAVING MY CHECK GARNISHED FOR THIS HORRIBLE RECALL.. THEY REPOED THE VEHICLE AND SOLD IT FOR SCRAP AND LEFT ME HOLDING THE BILL BECAUSE I COULD AFFORD A $7000 FIX!!! SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE HORRIBLE RECALL
APPROX. 1 YEAR AGO I NOTICED THAT MY ENGINE COOLANT HAD TRANS FLUID IN IT SO I LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. I THEN TOOK THE PATHFINDER INTO HAMILTON NISSAN IN HAGERSTOWN MD. THEY REPLACED THE RADIATOR AND INSTALLED A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO I NOTICED THAT THE PATHFINDER WAS NOT SHIFTING …
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APPROX. 1 YEAR AGO I NOTICED THAT MY ENGINE COOLANT HAD TRANS FLUID IN IT SO I LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. I THEN TOOK THE PATHFINDER INTO HAMILTON NISSAN IN HAGERSTOWN MD. THEY REPLACED THE RADIATOR AND INSTALLED A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO I NOTICED THAT THE PATHFINDER WAS NOT SHIFTING INTO OVERDRIVE. NOW THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT INTO OVERDRIVE AND NOW SLIPS IN AND OUT OF 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. I WAS ALMOST T-BONED THIS MORNING BECAUSE THE PATHFINDER WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR WHILE THE TRANS WAS IN DRIVE, WHICH IS WHY I AM SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL VIBRATION TO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE RADIATOR FLUID LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION. THE CONTACT WA…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL VIBRATION TO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE RADIATOR FLUID LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE RADIATOR, TRANSMISSION, AND TRANSMISSION COOLING LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Official recalls
210V517000 · Engine And Engine Cooling
Oct 28, 2010
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 ARMADA, TITAN, INFINITI QX56 AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER AND XTERRA VEHICLES. THE INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (IPDM) ASSEMBLY CONTAINS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) RELAY THAT HAS A DIODE FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT NOISE REDUCTION. THE ECM RELAY MAY ALLOW SILICON VAPOR TO FORM AND, OVER TIME, THE SILICON EVAPORATES FROM THE DIODE MOLDING WHICH CAUSES SILICON OXIDE TO DEVELOP ON THE ECM RELAY CONTACT DUE TO ARCING.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE ENGINE STALLING INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ECM RELAY INSIDE THE IPDM ASSEMBLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
08V690000 · Air Bags:frontal
Dec 29, 2008
NISSAN IS RECALLING 242,720 MY 2005-2009 PATHFINDER, FRONTIER AND XTERRA VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN THOSE AREAS OF THE COUNTRY WHICH USE HEAVY CONCENTRATIONS OF ROAD SALT IN THE WINTER, A MIXTURE OF SNOW/WATER AND SALT CAN ENTER INTO THE FRONT CRASH ZONE SENSOR (CZS) HOUSING. IF THIS OCCURS, THE CZS MAY INTERNALLY RUST RESULTING IN A SIGNAL INTERRUPTION. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE RED AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE TO ALERT THE VEHICLE OPERATOR.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS ISSUE COULD RESULT IN THE NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAGS IN A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT CZS WITH A REDESIGNED SENSOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 26, 2009. OWNERS IN THE OTHER STATES WILL RECEIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE SENSOR TO 10 YEARS. THESE OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION BY MAIL AND WILL RECEIVE A STICKER TO PLACE IN THEIR WARRANTY BOOKLET EXPLAINING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP12004 · Transmission Failures
Opened Jun 11, 2012 · Closed Oct 22, 2016
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train; Power Train:automatic Transmission; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm); Power Train:automatic Transmission:cooling Unit And Lines; Power Train:automatic Transmission:torque Converter
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.
Additional source detail variants (5)
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:cooling Unit And Lines
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.
Power Train:automatic Transmission
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:torque Converter
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.
Power Train
On February 29, 2012 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into MY 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, and Xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.It will also be published in the Federal Register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfaction issues including, but not limited to, repair cost, vehicle shudder and shake, and engine overheating.Taking into account the allocation of agency resources and priorities and the likelihood that additional investigation would result in a finding that an unreasonable risk to highway safety exists, we conclude that further investigation is not warranted and deny the petition.ODI Complaint ID numbers are referenced on the next page.