2006 Nissan Pathfinder

I WAS DRIVING UP A MOUNTAIN ROAD WHEN SUDDENLY MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE AND LOSE POWER. THE ENGINE THEN BEGAN TO REV AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL BACKWARDS. I APPLIED MY BRAKES AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN ALL AVAILABLE GEARS INCLUDING REVERSE AND THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV. THE POLICE WERE CALLED AND I WAS ALMOST STRUCK BY PASSING VEHICLES MULTIPLE TIMES. AFTER 55 MINUTES THE POLICE ARRIVED AND REQUESTED AN EXPEDITED TOW. VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED FROM THE ROADWAY. AFTER PAYING THE $135.00 TOW BILL TO THE LOCAL TOW YARD I WAS ABLE TO CALL AAA AND HAVE THEM TOW ME THE ALMOST 90 MILES BACK TO MY HOME IN NJ. THIS WAS OF COURSE THE SATURDAY OF MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND SO NOTHING WAS GOING TO BE OPEN UNTIL TUESDAY MORNING. TUESDAY MORNING I HAD MY VEHICLE TOWED TO A LOCAL, REPUTABLE TRANSMISSION PLACE. ULTIMATELY THEY TOLD ME THAT WATER HAD GOTTEN INTO MY TRANSMISSION AND IT WOULD COST $3,188.60 TO FIX. THE TRANSMISSION PLACE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE SEEN MANY NISSANS WITH THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. AFTER GOING HOME AND GOOGLING NISSAN PATHFINDER TRANSMISSION I WAS APPALLED TO SEE ALL THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT NISSAN PATHFINDER (AND OTHER MODEL NISSANS) TRANSMISSIONS. I WAS LITERALLY TAKEN BACK BY IT AND COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. I THEN CONTACTED MY NISSAN DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT MY VEHICLE WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BEFORE NOVEMBER 14, 2014 OR IF I HAD LESS THAN 80,000 MILES. MY TRUCK HAD JUST OVER 84,000 MILES. I THEN CALLED NISSAN NORTH AMERICA. THEY ADVISED ME THAT IN ORDER FOR THEM TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY WOULD COVER ANY OF THE EXPENSES INCURRED DUE TO THIS PROBLEM I WOULD I HAVE TO TOW MY TRUCK TO THE DEALER AND HAVE THEM TAKE A LOOK AT IT. ONCE COMPLETED WITH THAT, THEY WOULD SUBMIT A REPORT TO NISSAN NORTH AMERICA TO DETERMINE WHETHER ANY OR ALL OF THE INCURRED EXPENSES WOULD BE COVERED...POTENTIALLY TAKING SEVERAL WEEKS OR MONTHS WITH NO GUARANTEE THAT ANYTHING WOULD BE COVERED.

RADIATOR FLUID HAS LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION CAUSING IT TO FAIL. THE DEALERSHIP HAS ISSUED A FIX WHERE THE RADIATOR COOLANT IS BYPASSED FROM THE TRANSMISSION BUT THEN THAT HAS NOT HELPED. THE FIX WAS FOR $500+ THE REPAIRS FOR THE TRANSMISSION ARE AT $4700/- NOW. THIS IS RIDICULOUS THE AMOUNT OF REPAIRS IS MORE THAN THE COST OF THE VEHICLE NOW.

OUR PATHFINDER STARTED MAKING A NOISE LIKE YOU ARE DRIVING IN THE RUTTED PAVEMENT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THAT IS INTENDED TO WAKE PEOPLE UP WHO'VE FALLEN ASLEEP. IT ONLY DID THIS OCCASIONALLY AT FIRST, BUT GOT WORSE QUICKLY. WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO OUR MECHANIC AND HE HAS DISCOVERED THAT IT IS A RESULT OF LIQUID FROM THE RADIATOR SOMEHOW LEAKING INTO THE TRANSMISSION. HE HAS ALSO DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM WITH OUR MAKE AND MODEL OF NISSAN. THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS, BUT IT IS A VERY COSTLY AND SERIOUS ISSUE THAT NISSAN SHOULD BE PAYING TO REPAIR. *TR

WHILE IN GEAR, TRAVELING APPROX. 40MPH, VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING WITHOUT WARNING (NO ENGINE LIGHT, NO OVERHEATING) AND HAD TO COAST DURING HEAVY FREEWAY TRAFFIC, WHICH CAUSED SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES TO SUDDENLY SLOW OR STOP. CAR WAS TOWED & CODE EVALUATION WAS PERFORMED. RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A DEFECTIVE RADIATOR WHICH LEAKED COOLANT INTO TRANSMISSION FOR $5347.52.

DURING DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION POPPED AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. AFTER REVIEWING DIFFERENT WEBSITES THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT MY 2000-2006 PATHFINDERS HAVE. THIS ISSUE IS DUE TO TRANSMISSION FLUID MIXING WITH ENGINE COOLANT. IT IS A FAILURE DUE TO A THIN WALL IN THE RADIATOR THAT WEARS OUT OVER TIME AND IS A VERY EXPENSIVE FIX IF NOT CAUGHT SOON ENOIGH THE PRICES I WAS QUOTED WAS ANYWHERE FROM 4,000 TO 12,000 DEPENDING ON WHAT ALL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

TRANSMISSION IS FAILING ESPECIALLY IN REVERSE, IT SHAKES AND SLIPS. I TOOK MY TRUCK TO A TRANSMISSION EXPERT WHO INFORMED ME THAT THESE TRUCKS HAVE THIS MANUFACTURE ISSUE AND MY TRUCK SHOULD BE UNDER WARRANTEE BY THE DEALER, I DID MY RESEARCH AND I AM NOW AWARE OF THE RADIATOR ISSUE AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTEE WILL COVER VEHICLES UNDER 80K MILES MY TRUCK JUST REACH 60K MILES WHICH IS WHEN THESE ISSUES START ACCORDING TO THE INTERNET. I TOOK MY TRUCK TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. THEY TOLD ME THAT MY RADIATOR WAS FINE AND I DO HAVE A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM BUT NOT RELATED TO THE RADIATOR AND WANTED TO BILL ME FOR A SERVICE FEE. I CALLED THE EXPERT I HAD BEEN TALKING TO AND HE ADVISED ME THAT THIS WAS BS AND TO ASK IF THEY DID A GLYCO TEST WHICH THEY DID NOT AND ASK HOW THEY KNEW IT WAS NOT MIXING. THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED TO ME THAT IT WILL LOOK SLUSHY AND MINE WAS SIMPLY BLACK OR DARK. NOW I AM NO EXPERT BUT ANTIFREEZE IS GREEN AND TRANS FLUID IS RED. EVEN A CHILD KNOWS THAT IF YOU MIX RED AND GREEN YOU WILL GET BLUE OR A DARK COLOR, WHICH TO ME EXPLAIN WHY IT IS DARK. THE DEALER JUST DOES NOT WANT TO FIX MY TRUCK FOR THE PRICE THAT THE MANUFACTURER WILL PAY THEM WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 2K SO THEY RATHER TELL ME THAT IT IS NOT COVERED AND TRY TO BILL ME FOR 5K+ TAXES SO THEY CAN MAKE A PROFIT OF 3K OF WHICH THE SERVICE MANAGER PROBABLY WILL GET A 1K COMMISSION. I DON'T KNOW WHAT CHECK THEY DID BUT WHATEVER IT WAS MY TRUCK NOW LEAK ANTIFREEZE WHICH WAS NOT AN ISSUE BEFORE I TOOK IT TO THEM. *JS

ROUGH SHIFTING PROMPTED A CHECK OF THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AT THE DEALER. WAS TOLD THE RADIATOR CRACKED AND LEAKED COOLANT INTO THE TRANSMISSION AND BOTH COMPONENTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY. THEY OFFERED REFURBISHED PARTS FOR THE OUT OF WARRANTY REPAIR FOR $5480. AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP OFFERED NEW PARTS FOR $5200. N *TT

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AT APPROXIMATELY 45MPH THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOSS FORWARD MOVING POWER BUT THE ENGINE WOULD REV TO A HIGH RPM, CAUSING A DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH THE OTHER TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD WHILE WE ATTEMPTED TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. UPON TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALER, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE RADIATOR HAD EXPERIENCED AN INTERNAL FAILURE CAUSING ANTIFREEZE TO ENTER AND CONTAMINATE THE TRANSMISSION CAUSING THAT TO BECOME DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR. ALTHOUGH THE POWER TRAIN (WHICH I IMAGINE INCLUDES THE TRANSMISSION) WAS STILL UNDER MANUFACTURES WARRANTY UP TO 60,000 MILES, I WAS TOLD IT WOULD NOT QUALIFY FOR A WARRANTY REPAIR SINCE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE RADIATOR WAS THE CAUSE OF THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND THE RADIATOR WAS ONLY COVERED UNDER A 3 YEAR OR 36,000 MILE WARRANTY. THE REPAIR COSTS FOR BOTH WERE QUOTED TO ME FROM THE DEALER TO BE ~$6,000.00 FOR A NEW RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION. IT IS ALSO MY UNDERSTANDING NISSAN HAS RECENTLY STARTED TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON CERTAIN PATHFINDERS FAULTY RADIATORS (BASED OFF OF VIN NUMBER) AND WOULD ALSO REIMBURSE ANYONE WHO ALREADY HAD TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR OUT OF POCKET. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A LETTER FROM NISSAN TO-DATE STATING MY VEHICLE HAS QUALIFIED FOR THIS PLAN. EVEN THOUGH IT IS OBVIOUS TO ME (AND THE NISSAN DEALER) THAT MY RADIATOR WAS FAULTY THEREFORE CAUSING THE DAMAGE BEYOND REPAIR TO MY TRANSMISSION AS WELL. I FEEL I SHOULD BE REIMBURSED FOR THIS VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR SINCE IT WAS CAUSED OUT OF NO FAULT OF MY OWN. DUE TO THE EXTREMELY HIGH DEALER QUOTE, I OPTED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED AT AN INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED REPAIR SHOP FOR ~$4,000.00 FOR WHICH THEY INSTALLED A NEWLY WARRANTED TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR PACKAGE. I WAS TOLD THEY ONLY SELL THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSIONS WITH THE RADIATORS INCLUDED, CONFIRMING TO ME THAT THIS TYPE OF FAILURE IS KNOWN TO THE INDUSTRY AS A COMBINED FAILURE.