2005 Nissan Pathfinder

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS WHEN THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE RADIATOR WAS LEAKING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE RADIATOR. THE MANUFACTURER FILED A COMPLAINT AND THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING A RESPONSE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 91,692 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,586.

I RECEIVED, IN THE MAIL, A WARRANTY NOTIFICATION FROM NISSAN NORTH AMERICA HEADQUARTERS, CONSUMER AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, FRANKLIN, TN. BASICALLY, IT READS: NISSAN HAS EXTENDED YOUR VEHICLE'S NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY AS IT APPLIES TO THE RADIATOR ASSEMBLY TO 96 MONTHS/80,000 MILES (WHICHEVER COMES FIRST)...NISSAN NORTH AMERICA WBI/10-029. WHEN MY HUSBAND, SCOTT, CONTACTED OUR LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIPS SERVICE DEPARTMENT, HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE COMPONENT WOULD HAVE TO FAIL BEFORE THEY COULD DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. ACCORDING TO OTHER NHTSA COMPLAINTS FROM NISSAN PATHFINDER OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THE COMPONENT FAIL, IT SOMETIMES CAUSES TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL (LACK OF ENGINE POWER THROUGHPUT TO PROVIDE MOBILITY). IF THE COMPONENT WERE TO FAIL IT SEEMS THAT IT WOULD CREATE A SAFETY ISSUE UNDER SOME CONDITIONS (ON HIGHWAYS WHERE IT IS NOT CONVENIENT TO PULL OVER). SOME PATHFINDER OWNERS HAVE CLAIMED THAT IT CAN COST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION, AND THAT NISSAN SOMETIMES DOES NOT COVER REPAIRS BEYOND THE RADIATOR, DESPITE THAT PROBLEM CAN LEAK COOLANT INTO THE TRANSMISSION, SOMETIMES CAUSING SERIOUS DAMAGE TO, OR FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. NISSAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND OFFER OWNERS OF POSSIBLY EFFECTED VEHICLES A FREE TEST TO DETERMINE IF THEIR VEHICLE DOES, INDEED HAVE A DEFECTIVE RADIATOR ASSEMBLY. IF A TEST IS NOT AVAILABLE, THEN THE RADIATOR ASSEMBLIES ON THESE VEHICLES SHOULD BE REPAIRED OF REPLACES AS NECESSARY TO ENSURE THAT THEY WILL NOT FAIL UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS AND MILEAGE. FURTHERMORE, IF A RADIATOR ASSEMBLER WERE TO CAUSE A TRANSMISSION TO NEED REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT, NISSAN SHOULD COVER ASSOCIATED TRANSMISSION CORRECTION COSTS. BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM, WE (MY HUSBAND AND I) NO LONGER DRIVER OUR PATHFINDER ON LONG TRIPS, AND HAVE LOST FAITH IN OUR VEHICLE AND NISSAN.

I OWN A 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER AND HAVE BEEN DOING ALL THE REQUIRED MAINTENANCE ON IT IN A VERY TIMELY MANNER. IT IS A VERY WELL MAINTAINED SUV AND HAD ONLY 49,997 MILES ON IT. I GOT A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE ON IT FOR THE ECM RELAY ISSUED AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. I WAS ALSO EXPERIENCING SOME WHINING NOISES. THE SERVICE DEALER ADVISOR AT THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT MY TIMING CHAINS HAD A PROBLEM AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE SAID THIS WAS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND COULD LEAD TO ENGINE DAMAGE AND IS A POTENTIAL ROAD HAZARD. HE ALSO SAID IT NEEDED TO BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY, AS THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM, THAT HAD BEEN EXPERIENCED BY A NUMBER OF OTHER CUSTOMERS AND THAT NISSAN MOTOR CO. HAD ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN NTB09-128 REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. I AM REALLY SURPRISED THAT NISSAN DID NOT THINK IT WAS NECESSARY TO COMMUNICATE THIS PIECE OF IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO ALL ITS CUSTOMERS. MY SON WHO IS 21 YEARS OLD DRIVES THIS SUV ON SKI TRIPS AND I AM REALLY ALARMED THAT THIS DEFECT WHICH WAS KNOWN TO NISSAN COULD HAVE LEAD TO SOME SERIOUS ROAD HAZARDS. NISSAN HAS ACTED IN A VERY CALLOUS MANNER BECAUSE THEY DID NOT INFORM THEIR CUSTOMERS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH A SERIOUS ISSUE WHICH CAN LEAD TO ROAD HAZARDS. THEY DID NOT ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL TO FIX THE ISSUE. I REQUEST YOU TO KINDLY INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE AND ENSURE THAT NISSAN COMMUNICATES THIS SERIOUS FLAW TO ALL OWNERS OF 2006 NISSAN PATHFINDERS AND ANY OTHER MODEL WHICH HAS THE SAME ISSUE. UPDATED 03/07/11 *BF

I OWN A 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER AND AT 81,500 MILES BEGAN EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION VIBRATION WHILE TRAVELING BETWEEN 40-45 MPH. DURING THIS VIBRATION, MY ACCELERATION ABILITIES WERE LIMITED. THE TRANSMISSION VIBRATION WAS THE RESULT OF DEFECTIVE RADIATOR WHICH CAUSED RADIATOR FLUID AND TRANSMISSION FLUID TO MIX. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM NISSAN INFORMING ME THAT THE WARRANTY ON THE RADIATOR ASSEMBLY OF MY 2005 PATHFINDER IS BEING EXTENDED BECAUSE 'A CRACK IN THE RADIATOR ASSEMBLY MIGHT OCCUR AT HIGHER MILEAGES LEADING TO INTERNAL LEAKAGE OF ENGINE COOLANT.' THE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION HAVE SINCE BEEN REPAIRED AND NISSAN IS UNWILLING TO REIMBURSE THE COST OF THE REPAIRS. AS THE RADIATOR FAILURE AND AFFECTED TRANSMISSION IS A WELL KNOW ISSUE BY NISSAN AND THE NISSAN CONSUMER COMMUNITY, NISSAN SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL COSTS TO REPAIR THE RADIATOR AND AFFECTED COMPONENTS. NISSAN BEING RESPONSIBLE IS EVER MORE EVIDENT BY THE FACT THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS AFFECTED, WHICH CAUSES INTERMITTENT ACCELERATION ISSUES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RADIATOR FLUID LEAKED ONTO THE TRANSMISSION WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO VIBRATE WHEN TRAVELING BETWEEN 40-45 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE RADIATOR WAS CRACKED. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 109,000.

I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM NISSAN INFORMING ME THAT THE WARRANTY ON THE RADIATOR ASSEMBLY OF MY 2005 PATHFINDER IS BEING EXTENDED BECAUSE 'A CRACK IN THE RADIATOR ASSEMBLY MIGHT OCCUR AT HIGHER MILEAGES LEADING TO INTERNAL LEAKAGE OF ENGINE COOLANT'. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH IT WAS EVIDENT THAT BECAUSE THE FAILURE IS INTERNAL THE ONLY WAY TO DETECT IT IS BY A MALFUNCTIONING TRANSMISSION DUE TO THE INTERMINGLING OF FLUIDS. I CONTACTED NISSAN AND ASKED THEM IF THE RADIATOR FAILURE CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO MALFUNCTION WOULD THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVER REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION. THEY STATED THAT IF THE DEALER'S WORK ORDER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION (OR ANY OTHER PART) WAS DAMAGED DUE TO THE RADIATOR FAILURE IT WOULD BE COVERED. I THEN ASKED WHY THEY DON'T RECALL THE RADIATOR SO THAT THEY ONLY HAVE TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR AND NOT THE TRANSMISSION IN ADDITION TO THE RADIATOR. NISSAN STATED THAT THE GOVERNMENT DID NOT DEEM THIS A SAFETY ISSUE THEREFORE THEY WERE NOT REQUIRED TO ISSUE A RECALL. WOULDN'T IT MAKE GOOD BUSINESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS SENSE FOR NISSAN TO STAND UP AND DO THE RIGHT THING AND ISSUE A VOLUNTARY RECALL? SO MY QUESTION TO THE GOVERNMENT IS; WHY ISN'T AN UNEXPECTED TRANSMISSION FAILURE OF A MOVING VEHICLE A SAFETY ISSUE? ANY PRODUCT DEFECT THAT CAUSES THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER TO A MOVING VEHICLE IS A SAFETY HAZARD. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER PRODUCT RECALLS DUE TO SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS ONE? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION ON THE VEHICLE FAILED DO TO A LEAK IN THE RADIATOR. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE RADIATOR FAILURE CAUSED CONTAMINATION IN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WHICH ALSO DESTROYED THE TRANSMISSION. THE COOLING TUBE INSIDE THE RADIATOR FAILED WHICH ALLOWED ANTI-FREEZE TO ENTER INTO THE TRANSMISSION CAUSING THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD TIMES WERE IT SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD THE RADIATOR SERVICED AND FLUSHED 1 YEAR PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM NISSAN ON 1/25/2011 STATING THAT THE WARRANTY ON THE RADIATOR WOULD BE EXTENDED FROM 3 YEARS/36,000 MILES TO 96 MONTHS/80,000 MILES. THE WARRANTY COVERED CRACKS IN THE RADIATOR, BUT IT DID NOT COVER DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 130,000. UPDATED 3/14/11 *CN UPDATED 03/17/11*JB