2006 Nissan Pathfinder

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INDICATED A PROBLEM. AFTER REVIEW BY A NISSAN DEALER, THERE IS A CRACK IN THE RADIATOR ASSEMBLY THAT WILL CAUSE FLUID TO LEAK INTO THE TRANSMISSION, RENDERING THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE. NISSAN KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS BROUGHT AGAINST NISSAN. A SETTLEMENT WAS MADE GIVING ONLY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, NOT A RECALL. DATA SHOWS THAT IT BREAKS ON MOST CARS AFTER THE SO-CALLED EXTENDED WARRANTY TIME. LEAVING MOST WITH NO HELP FROM NISSAN TO FIX THIS ISSUE. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SAFETY ISSUE NOT A MONEY ISSUE. *JS

WHEN I PURCHASED MY 2006 NISSAN PATHFINDER FROM A DEALER IN 2012. VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND DEEMED SAFE TO DRIVE. I NOTICED MY TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR STAYED ON ALL THE TIME. EVEN AFTER FILLING TO THE RECOMMENDED PSI. DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT. WENT ON TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITH NO ISSUES UNTIL THE NEXT YEAR WHEN I WOULD GET THIS SHAKING AND RUMBLE AT ABOUT 2500 RPM. TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG EXCEPT FOR NEEDING NEW BRAKE PADS AND ENGINE TUNE UP. HAD THAT DONE BUT STILL MY CAR CONTINUED TO RUMBLE WHEN I WOULD ACCELERATE. IT WAS INTERMITTENT ON AND OFF UNTIL IT GOT SO BAD THAT I HAD TO PULL OVER AND LET MY ENGINE COOL BEFORE IT WOULD DO IT AGAIN. RECENTLY I TOOK IT TO A DIFFERENT MECHANIC AND HAD THEM LOOK AT IT. SHE RAN A TEST ON THE COMPUTER AND THE CAR GAVE CODES THAT LINKED BACK TO THE TRANSFER CASE. SHE THEN HAD IT LOOKED AT BY HER TRANSMISSION EXPERT AND HE DISCOVERED COOLANT AND FLUID INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. ONLY THEN WAS IT LINKED TO ALL OTHER OCCURRENCES THAT FALL BACK ON NISSAN. I READ ONLINE THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST NISSAN FOR FAILING RADIATORS AND TRANSMISSIONS. IT WAS NEVER BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION WHEN PURCHASING THE VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE DISPUTE. WITH IT BEING OUT OF DATE FOR ANY COVERAGES UNDER THE LAWSUIT. I'M NOW LEFT WITHOUT A VEHICLE AND A HEFTY $3,600 REPAIR BILL THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE TO BEGIN WITH. I HOPE NISSAN HAS A PLAN TO FIX THIS ISSUE WITHOUT THE CONSUMER PAYING OUT OF POCKET. IF NOT I WILL BE PURSUING A CASE AGAINST THE DEALER FOR SELLING ME A CAR THAT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *TR

WHILE IN MOTION IN A VERY BUSY TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STARTED STALLING PROMPTING MY PUMPING OF THE GAS PEDAL IN PANIC, AS WELL AS DEPLOYMENT OF THE HAZARD LIGHT. THE ENERGY GENERATED FROM THE ENGINE, WHILE PUMPING THE GAS PEDAL, IS NOT BEING TRANSFERRED TO THE TRANSMISSION. EVENTUALLY THE VEHICLE ROLLS TO A COMPLETE STOP WITH THE ENGINE DEAD IN THE BUSY TRAFFIC, EFFECTIVELY PUTTING ME IN HARMS WAY. I TURNED THE IGNITION AND THE ENGINE STARTED, AFTER ABOUT A QUARTER MILE IT WILL STALL AND QUIT AGAIN. THIS PROCESS REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES AND EVENTUALLY THE VEHICLE QUIT FOR GOOD. IT WILL NOT START AGAIN. I HAD A WRECKER TOW THE VEHICLE TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP WHERE THE SERVICE AGENT TOLD ME, APPROXIMATELY 24 HOURS LATER, THAT THE PROBLEM RESULTED FROM A CRACKED RADIATOR THAT LEAKED ANTIFREEZE INTO THE TRANSMISSION AND SUBSEQUENTLY DAMAGING OR DESTROYING THE TRANSMISSION. THE AGENT TOLD ME THAT IT WILL COST SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS SINCE IT WILL ENTAIL INSTALLING NEW RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A RESIDENTIAL STREET AND CAME TO A STOP LIGHT. ONCE THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I EASED OFF THE BRAKES AND PUSH THE GAS. IT JERKED AND IT MOVED VERY SLOWLY MAKING A LOUD NOISE. I STARTED SMELLING SOMETHING BURNING. HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO A SHOP AND THE MECHANIC CALLED ME YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE. NOW I'M LOOKING TO HAVE TO PAY $3000 FOR A TRANSMISSION. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I HAVE SERVICE RECORDS FROM REPUTABLE MECHANIC SHOP THAT THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM STARTED AT $77K MILES. NISSAN DOES NOT CARE. THE COURT ORDERED SETTLEMENT (CLASS ACTION SUIT) LETS THEM OFF THE HOOK AFTER $80K MILES. $2,500 COPAY TO FIX A PROBLEM CAUSED BY RADIATOR LEAKING INTO TRANSMISSION. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE AT DEALERSHIP (WHY I NEVER WENT TO THEM FOR REPAIRS). THEY TRY TO CHARGE FOR STUFF UNDER WARRANTY (MY FUEL GAUGE ISSUE A FEW YEARS BACK). I THOUGHT NISSAN NA WOULD HELP BUT I WAS WRONG. *TR

PATHFINDER EXPERIENCED COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AND THE ENGINE STARTED SMOKING AND FLUIDS SPILLED OUT FROM UNDERNEATH. PEOPLE BEHIND US HAD TO SWERVE AROUND US TO AVOID HITTING US. SOME GOOD SAMARITANS HELPED MY HUSBAND PUSH THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. HE COULD NO LONGER DRIVE THE CAR. EARLIER IN THE DAY THE CAR WAS HAVING TROUBLE ACCELERATING AND WOULD JERK. WE MANAGED TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY BEFORE IT STALLED COMPLETELY. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MOSSY NISSAN AND WE WERE TOLD BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT THE MANUFACTURER RADIATOR THAT CAME WITH THE CAR WAS BADLY DESIGNED. THE RADIATORS CRACK CAUSING CROSS CONTAMINATION OF THE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION FLUID WHICH THEN RESULTS IN COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE, WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR CAR. HE TOLD US THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, ACTUALLY, AND THE SETTLEMENT TERMS WERE THAT IF YOUR CAR WAS UNDER 80,000 MILES NISSAN WOULD COVER THE COST OF REPAIRS. OUR CAR HAD 87,000 MILES AND SO WE HAD TO PAY $2500. OVER 90,000 MILES AND YOU HAVE TO PAY $3000. OVER 100,000 MILES AND YOU'RE OUT OF LUCK. WE WERE TOLD THE REPAIR RUNS ABOUT $7,000 OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY PERIOD. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL ISSUE, NOT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ISSUE, BECAUSE IT IS UNSAFE TO BE DRIVING ON THE ROAD WHEN YOUR CAR STALLS AND THE TRANSMISSION FAILS. THE CAR HAS SINCE BEEN REPAIRED BUT I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE IN A NISSAN. NISSAN NORTH AMERICA REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR A DESIGN FLAW AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM THE LAWSUIT BENEFITED NO ONE BUT NISSAN. YOU COULDN'T HAVE YOUR RADIATOR REPLACED UNDER THE WARRANTY IF IT WASN'T MALFUNCTIONING YET. YOUR CAR NEEDED TO BREAK DOWN BEFORE THE WARRANTY COULD KICK IN, AND AT THAT POINT YOU WERE ALREADY OUTSIDE THE 100% COVERAGE WINDOW. *TR

NISSAN PATHFINDER JUST GOT TO 100,000 MILES WHEN STARTED EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION ISSUES, TURNS OUT THERE WAS A FACTORY WARRANTY THAT I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF THAT WOULD HAVE COVERED THE RADIATOR/TRANSMISSION ISSUE. HOWEVER BECAUSE I WAS NOT HAVING AN ISSUE UNTIL THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ENDED NISSAN IS REFUSING TO COVER THE COST OF REPAIRS DESPITE KNOWING ABOUT THIS ENGINEERING FAULT. IT IS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING THAT A LARGE COMPANY SUCH AS NISSAN IS ABLE TO SEND A VEHICLE OUT INTO THE PUBLIC WITH KNOWN ENGINEERING FLAWS AND PUT A MILEAGE LIMIT ON REPAIRING THE ISSUE. IT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL INEVITABLY FAIL BUT IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME SO IT MIGHT HAVE OCCURRED WITHIN THE LIMIT FOR SOME AND OUTSIDE THE LIMIT FOR OTHERS. IT IS MY HOPE THAT YOU WILL EXPOSE THIS SHADY AND UNSAFE PRACTICE THAT NISSAN HAS GOING AND HELP GET PEOPLE THE REPAIRS THEY DESERVE. *TR