2006 Nissan Pathfinder

I WAS PREPARING TO MERGE ONTO THE HIGHWAY, I SLOWED DOWN TO YIELD TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. WHEN THE GAP BETWEEN ONCOMING CARS WAS LARGE ENOUGH I ACCELERATED AND PROCEEDED TO MERGE. INSTEAD OF ACCELERATING MY CAR BEGAN TO RUMBLE AND MOVE SLOWLY. INSTEAD OF PROPERLY MERGING ONTO THE HIGHWAY IT JUST SLOWLY ROLLED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I BECAME HORRIFIED AND I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY, AND I HAD TO REVERSE TO BACK OUT. I TOOK BACK ROADS TO NISSAN DEALER. THE CAR WOULD RUMBLE AND VIBRATE AND DRIVE SLOWLY AS IF IT WAS STUCK IN 1ST GEAR. DEALER DETERMINED THAT "TRANSMISSION OIL MIXED WITH ANTIFREEZE" DUE TO "COOLER HOSE CRACKED AND READY TO BREAK" RENDERING TRANSMISSION INCAPABLE OF PROPER OPERATION. NISSAN DEALER REPLACED TRANSMISSION, RADIATOR, AND FLUSHED COOLING SYSTEM.

MY VEHICLE IS SUFFERING THE FATE OF COUNTLESS OTHERS. I HAVE THE COOLANT INTERMIX ISSUE THAT HAS RUINED MY RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION. NOW, I AM OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION COSTING $4500! NISSAN NEEDS TO RECALL THIS--I HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS ALREADY AND IT SIMPLY ISN'T FAIR THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO PUT A BANDAID ON A DEFECT THAT HAS HARMED AND COULD CONTINUE TO HARM THOUSANDS OF CONSUMERS. PLEASE FIX THIS! *TR

WHILE RETURNING FROM LUNCH BREAK, I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR ON MY 2006 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND DID NOT ACCELERATE. IT SOUNDED AS IF IT WAS IDLING BUT THERE WAS VERY LITTLE TO NO MOVEMENT. THIS HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. AFTER HAVING THE TRUCKED TOWED AND THE PROBLEM ASSESSED, I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND THE RADIATOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS COMES WITH A HEFTY PRICE TAG. IN THE MECHANICS EXPLANATION OF THE PROBLEMS HE ASSERTED "YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT THESE PATHFINDERS, HAVEN'T YOU". WELL, I RESEARCHED AND FOUND THAT THE FAILED TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR IS NOT A NEW OCCURRENCE. THIS HAS BEEN AND IS HAPPENING REGULARLY AND THERE IS NO RECALL. THIS PUTS CONSUMERS IN A BAD POSITION, ESPECIALLY WHEN, LIKE ME, THE WARRANTY IS EXPIRED. I AM STILL WAITING FOR A TRANSMISSION TO BE SHIPPED FROM CALIFORNIA. BY THE WAY, I FOUND OUT THAT IT IS ON BACKORDER. THAT'S JUST HOW FREQUENTLY THIS PROBLEM OCCURS. MAKE SURE YOU PURCHASE EXTENDED WARRANTIES AND/OR TRADE IT BEFORE THIS HAPPENS TO YOU. OR EVEN WORSE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY HURT PHYSICALLY NOT JUST FINANCIALLY. *TR

THE TIMING CHAIN HAS COME LOOSE DUE TO THE FAILURE OF A TIMING CHAIN GUIDE INSIDE THE MOTOR. THE PLASTIC OR RUBBER PIECE ATTACHED TO THE ALUMINUM GUIDE BECOMES SEPARATED FROM THE BASE AND FALLS DOWN BELOW THE GUIDE CAUSING THE TIMING CHAIN TO LOOSE TENSION AND RATTLE AGAINST THE ALUMINUM TIMING COVER. THIS LOOSENING OF THE TIMING CHAIN CAUSES THE CHAIN TO RATTLE AGAINST THE TIMING COVER WHICH COULD WEAR A HOLE OR CAUSE TIMING CHAIN FAILURE, COULD EVEN CAUSE THE LOOSE CHAIN TO JUMP A SPROCKET TOOTH A CAUSE THE ENGINE TO MALFUNCTION DUE TO VALVES HITTING THE TOPS OF THE PISTON AND CAUSING BENT VALVES AND ENGINE SHUT DOWN. THIS IS A COMMON NISSAN PROBLEM WITH THE 3.5 LITER V6 ENGINE. NISSAN NEEDS TO REPLACE THESE POORLY MANUFACTURED COMPONENTS. MANY VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE CAN BE FOUND ON THIS PROBLEM WITH THE 3.5 LITER V6 ENGINE. MANY HAVE COMPLAINT THAT NISSAN WILL NOT RECALL NOR PAY FOR THE REPAIR. *TR

OUR 2006 PATHFINDER'S RADIATOR WENT OUT, SOMETHING JUST POPPED AND FLUIDS JUST STARTED LEAKING OUT, IN JULY OF 2012 AT UNDER 90,000 MILES. I WAS TOLD FLUIDS MIXED AND COULD HAVE POSSIBLY CAUSED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. GOT THE RADIATOR REPLACED AND WAS TOLD IF THE TRANSMISSION STARTS ACTING UP, IT WOULD NEED REPLACED. LATER I GOT THE NOTICE OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. SINCE I SPENT LESS THAN THE CO-PAY, THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO. NOW, MY RADIATOR NEEDS REPLACING AGAIN, ALONG WITH MY TRANSMISSION, BUT I'M JUST OVER THE 100,000 MILES OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, AS OF MAY 2013. I WENT THROUGH NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS, GOT TO THE EXECUTIVE LEVEL, AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME SINCE I WAS OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY. IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN I WAS GOING TO NEED MY TRANSMISSION REPLACED I WOULD HAVE HAD IT DONE WHEN THE RADIATOR WENT OUT THE FIRST TIME, NOW AFTER IT WAS "FIXED" AT A NISSAN DEALERSHIP, IT FAILS AGAIN AND THIS TIME IT REQUIRES A NEW TRANSMISSION. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH THE RADIATORS THEY ARE INSTALLING, I'LL BE ON MY 3RD ONE NOW, AND IT'S CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSIONS. IF MY FIRST PROBLEM DIDN'T HAPPEN TILL AFTER THE 100,00 EXTENDED WARRANTY IT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT STORY, BUT I ALREADY HAD 1 RADIATOR FAIL, AND NISSAN SAID THEY FIXED IT. I SEE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE CAME AFTER A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT, I HOPE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT FROM THE RADIATOR FAILING WHILE DRIVING. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.

MY WIFE REPORTED HER PATHFINDER HESITATING, NOTICEABLE LACK IN POWER, AND A DECREASE IN MPG. BEFORE OUR FAMILY WAS ABOUT TO TRAVEL TO ANOTHER STATE (NEW MEXICO TO COLORADO) I DECIDED TO DO MY OWN LITTLE PRE TRIP INSPECTION. I PULLED THE AIR FILTER AND BLEW IT OUT WITH AIR, CHECKED THE OIL DIPSTICK AND IT READ IN OPERATING RANGE, WHEN I PULLED THE TRANSMISSION DIPSTICK IT WAS COVERED WITH CONTAMINATED OIL. THE ENGINE COOLANT IS MIXING WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID IN THE HEAT EXCHANGER COOLER. IF THIS VEHICLE IS DRIVEN ANY LONGER TRANSMISSION FAILURE IS IMMINENT. *TR

WE DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT, BUT WANTED IT KNOWN THAT WE WERE NOT SURE WE WERE GOING TO MAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. THIS IS IN REFERENCE TO THE NISSAN RADIATOR/TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THE CAR WAS VIBRATING AND FELT LIKE IT WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE THE 40 MILE TRIP. WHILE THERE WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT WE CERTAINLY FELT LIKE WE COULD HAVE CAUSED ONE OR BEEN IN ONE IF THE VEHICLE FAILED ON THE HIGHWAY. WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WENT TO NISSAN DEALERSHIP HAD IT CHECKED OUT. DEALERSHIP SAID RADIATOR LET FLUID LEAK INTO TRANSMISSION. THEY SAID I NEED A NEW RADIATOR AND NEW TRANSMISSION AT A COST OF $5300. THEY ADVISED ME TO CALL NISSAN CORPORATE WHICH I DID AND THEY SAID I HAD TOO MANY MILES FOR WARRANTY TO COVER ANY EXPENSES. CAN'T DO WITHOUT MY SUV. AMERICAN TRANSMISSION QUOTED ME A PRICE OF $4900 TO REPLACE RADIATOR,TRANSMISSION AND NEW COMPUTER. I FIRST BOUGHT A QUEST THEN A XTERRA AND NOW THE PATHFINDER ALL PURCHASED NEW FROM NISSAN DEALERSHIPS. IT WILL BE THE LAST!!!!!!! *TR