2006 Nissan Xterra

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 NISSAN XTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WAS NOT GIVING A PROPER READING LEVEL AND THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED FROM LOW FUEL MORE THAN ONCE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 10V075000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 10V517000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) AND WAS WAITING FOR THE PART TO BECOME AVAILABLE AND SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

1. ENGINE LIGHT ON - REMAINS ON, NEED TO RESET - AT 77000+ MILES FUEL GAUGE IS OFF CHART WHEN FULL TANK IS FILLED UP FUEL GAUGE IS UNRELIABLE, NEED TO USE THE SPEEDOMETER TO GAUGE GAS TANK VIN# IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST UNDER FUEL TANK RECALL CAMPAIGN 10V075000 VIN# ID FOR RECALL=ENGINE ONLY=CAMPAIGN# 10V517000; TOTAL RECALL LISTED = 5 FOR 2006 XTERRA MODELS 2. TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT IS ON CONTINUOUSLY=TPMS = NOT ON RECALL LIST/CAMPAIGN, CAN THIS BE ADDED?? ALL TIRES ARE HAVE CORRECT RECOMMENDED PSI; YET LIGHT IS ON CONTINUOUSLY, RESET WORKS ONLY TEMPORARILY TPMS - AS OF OCT 2014; AT 75000 MILES NEED DEALER TO FIX ALL RECALLS, CAN THIS BE DONE?? PLSE ADVISE ASAP. BOUGHT THE CAR USED/PRE-OWNED.... THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION & TIME. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 NISSAN XTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. ALSO, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WAS NOT READING PROPERLY AND WAS PROVIDING AN INCORRECT WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO RUN OUT OF FUEL WITH NO WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 10V517000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR FURTHER INSPECTION, DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

WHEN IT TURNED COLD JAN/FEB 2105 OUR DAUGHTER TOLD US THE HEAT WAS NOT WORKING. BUT SHE KNEW WE DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO REPAIR SO WE DID NOT WORRY ABOUT IT. WE OWN A 2000 CHEVY TRUCK & THE HEAT HAS NOT WORKED FOR YEARS & WE JUST LIVE WITH IT.SO WE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE RADIATOR/COOLANT BEING THE PROBLEM. THEN SOMETHING MAJOR HAPPENED-OUR DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HOME FROM AUBURN AL TO OUR HOME IN OPELIKA AL & SHE CALLED US SAYING THE CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 25-30 MPH. WE WERE OUT OF TOWN, IT WAS 10 PM AT NIGHT SO WE TOLD HER TO KEEP DRIVING AND GET HOME TO A SAFE PLACE (HER LIFE WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN STOPPING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD--A YOUNG LADY ALL BY HERSELF) SHE GOT HOME, PARKED IT & WHEN WE RETURNED HOME WE TOOK IT TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP THAT WE TRUST. HE CALLED US THE NEXT DAY & SAID I HAVE DEVASTATING NEWS. HE TOLD US ABOUT THE SERVICE REPORT PUT OUT ON NISSAN XTERRAS IN REGARD TO THE MAJOR, WELL KNOWN TO NISSAN PROBLEM OF WHEN THE COOLANT/RADIATOR CRACKS BECAUSE OF A FAULTY WHEN IN MANUFACTURING RADIATOR IS PUT IN IT IS A KNOWN BY NISSAN BAD ONE. IT CRACKS & LEAKS INTO THE TRANSMISSION IN WHICH THE COOLANT MIXES WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID & CREATES A TOXIC HELL STEW THAT DESTROYS THE TRANSMISSION. HE SAID YOUR CAR IS WORTH $5,000 BUT THE COST TO REPAIR IS $7,000. I CALLED NISSAN THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO TAKE IT TO A NISSAN DEALER FOR THEIR DIAGNOSIS AND THE DIAGNOSIS IS THE SAME. MY HUSBAND IS VERY, VERY SICK AND WE HAVE HUGE MEDICAL, PHARMACY, HOSPITAL BILLS AND I HAVE HAD BREAST CANCER WITH CHEMO THAT HAS CAUSED AN AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER (ALMOST LOST MY LEFT EYE) AND OUR 15 YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER GOES TO CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL IN BIRMINGHAM AL FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. WE THOUGHT WE WERE BUYING A VERY DEPENDABLE CAR FOR $14,000 ONLY 3 1/2 YEARS AGO AND NOW IT IS 4500 POUNDS OF JUNK METAL. IF NISSAN HAD TOLD US ABOUT THE PROBLEM, WE COULD HAVE BEEN PROACTIVE. *TR

DEFECTIVE RADIATOR LEAKED ENGINE COOLANT INTO AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID (ATF), CAUSING CROSS-CONTAMINATION OF FLUIDS THAT WILL RUIN THE RE5R05A TRANSMISSION. THE ENGINE COOLANT WATER CONTAMINATION CAN SHORT-CIRCUIT THE LOW CURRENT ELECTRONIC COMPUTER LOCATED ON THE VALVE BODY. THIS TRANSMISSION WAS USED IN XTERRA; FRONTIER; PATHFINDER AND ARMADA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN 2005 AND 2010. FIXING THE RADIATOR AND REPLACING THE CONTAMINATED FLUID WITH FRESH FLUID DOES NOT ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM, AS THE TRANSMISSION COMPUTER HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DAMAGED. THE ONLY WAY TO FIX A DAMAGED TRANSMISSION COMPUTER IS TO REPLACE IT WITH A NEW ONE, AND THEY ARE ONLY AVAILABLE FROM NISSAN AS PART OF A NEW VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY. (HTTP://WWW.TOPTRANSMISSIONS.COM/NISSAN-PATHFINDER-XTERRA-ARMADA) NUMEROUS CONSUMER REPORTS ONLINE SHOW THAT THE VEHICLE CAN SUDDENLY LOSE POWER, OR EVEN LOCK UP THE DRIVING WHEELS WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC; THEREFORE, THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT ISSUE. SUBURBAN TRANSMISSIONS OF GAITHERSBURG, MD 20878 (PH. 301-362-4040 OR 800-353-3477) REPORTS THAT: "FOR MOST TRUCKS AND SUVS, FIXING THE RADIATOR PROBLEM AND REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION FLUID MIGHT CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. HOWEVER, ON THE NISSAN PATHFINDER AND XTERRA AND OTHER MODELS THAT USE THE RE5R05A TRANSMISSION?(W)E ALSO RECOMMEND (ALONG WITH RADIATOR & TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT) BYPASSING THE RADIATOR WITH AN EXTERNAL TRANSMISSION COOLER TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN AS REPLACING THE RADIATOR ISSUE IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN AGAIN." [WEB SOURCE: LINK SHOWN ABOVE.] *TR

THE INITIAL INCIDENT WAS FAILED TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER GUIDES. AS INDICATED EARLIER NISSAN KNOWINGLY REDESIGNED THE PARTS SINCE THE ORIGINALS WERE FOUND TO WEAR THROUGH, CAUSING THE TIMING CHAIN TO RUB DIRECTLY ON THE METAL POST OF THE TENSIONER AND CONTACT THE HOUSING COVER. DURING THE REPAIR THE NISSAN SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED THE FAILED RADIATOR COOLANT CONTAMINATION ADDRESSED IN ODI NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: DP12004. THE TIMING CHAIN AND GUIDES WERE REPLACED; THE RADIATOR WAS REPLACED; COOLANT WAS FLUSHED; TRANSMISSION WAS DRAINED, FLUSHED, AND FILLED. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ALSO CONFIRMED NISSAN, N.A. WOULD NOT OFFER ANY AMOUNT OF REPAIR ASSISTANCE. TOTAL COST WAS $2200. THE DAY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED IT SUDDENLY DECELERATED FROM 55MPH TO 30MPH AND THE RPM'S INCREASED TO 4K+ WHILE TRAVELING ON A MULTI LANE DARK COUNTRY HIGHWAY AT 11PM. THE SECTION OF HIGHWAY DID NOT HAVE AN EMERGENCY LANE OR SHOULDER. A VEHICLE WAS IN THE LEFT LANE AND A SEMI-TRUCK WAS QUICKLY APPROACHING FROM THE REAR IN THE RIGHT LANE. ONCE CROSSING THE BRIDGE THE VEHICLE WAS JERKED TO THE SHOULDER, AVOIDING A REAR COLLISION FROM THE APPROACHING SEMI-TRUCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THE RPM'S RETURNED TO 1K, THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN NEUTRAL, AND THE CHECK ENGINE WAS ILLUMINATED. THE FOLLOWING DAY NISSAN SERVICE CONFIRMED IT WAS A FAILING VALVE BODY AS A RESULT OF THE COOLANT CONTAMINATION. THE WHOLESALE REPAIR COST WAS QUOTED AT $1400. AGAIN, NISSAN, N.A. WOULD NOT ADDRESS THE FAILURE. AT THIS TIME THE REPAIR HAS NOT, AND WILL NOT, BE COMPLETED. *JS

BEGAN HEARING A WHINING NOISE FROM ENGINE, INCREASING WITH RPM. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP, WHO INDICATED IT WAS BAD TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER SHOES/GUIDES. SERVICE ADVISOR INDICATED THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE, AND NISSAN REDESIGNED THE PARTS SINCE THE ORIGINALS WERE FOUND TO WEAR THROUGH, ALLOWING THE TIMING CHAIN TO RUB DIRECTLY ON THE METAL POST OF THE TENSIONER. THE TIMING CHAIN SYSTEM SHOULD LAST FOR THE LIFE OF THE ENGINE, NOT REQUIRE A $1700 REPAIR ONLY ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE ENGINE LIFE. THIS IS ALSO A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION, SINCE A TIMING CHAIN FAILURE COULD QUICKLY DESTROY THE ENGINE, LEAVING THE CAR WITHOUT ENGINE POWER OUT ON THE ROAD. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR