2008 Nissan Xterra

I PURCHASED MY XTERRA BACK IN OCTOBER OF 2008. IT HASN'T GIVEN ME ANY SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS UNTIL NOW. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE SAME CERTIFIED NISSAN DEALER/SERVICE CENTER FOR JUST ABOUT ALL OF THE SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND SO ON. EVEN THOUGH THIS ISSUE WAS KNOWN BY NISSAN, NOT ONCE IN ALL OF MY MANY VISITS TO THIS SERVICE PROVIDER, WAS I WARNED OR NOTIFIED OF THIS CONDITION OR THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT THAT WAS IN PROGRESS WHICH HAS SINCE BEEN CLOSED (OCTOBER 2016). ALSO, BEING THAT MY VEHICLE IS JUST OVER THE LAWSUITS AGREED UPON MILEAGE ALLOWED FOR ANY COMPENSATION FROM NISSAN, I WOULDN'T QUALIFY TO RECEIVE ANYTHING AT THIS POINT. SO NOW, HERE I AM WITH A VEHICLE, THAT I PLANNED TO KEEP FOR MANY MORE YEARS, EITHER HAVING TO BASICALLY JUNK IT, OR PAY UPWARDS OF $7000 IN REPAIRS (ACCORDING TO THE NISSAN SERVICE CENTER) TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR. I AM BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE. I FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE COMPENSATED IN SOME WAY FOR THIS. IF I WERE NOTIFIED OF THIS PROBLEM AROUND THE TIME THAT IT FIRST CAME TO LIGHT, I WOULD HAVE AT LEAST HAD THE CHANCE TO TRADE THE VEHICLE IN, INSTEAD OF BEING STUCK HERE WITH A VEHICLE THAT IS ESSENTIALLY WORTHLESS. NOT ONLY COULD THEY HAVE BEEN CONSIDERATE ENOUGH TO NOTIFY ME AS 1 OF MANY PURCHASERS OF A NISSAN VEHICLE WITH THIS ISSUE, BUT YOU WOULD THINK THAT DURING SERVICE VISITS THEY WOULD KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR AN IMPENDING ISSUE SUCH AS THIS. AFTER RESEARCH OF THIS PROBLEM, I FOUND THAT MY VEHICLE WAS DISPLAYING SYMPTOMS OF THIS CONDITION ARISING MONTHS AGO (IE: THE HEAT NOT REMAINING WARM WHEN IN IDOL POSITION). ALSO, I JUST HAD A OIL CHANGE 2 WEEKS PRIOR TO HAVING THEM CHECK THIS PROBLEM OUT. I DO KNOW THAT THIS ISSUE WAS ALREADY PRESENT THEN, BECAUSE I HAD A COUPLE OF INSTANCES WHERE IT SEEMED THAT MY TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING, AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. *TR

RADIATOR FLUID LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION WHICH RESULTED IN UNREPAIRABLE DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION WHICH REQUIRE THE ENTIRE TRANMISSION TO BE REPLACED AT A SIGNIFICANT COST. NOT SURE WHEN THE RADIATOR BEGAN LEAKING FLUID INTO THE TRANSMISSION THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNS INCIDATING THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG UNTIL THE DAMAGE HAD BEEN DONE.

CRACKED RADIATOR LEAKED COOLANT INTO THE TRANSMISSION COOLER DESTROYING THE TRANSMISSION, TRANSMISSION COOLER, AND RADIATOR AT ABOUT 109,000 MILES IN TRAFFIC. APPARENTLY, THIS IS A KNOW ISSUE WITH 2005-2010 NISSAN XTERRAS, FRONTIERS, AND PATHFINDERS. AS PART OF A SETTLEMENT TO A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT, NISSAN OFFERED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY UP TO 10 YEARS / 100,000 MILES, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST (ALTHOUGH AN INTERNET SEARCH SAYS THE AVERAGE MILEAGE AT WHICH THIS PROBLEM OCCURS IS 95,000 MILES). NISSAN NOR ITS DEALERSHIP NEVER NOTIFIED ME OF THE DEFECT OR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY SO NOW I'M TRYING TO DECIDE IF I FORK OUT $6100 FOR THE REPAIRS OR TRADE-IN THE VEHICLE.

I TOOK OUR 2008 XTERRA INTO A LOCAL SHOP TO HAVE THE ALL THE FLUIDS EXCEPT THE OIL SERVICED (ALREADY HAD IT CHANGED AT A NISSAN DEALER) ON FEB 7 2015. WHEN THE SHOP CALLED, THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS OIL IN THE RADIATOR AND WHAT THEY SUSPECTED AND TOLD ME I SHOULD TAKE IT TO A DEALER. WHEN I LOOKED AT THE RADIATOR FLUID IT HAD WHAT LOOKED LIKE OIL AND THE OVERFLOW TANK LOOKED LIKE A CHOCOLATE SHAKE WAS IN IT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER ON FEB 9TH 2015 AND WAITED FOR 1/2 DAY TO FIND OUT THAT IT NEEDED THE RADIATOR AND TRANNY REPLACED, BUT THEY COULDN'T DO IT THAT DAY. HAVING RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ONLINE I HAD SEEN THE STORIES ABOUT THE VEHICLE SEIZING UP ON THE HIGHWAYS/ROADS. I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN AND ASKED THAT THEY CONTACT THE AFTERMARKET WARRANTY INSURANCE AND DISCUSS WHAT NISSAN WOULD COVER AND WHAT MAXCARE WOULD COVER. I WAS THEN PUT INTO A RENTAL FOR ALMOST 2 WEEKS WHILE IT GOT REPAIRED. NOW LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AFTER GETTING IT BACK IT HAS A SMELL, IS LEAKING FROM THE FRONT RIGHT CORNER UNDER THE HOOD, AND HAS A CLANGING NOISE FROM THE SAME AREA. UPON POPPING THE HOOD AND I FOUND A DARK OILY SUBSTANCE IN THE RADIATOR AND FOAMY 'STUFF' ON THE RADIATOR OVERFLOW CAP AGAIN. IT APPEARS THE PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED OR BAD REMANUFACTURED PARTS WERE USED, OR IT WASN'T COMPLETELY CLEANED OUT PRIOR TO PUTTING IT BACK TOGETHER. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW AN ISSUE THAT CAN MAKE A VEHICLE SEIZE UP ON THE ROADS CAN NOT BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE. ALL OF THIS AFTER PURCHASING THE XTERRA OCT 31 2014 AT OUR LOCAL CARMAX FACILITY. CARMAX SUPPOSEDLY DOES A THOROUGH JOB OF CHECKING OVER THE VEHICLES THEY SELL BUT THEY SURE DROPPED THE BALL ON THIS ONE. NOW JUST AFTER THE 12 MONTH 12000 WARRANTY ON THE REPLACED PARTS, THE TRANSMISSION FAILS AGAIN, 5 DAYS WITHOUT THE XTERRA AND STILL WAITING FOR MAXCARE TO APPROVE THE REPAIRS. WONDERING ABOUT KEEPING IT AFTER THIS REPAIR IS DONE.

AFTER NOTING A REPEATED NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE DRIVING OVER RUMBLE STRIPS, WE DISCOVERED FROM OUR MECHANIC THAT WE WERE FACING A $6,400 REPAIR FOR A ISSUE THAT WAS WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED BUT ONLY COVERED BY NISSAN UP TO 80,000 MILES, WHICH OUR CAR HAS EXCEEDED. THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION, RADIATOR, TRANSFER CASE AND OTHER PARTS ARE DESTROYED BY A LEAK OF THE RADIATOR INTO THE TRANSMISSION. WE WERE NEVER ALERTED TO THIS MAJOR DEFECT AND NOW HAVE NO RECOURSE BACK TO NISSAN TO COVER THE REPAIR. WHAT A TREMENDOUS LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND DISREGARD FOR POTENTIAL SAFETY OF DRIVERS BY NISSAN.

MY 2008 NISSAN XTERRA STARTING SHIFTING ROUGH OVER THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS. I DROPPED IT OFF TO THE NISSAN DEALER THIS MORNING AND RECEVIED A CALL STATING RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED DUE TO ENGINE COOLANT LEAKING INTO TRANSMISSION. WAS TOLD THIS WAS A FAMILIAR ISSUE SO I RESEARCHED AND SEE THERE IS PENDING CLAIM OPEN SINCE JUNE 11 2012: HOW MANY VEHICHLES ARE NEEDED BEFORE THE RECALL IS PASSED. I WAS JUST QUOTED $10,000 TO REPLACE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION. I DO NOT HAVE 10K AND I RELY ON MY VEHICLE FOR WORK AS I AM A HOSPICE NURSE. THIS IS CAUSING ME SERIOUS STRESS AS I NEED MY VEHICLE FOR WORK. SEE BELOW : NHTSA DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE 2008 NISSAN XTERRA THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATIONS (ODI) IS AN OFFICE WITHIN THE NHTSA WHICH INVESTIGATES SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEMS IN THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION OR PERFORMANCE OF VEHICLES. THE NHTSA IS AUTHORIZED TO ORDER MANUFACTURERS TO RECALL AND REPAIR VEHICLES, IF THE ODI FINDS A SAFETY ISSUE. NHTSA INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE 2008 NISSAN XTERRA, BOTH ONGOING AND CLOSED, ARE LISTED BELOW: TRANSMISSION FAILURE (ATF CONTAMINATION)NHTSA DEFECT INVESTIGATION #DP12004 STATUS: OPEN DATE OPENED:JUNE 11, 2012 DATE CLOSED:PENDING RECALL:POSSIBLE RECALL COMPONENT(S): POWER TRAIN POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER SUMMARY: ODI RECEIVED A PETITION REQUESTING INVESTIGATION OF TRANSMISSION DAMAGE ATTRIBUTED TO CONTAMINATION BY ENGINE COOLANT.THE SOURCE OF THE CONTAMINATION IS A CRACKED ATF LINE THAT RUNS THROUGH AN ENGINE COOLANT CHAMBER IN THE RADIATOR.ODI HAS RECEIVED (512) FIVE-HUNDRED-TWELVE CONSUMER COMPLAINTS BETWEEN AUGUST 2005 TO MAY 2012 REGARDING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS.