First problem is the transmission. I want to do my best to avoid a $9K transmission rebuild and since I'm at 85K Km I still have quite a ways to go before that point where the radiator will cause problems. Before I do anything else I would like to know if anyone knows where the Pathfinders in Costa Rica are made and if they have the same problem with the radiator as the ones in the USA?


Another problem I ran into is that I just came back from a trip and I tried to put the car into Auto and 4Hi but it would not go in. Not stopped, not moving not anything. I wouldn't get a beep or see the little indicator on the dash go into 4 wheels like the manual indicates.

I just got the car about 2 weeks ago, it has 85,000 Km on it.

Anyone have any suggestions? My car is a 2007 Pathfinder LE with a 4L v6

On a a separate note is there anyway to clearly identify if you have a bose system without taking the deck out? I just need to make sure I get the right harness.

Thank in advance!

Hey there,

What is the VIN on your pathfinder? If it starts with a 1, 4 or 5, its made in Smyrna, TN. If it starts with VS-VW = Spain.

Weird on the 4wd issue. haven't seen that one. I would try a reboot (disconnect battery and reconnect after about 5 minutes). This will reset the system, you will have a bunch of lights on the dash which will disappear after the first couple trips you take.

On my stereo, it says BOSE right on the front.

Do you have any other details on the pathy? Engine type (fuel), Transmission type, does it have a hitch? These could also help identify the location of manufacture.

First off, thanks for your reply and answers!

disallow wrote:What is the VIN on your pathfinder? If it starts with a 1, 4 or 5, its made in Smyrna, TN. If it starts with VS-VW = Spain.

My VIN starts with VS. So it's made in spain. Do Pathys made everywhere have faulty radiators? I spoke to the service manager at Nissan locally and they told me they were un-aware of any problems with the Radiators causing damage to the transmission.

disallow wrote:Weird on the 4wd issue. haven't seen that one. I would try a reboot (disconnect battery and reconnect after about 5 minutes). This will reset the system, you will have a bunch of lights on the dash which will disappear after the first couple trips you take.

I will give this a try. Makes sense since the battery was changed. The previous owner never used 4WD as he pretty much always drove it around the city as it was the car his wife and kids

New problem though: Today all of a sudden a squeaking noise is coming from the car. It absent while parked, but starts as soon as the car moves. The brakes don't seem to be the culprit as I can press the brakes and the sound is still there. If I turn hard left the squeak goes away, but it remains if I turn hard right.

disallow wrote:On my stereo, it says BOSE right on the front.

Mine doesn't say BOSE so I probably don't which is a good thing for replacing the deck

disallow wrote:Do you have any other details on the pathy? Engine type (fuel), Transmission type, does it have a hitch? These could also help identify the location of manufacture.

My pather is a V6 4.0L Gasoline engine. I used 91 octane gas (which is premium here).

It is the LE trim package.

I have an automatic transmission with triptronic shifting as an option (down to D then move level right and your in triptronic mode).

I do not have a hitch.

We have not seen anyone with a non-US pathfinder complain about leaking trans coolers.

That being said, I am pretty sure that your euro-made pathfinder does NOT have a 2nd cooler like all the north american ones, so definitely DO NOT do the bypass, as you won't have any cooling if you do.

Squealing could be a belt, or a bearing or worn brakes. Or a number of other things, I'd take it in if your not 100% sure what it is.

The no-hitch is another hint its not made in the US. All North American pathfinders come with the tow package.

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disallow wrote:We have not seen anyone with a non-US pathfinder complain about leaking trans coolers

That being said, I am pretty sure that your euro-made pathfinder does NOT have a 2nd cooler like all the north american ones, so definitely DO NOT do the bypass, as you won't have any cooling if you do.

Sounds like good news! I'll still continue to ask around, maybe ask in a couple transmission shops locally to see if they have seen any of these vehicles come in with Tranny coolant mixing issues. Since they had literally no idea what I was talking about at Nissan here I wouldn't be surprised if the European built version don't have the problem. Really though it doesn't matter where the car was built. I should probably look for a part # on the radiator as that will determine if it's the radiator with problems.

disallow wrote:Squealing could be a belt, or a bearing or worn brakes. Or a number of other things, I'd take it in if your not 100% sure what it is.

Yeah I have an appointment set for next Monday (they have a week back log here ... go figure). For now I plan to continue to take it to Nissan while the price is reasonsable. I would like to keep my maintenance record impecable as the last owner did. I plan to get the tires changed this week all around, so when I do that I'll have them check the brakes. I was at the beach and we just got back yesterday. Dirt roads for 30 km ... Ferry ... Highway, probably not a great combo for a car but I figured a newer car like this really shouldn't have any problems. Might be some dirt or grit. Sounds like it's coming from the back of the vehicle though.

nickCR wrote:First off, thanks for your reply and answers!

disallow wrote:What is the VIN on your pathfinder? If it starts with a 1, 4 or 5, its made in Smyrna, TN. If it starts with VS-VW = Spain.

My VIN starts with VS. So it's made in spain. Do Pathys made everywhere have faulty radiators? I spoke to the service manager at Nissan locally and they told me they were un-aware of any problems with the Radiators causing damage to the transmission.

disallow wrote:Weird on the 4wd issue. haven't seen that one. I would try a reboot (disconnect battery and reconnect after about 5 minutes). This will reset the system, you will have a bunch of lights on the dash which will disappear after the first couple trips you take.

I will give this a try. Makes sense since the battery was changed. The previous owner never used 4WD as he pretty much always drove it around the city as it was the car his wife and kids

New problem though: Today all of a sudden a squeaking noise is coming from the car. It absent while parked, but starts as soon as the car moves. The brakes don't seem to be the culprit as I can press the brakes and the sound is still there. If I turn hard left the squeak goes away, but it remains if I turn hard right.

disallow wrote:On my stereo, it says BOSE right on the front.

Mine doesn't say BOSE so I probably don't which is a good thing for replacing the deck

disallow wrote:Do you have any other details on the pathy? Engine type (fuel), Transmission type, does it have a hitch? These could also help identify the location of manufacture.

My pather is a V6 4.0L Gasoline engine. I used 91 octane gas (which is premium here).

It is the LE trim package.

I have an automatic transmission with triptronic shifting as an option (down to D then move level right and your in triptronic mode).

I do not have a hitch.

What is "triptronic" mode?

08+ models have the manual mode with the +/- gear selection that some have called tiptronic.

Surprised that an LE doesn't have a Bose system; I'm pretty sure all US-built LE's have the Bose. Not relevant to yours, but a correction to an earlier post: VIN's that start with "5" are made in Canton, Mississippi, not Smyrna.

disallow wrote:08+ models have the manual mode with the +/- gear selection that some have called tiptronic.

smj999smj wrote:Surprised that an LE doesn't have a Bose system; I'm pretty sure all US-built LE's have the Bose.

Perfect examples of how in different parts of the world, the vehicles have different features.

One other issue I forgot to ask about. Are both mirrors supposed to angle down when reversing? Also if the mirror starts clicking to look down what does that mean and is it fixable?

I haven't seen this feature on any of the north american models I've seen...

smj999smj wrote:Surprised that an LE doesn't have a Bose system; I'm pretty sure all US-built LE's have the Bose. Not relevant to yours, but a correction to an earlier post: VIN's that start with "5" are made in Canton, Mississippi, not Smyrna.

Nissan has 3 production locations in the US:

Nissan North America - Smyrna
983 Nissan Drive
Smyrna, TN 37167
Phone: (615) 459-1400

Nissan North America - Canton
300 Nissan Drive
Canton, MS 39046
Phone: (601) 855-6010

Nissan North America - Decherd
520 Warren Chapel Road
Decherd, TN 37324
Phone: (931) 962-5000

All of the correspondence I could find says that the US/Canadian version of the Pathfinder is manufactured in Smyrna, TN.

nickCR wrote:One other issue I forgot to ask about. Are both mirrors supposed to angle down when reversing? Also if the mirror starts clicking to look down what does that mean and is it fixable?

In your head unit, you should be able to disable this. My Parents have an 05 Tahoe that has this opition, can't remember what's it's called, but when you put the transmission in reverse it angles the mirros down. It's weird to get used to but helps you see what's on the ground when backing up. Not sure what all the computer/head unit on your Pathfinder does, but I would assume you should be able to turn this off, as I was able too on my parents 05 Tahoe. Hopefully that helps.
As for the clicking, it sounds like it's possible hitting something, or it's reached the end of the gears and the motor continues to push and the gears just click.

volvite wrote:In your head unit, you should be able to disable this. My Parents have an 05 Tahoe that has this opition, can't remember what's it's called, but when you put the transmission in reverse it angles the mirros down.

The feature is working on the passenger side but not the driver side. I realized that by moving the switch from left to right for the mirrors you actually get to determine which mirror angles down. I moved it to the driver side and it's working perfect.

Going to get the guys to check the right side at Nissan and see if they can make them both go down at the same time.

Regarding pathfinders made in Spain being immune to radiator issues - double-check on that. I see some complains about this problem on Russian Pathfinder forum and their trucks come from Spain. Just make sure. Also, the common solution there is to replace the radiator with aftermarket unit. No one is bypassing due to cold climate - internal cooler helps to heat
up the transmission fluid faster.