Has your transmission failed yet?

Discussion topics related to the radiator and transmission failures in all Nissan trucks, education of the public on this issue, and attempts to force Nissan to start a recall.

Moderator: volvite

Has your transmission failed yet, and have you done the Bypass?

My transmission died after the radiator failed :-(
28
26%
My transmission died on it's own for a separate problem.
4
4%
My transmission is a-ok, and I did the Bypass Fix.
23
21%
My transmission is a-ok, no Bypass, fingers crossed!
52
49%
 
Total votes: 107

bakerbaker
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Postby bakerbaker » Tue May 08, 2012 5:23 pm

Mine 07 is holding steady at 68,000. I changed the fluid at 50,000. It wouldn't be the first time a pathfinder transmission took a dump on me.

The local stealership emailed me coupon for a free road trip inspection. I will give that a whirl. I might get lucky and they alert me to a TSB or point out somthing I can do my self. I have a small squeak up front. I buy Nissan parts. There just too expensive for labor.

Keeping it stock and fingers crossed for another 12,000 until the bypass @ 80,000 when the warranty runs out.


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blink32
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Postby blink32 » Thu May 10, 2012 12:43 am

A-Ok. 2006 Pathy. Peformed the by-pass around 20k I think. Currently have 25k and all is well.

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zymol75
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Postby zymol75 » Sun Jun 03, 2012 5:05 pm

As a dealership technician for 11 yrs and Master Certified and a team leader of 5 techs I take offense to certain previous comments. There are idiots in every field of employment. I've had 3 guys that I did not recommend for further advancement in my shop due to their, umm, inadequacies. I, myself left a couple drain plugs loose in the first 2 yrs I ever worked on cars. I replaced those engines for free per my Svc Director. The dealer ate the parts cost. I have had horrible svc at restaurants, online with computer IT "professionals" and on and on. I will never go to a Pepboys to save my life. I can't convince my Father-in law not to. The cheapest id the best he says. well I've replaced an engine in every car he has ever owned due to negligence and he says he was unaware of the need for this or that. whatever. I bypassed the radiator cooler in both my Pathfinder and my wife's QX4 with external coolers from SETRAB. I have 10row SETRAB oil coolers on them both as well. I have also had to replace both radiators in them too. as well as alternators, dash blowers, a/c compressors, brakes, idle air controllers, rubber intake boots, etc. It's called repairs and maintenance. Parts fail new and old. Cars are cars not space shuttles. Even the space shuttle has lackluster technicians on it's staff. Remember the leaky oring in the challenger that was missed? how about the loose tiles on the underbelly of the other one? Be glad you don't burn or explode and die when your vehicle fails. All I'm saying is to swear off a dealer just because it is a dealer is stupid. The local mgr at Applebees here is an a$$ but I frikin LOVE their boneless wings so I enjoy Applebees rather often.

However I do agree that Dealers charge way too much but "Bob's Garage" doesn't give loaners, have a courtesy van, or have a plasma tv lounge or gourmet coffee and strudel... you get what you pay for. The Toyota dealer here even has a massage parlor, free-to-customers deli, and a kidde lounge with more toys than Toysrus and an Xbox complete with games. and they charge 8.88 for an oil change. Good Lord!!

To be more on Topic... Any vehicle that has a hitch... I recommend they add an aftermarket trans oil cooler and an engine oil cooler as standard fare to the pkg. Or pick that from the options list and don't be cheap when you buy the car if you plan on hauling anything.

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Sun Jun 03, 2012 9:31 pm

Appreciate the feedback. I have experienced good and bad at dealers. However, even at their best, the front line people (service managers or whatever they're calling them this week) cannot hold their own against a well informed customer. And I'm talking about facts here, not 'my neighbor told me nissans suck'.

Technicians, on the other hand, are different in my books. First hand knowledge and actual experience go a long way.
zymol75 wrote:I recommend they add an aftermarket trans oil cooler and an engine oil cooler as standard fare to the pkg. Or pick that from the options list and don't be cheap when you buy the car if you plan on hauling anything.


Are you suggesting removal of the factory air/oil trans cooler and replacement with aftermarket? The pathy also has a factory engine oil cooler, are you saying we should augment this system as well?

t

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zymol75
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Postby zymol75 » Mon Jun 04, 2012 3:10 am

If you do anything over normal usage like box hauling, groceries, tools, toys personal gear... then yes. Like a single jetski no. a midsize boat yes. a box trailer yes. These cars are really not workhorses by design. They definitely can handle some work but not on the level that the original R50's were able to. They have gotten fat with lux items for the typically conservative driver who does nothing but "to and fro" type stuff. So the costs are up and the quality of parts suffers to keep them from being 60k dollars.

I was reading with more detail some of the specifics of all the radiator issues here and it seems my 2 vehicles were not subject to these parts. However I can say with certainty that after being on the inside for more than a recent decade Nissan will never issue a recall for this issue. It does not fall under a safety issue. Having a transmission that may act up isn't going to cause a wreck and kill people. stuck throttle, sudden fires, engine failure to immediately disable the vehicle in route, those are safety issues. a milky trans will not cause you to lose control on the hwy and cause a wreck. if it does you should not be driving as your skills suck. sorry.

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Tue Jun 05, 2012 5:38 am

So, say I'm driving down a buzy highway and all of the sudden the trans starts slipping in an area where I can't get off to the side of the road and I'm stuck in the middle of the highway where I could get rearended or cause traffic behind me to get into an accident as I'm blocking the road.... That's not a "safety issue?" Or, say I do get to the side of the road and get "clipped" by another vehicle? Even looking past the "safety issue," Nissan should do a voluntary recall for customer satisfaction with their $30000-$40000 Pathfinder---like the voluntary recall they did on the 96-97 Pathfinders or the fuel injection campaign they did on the Z31's and U11 Maximas years ago.

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zymol75
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Postby zymol75 » Sun Jun 17, 2012 3:58 pm

A slipping trans will not leave you stranded in the middle of the road. the failure doesn't happen that way. even in a worst case scenario you would notice the slip long before you were doin 80 in said hwy traffic and (hopefully) not make the decision to pull out on to a high speed hwy with no power to accelerate.

Apparently there are enough people still buying the vehicle around the world in its current form to prevent Nissan from considering a voluntary recall. This issue hasn't made any news in my state that I can find and there are Pathys everywhere in Florida. IDK. The local techs here that I've asked about it seem nonchalant about the issue. so, who knows.

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Oly 22
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Postby Oly 22 » Sun Jun 17, 2012 4:20 pm

Would this effect a 2011 V6 4.0L? Had there been any modifications to the newer model years that would make this a non issue or should I still do the bypass at 80000 miles?

I do tow a mid size boat but it is not far the local boat launch. The furtherest I would tow would be a couple of hours away up the coast but I would only do that a couple times during the year. Would replacing the air/oil transmission cooler and engine oil cooler effect the factory warranties? The vehicle is only a year old.

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Sun Jun 17, 2012 4:25 pm

"This issue hasn't made any news in my state that I can find and there are Pathys everywhere in Florida."

Then you may be interested on this article. Apparantly the NHTSA is now investigating the issue:

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012 ... ssues.html

A little while back, the NCCC, a consumer's group in North Carolina, petitioned the NHTSA in regards to the matter:

http://ncconsumer.org/Nissan%20Frontier ... efect.html
Last edited by smj999smj on Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Sun Jun 17, 2012 4:32 pm

Oly 22 wrote:Would this effect a 2011 V6 4.0L? Had there been any modifications to the newer model years that would make this a non issue or should I still do the bypass at 80000 miles?
The 2011 and later models are not known for this problem. The extended warranty from Nissan on the radiators included 05-10 Pathfinders/Xterras/Frontiers. The 05 thru 07 models seem to be hit the hardest. I have heard of a few 08s that have experienced the cooler failure, but no 09 and later models, yet.

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Oly 22
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Postby Oly 22 » Sun Jun 17, 2012 5:45 pm

Thanks again SMJ, I feel a bit better but will keep an eye and ear open over the next few years. It maybe too early in the game to ignore it.

The Not So Shining Path
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Location: Langley, BC, Canada

141,000 km failure

Postby The Not So Shining Path » Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:57 am

Noticed hard shifting, rumbling, hunting in and out of O/D. Went online to help with diagnosis, found all this radiator stuff. Dealer confirmed the problem this morning.

I am out of [extended] warranty by 11000 km, so we are now "discussing" with Nissan Canada whether they will warranty it or not.

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Wed Jul 18, 2012 12:25 pm

that sucks dude. Hope you have good luck with Nissan!

The Not So Shining Path
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Postby The Not So Shining Path » Wed Jul 18, 2012 12:27 pm

Thanks Terry. I'll keep the forum up to date.

BTW, I grew up in Winnipeg... fond memories of frost heaves on the Perimeter in winter and cracked earth in the summer. And of course, the mosquitoes.

The Not So Shining Path
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Postby The Not So Shining Path » Wed Jul 18, 2012 1:50 pm

U P D A T E:

Nissan Canada is replacing the rad and transmission, 100% warranty coverage. I am a very relieved dude and looking forward to a long driving vacation down the Oregon coast.

I'll stay with these forums, there is a ton of great info in here. Thank you to all the posters who informed my discussions with Nissan.

:D


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