My wife had the Pathfinder backed up in the driveway blocking my access to bringing my other vehicle into the garage. She went to move the Pathfinder in front of my Xterra and for some reason unable to put the car in Reverse. When she had shifted to Reverse, the Pathfinder kept wanting to move forward when given gas. She had no choice but to do a wide u turn onto our front yard back into the driveway. The Pathfinder would not shift into Reverse still and when she put the vehicle in PARK mode, the truck still wanted to move forward. What would cause this issue? Shifter linkage cable broke? I had her put the emergency brake on and shut the truck off. As of now the Pathfinder will not start at all or even try. No sounds, but is getting power everywhere.
On a side note, she has been using the shifter unlock button on the shifter plate for maybe 2 years now because the truck refuses to allow the shifter to move between gears unless she pushes that shift unlock button. Could this be related?
I'm hoping this is a cheap fix if shifter unlock button is the culprit. When we had the vehicle serviced awhile back, the dealer said it was either a part needing replacement in the shifter console or it could be ignition switch related. Thanks in Advance.
2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
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SuperBlackPathy11
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VStar650CL
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
Since it now won't wake up, that sounds to me like your TCM (trans controller) went bad. It's possible the A/T fuse (located in the IPDM at the righthand rear of the engine box) is blown, that will prevent starting but you'll still get dash lights. If the fuse is good (or keeps blowing) then there's a pretty good chance your TCM is dead. The TCM on R51's is part of the Valve Body inside the tranny, and they're somewhat infamous for crashing the whole CANbus on the vehicle when they die.
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SuperBlackPathy11
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
Ok, I took off the shifter console and plate and see if the shift lock tab didn't fall off and get jammed. I also checked to see if the infamous screw and clip are in good and not loose. No jamming issues there. If I push the black square tab down the shifter moves freely to Reverse. I do not need to push the tab when going into Drive or other gears. Now the truck starts up just fine. Don’t know what I did after playing with the tab, and the shifter moves freely into Reverse but then locks up again after I put it back in Park after a couple of times. Is it the shifter solenoid that needs replacing? If so what is the part number for a 2011 Pathfinder LE 4x4?VStar650CL wrote: ↑Sun Jul 16, 2023 5:33 amSince it now won't wake up, that sounds to me like your TCM (trans controller) went bad. It's possible the A/T fuse (located in the IPDM at the righthand rear of the engine box) is blown, that will prevent starting but you'll still get dash lights. If the fuse is good (or keeps blowing) then there's a pretty good chance your TCM is dead. The TCM on R51's is part of the Valve Body inside the tranny, and they're somewhat infamous for crashing the whole CANbus on the vehicle when they die.
So as of now playing with the gears and watching the gear selection change on the instrument cluster… I went all the way M5 - M1 then back again to Drive, N , R, then Park… the gear selection is now stuck in Drive. The truck will no longer start again.
The Nissan Service Advisor believes it is the shift range sensor. Its a $146 part but located on the transfer case. Is this easy to replace or does the whole thing need to come out from the bottom to get to it? Hate to have it towed 30 mins away to be worked on.
This is the part the Nissan Advisor was referring to...
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VStar650CL
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
That switch is on the outside, but I doubt it's your issue. For starting purposes, the system doesn't care whether the xfer is engaged or not, it only cares if the tranny is in P or N. The TCM and IPDM are in complete charge of the Starter Relay, the Xfer Controller has no part in it. There's also nothing inside the tranny or shifter which should prevent mechanical movement once you're out of P, the Park Solenoid is out of the loop once you're not in P. So if you're stuck in D, it sounds like a mechanical problem in one of three places, the shifter, the cable, or the Valve Body.
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SuperBlackPathy11
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
VStar650CL wrote: ↑Tue Jul 25, 2023 1:41 pmThat switch is on the outside, but I doubt it's your issue. For starting purposes, the system doesn't care whether the xfer is engaged or not, it only cares if the tranny is in P or N. The TCM and IPDM are in complete charge of the Starter Relay, the Xfer Controller has no part in it. There's also nothing inside the tranny or shifter which should prevent mechanical movement once you're out of P, the Park Solenoid is out of the loop once you're not in P. So if you're stuck in D, it sounds like a mechanical problem in one of three places, the shifter, the cable, or the Valve Body.
I can still move the shifter between gears, however, the instrument cluster is showing it is in D mode. Does this still apply to your recent response? Thanks.
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SuperBlackPathy11
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
BTW forgot to add. I am a member of thenewx.org and currently own a 2015 Nissan Xterra PRO-4X as well. A member on the forum was experiencing similar issues and the culprit was his ECU. What are your thoughts on that? Especially since our Pathfinder will not start now. Thanks again for your input.
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SuperBlackPathy11
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
Also after rereading my posts - I forgot to add that I was able to get the truck to move in reverse and forward again on the driveway with no issues. At first, I thought it was a glitch and that the problem fixed itself. But after moving the shifter into the M range... that's when it SNAFU'd on me again.
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VStar650CL
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
I'd get under the truck (and maybe into the pan) and make sure something sloppy isn't happening with the shift cable, cam, or shuttle. If there isn't anything wrong mechanically, I'd say maybe the Range Switch is screwed. The PRNDL indication on the dash should be coming from the TCM by way of the Range Switch, so if the lever moves but the PRNDL doesn't, it means the TCM isn't seeing the lever move.
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SuperBlackPathy11
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
Thanks for the response. I see you mentioned the range switch. Is that the same thing as the range sensor the Service Advisor brought to my attention?
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VStar650CL
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
The Range Switch on R51's is part of the TCM, although they can be removed and you may be able to get an aftermarket replacement without buying a whole Valve Body. I'm not sure about that, but the manual says to replace the VB. That means Nissan doesn't sell it separately.
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SuperBlackPathy11
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
What do you mean by Nissan not being able to sell it separately? Does that mean a new Transmission is in order? Anyhow, after going back and checking again on the cable under the shifter console, it looks intact and the truck is now stuck in the Neutral position. I had to disconnect the battery at this point since the dash light/sound is a bleeping Karen. Will not go back in Park position although the dash still reads D. Hopefully more damage didn't occur. Looks like I am SOL and will tow it to NISSAN.VStar650CL wrote: ↑Tue Jul 25, 2023 3:39 pmThe Range Switch on R51's is part of the TCM, although they can be removed and you may be able to get an aftermarket replacement without buying a whole Valve Body. I'm not sure about that, but the manual says to replace the VB. That means Nissan doesn't sell it separately.
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VStar650CL
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
No, just a VB, not a whole tranny.
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SuperBlackPathy11
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Re: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder LE - Auto shifting issues
Just got the truck back today. The shifter cable was inoperative as well as the shifter solenoid. Both have been replaced and all is well again.
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