The Nissan Path

Hi all,

I am at wit's end. My brand new 2008 Path was doing fine for the first 2 months. However, for the past week, I have been experiencing the following problem:

1. Problem: Delay when shifting from Reverse to Drive on upward slope

When the vehicle is on a street that is sloped upward, and after backing up I shift from Reverse to Drive, the vehicle will continue to roll backward (downhill) as if it is in Neutral for a few moments before it changes to Drive.

2. Problem: Delay when shifting from Drive to Reverse on downward Slope

When the vehicle is on a street that is sloped downward, and after driving forward I shift from Drive to Reverse, the vehicle will continue to roll forward (downhill) as if it is in Neutral for a few moments before it changes to Reverse.

3. Problem: Delay when shifting from Drive to Reverse or Reverse to Drive

When the vehicle is on a street that is level and not sloped, and I shift from Drive to Reverse or Reverse to Drive, the vehicle may not roll due to the lack of a slope, but it will have a delay as if it is in Neutral for a few moments before it changes to Reverse or to Drive.

The mechanic at the dealership said that this issue is 100% normal and that his personal Pathfinder does the same thing. He says it was okay until now because it was not yet broken in.

Is it true that this is typical or is it in fact a transmission problem?

(note that once the gear is engaged there is no rollback, it is only in the first few moments after switching from Reverse to Drive or vice versa.)

Mine acts the same way. So did the two that I test drove before I bought mine. I am very diligent in placing the vehicle in gear and waiting until everything is sync'd prior to giving it any gas.

Thanks, Blink, that was what I was hoping to hear...all I really wanted to know was that it's normal. I feel much better now.

Yep, same thing here too. I don't see a big deal in it. It was kind of weird at first, but I got used to it.

My solution is to hold the brake down for a few more seconds until I feel the lurch of the gears shifting.

only problem i have had when shifting is that it is very hard to put it in drive from any other gear and makes a really loud clunk

did u have it looked at by the dealer?

they tell me there is nothing wrong with it, and nothing has has gone wrong with the transmission *knock on wood*

I guess cars are not perfect machines all the time

towel1981 wrote:I guess cars are not perfect machines all the time

not sure bout that my little matrix has never done wrong me. i just show's the less there is the less will go wrong

I guess I never paid attention to this but mine does it too. I always considered it normal.

me&pathy wrote:only problem i have had when shifting is that it is very hard to put it in drive from any other gear and makes a really loud clunk

mine does the same and i've experience the same problems as the OP.