Investigation into Cracked Radiators Killing Transmissions? Don't Count On It

Certain Nissan vehicles have a defective cracked radiator that leaks coolant into the transmission fluid, creating a toxic hell stew that kills the transmission entirely. If it hasn't happened to you, you've probably at least heard of it. And if you haven't heard of it, well ... I'm sorry to be the bearer of some really bad news.

Unfortunately, the news gets worse. There were high hopes that the government would open an investigation that would lead to a recall, but we now know that ain't going to happen.

A Petition to Nowhere ∞

After being petitioned in 2012 by the North Carolina Consumers Council (NCCC), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into the 2005-2010 Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra. It's taken four years, but NHTSA has a conclusion:

"[Out] of 2,505 complaints, 638 relate to stalling engines and vehicles that are unable to maintain speed, symptoms that could cause safety hazards. But according to NHTSA, the majority of complaints (1,867) aren't considered a risk to safety."

They did find four crashes related to the problem, but say the majority are "customer satisfaction issues." Yeah, you can say satisfaction is an issue.

Extended Coverage That Covers Nothing ∞

"NHTSA says Nissan did issue a warranty extension in 2007 for the transmission oil cooler and radiator that provided owners with an 8-year/80,000 mile warranty. Then due to a class-action lawsuit in 2010, Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra owners received extended warranty coverage for certain repairs for 10 years or 100,000 miles."

That's all fine and good, but let's take a look at some of the average mileages when this problem gets reported:

• 101,599 miles in the 2005 Pathfinder
• 113,121 miles in the 2007 Pathfinder
• 103,005 miles in the 2005 Frontier
• 107,181 miles in the 2007 Frontier
• 111,834 miles in the 2006 Xterra

And so on. Isn't it convenient how the extended warranty expires just barely before the problem happens?

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Coolant Leaks are Destroying Nissan Transmissions

Automatic transmissions in certain 2005-2010 Nissan SUVs and Trucks are under attack from their radiators. Leaking coolant is mixing with transmission fluid through the cooler lines to create a toxic hell stew that irreversibly damages ever