| Issue ID | 1026740 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10555031 |
| Manufacurer | Nissan North America, Inc. |
| Brand | NISSAN |
| Model | FRONTIER |
| Model Year | 2005 |
| File date | 09/11/12 |
| Component | POWER TRAIN |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | The first week of november 2013 while driving at approximately 50-60 mph, i would intermittently experience shuddering vibrations like the ones you feel when you drive through those highway strips. I did not pay much attention to eat thinking it probably was a minor problem with the tires. 3rd week of november the truck started slipping. I went online to find out what causes the slip and there it was. Hundreds of not just 2005 nissan frontier owners but also xterra's and pathfinder owners from 2005-2010 having the same problem. Internet searches came out that at a certain point in the life of the vehicle at average about 90-100t miles, radiator coolant mixes with the transmission fluid due a crack inside the radiator, and the transmission becomes contaminated and eventually fails. After finding out the symptoms of possible contamination i examined my truck's radiator and transmission and found out that indeed transmission oil and coolant had mixed. I immediately replaced the radiator and flushed the transmission thinking that this could still save the transmission. A week ago while at a stop, with the truck on drive and right foot on the brake pedal, i heard a big bang around the transmission area and felt a violent shake and then the truck jerked forward and i almost hit the car in front of me. I was able to bring the car home. I cannot use the truck now out of fear that the transmission will suddenly fail while i'm driving in the freeway and cause or be in an accident. Many owners have reported that when their transmissions failed, their vehicles suddenly lost power in the middle of the highway and almost got into an accident. I called nissan customer service and i was told that this is a known problem with this vehicle and they have extended the radiator and transmission warranty to 100000 miles with a $3000 co-pay. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 92540 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | BORDENTOWN, NJ |
| VIN pattern | 1N6AD07W15CXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | 0 |
| No. of fatalities | 0 |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | 6 |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 55 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |