NHTSA Complaint #10381235 — 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER

I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM NISSAN INFORMING ME THAT THE WARRANTY ON THE RADIATOR ASSEMBLY OF MY 2005 PATHFINDER IS BEING EXTENDED BECAUSE 'A CRACK IN THE RADIATOR ASSEMBLY MIGHT OCCUR AT HIGHER MILEAGES LEADING TO INTERNAL LEAKAGE OF ENGINE COOLANT'. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH IT WAS EVIDENT THAT BECAUSE THE FAILURE IS INTERNAL THE ONLY WAY TO DETECT IT IS BY A MALFUNCTIONING TRANSMISSION DUE TO THE INTERMINGLING OF FLUIDS. I CONTACTED NISSAN AND ASKED THEM IF THE RADIATOR FAILURE CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO MALFUNCTION WOULD THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVER REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION. THEY STATED THAT IF THE DEALER'S WORK ORDER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION (OR ANY OTHER PART) WAS DAMAGED DUE TO THE RADIATOR FAILURE IT WOULD BE COVERED. I THEN ASKED WHY THEY DON'T RECALL THE RADIATOR SO THAT THEY ONLY HAVE TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR AND NOT THE TRANSMISSION IN ADDITION TO THE RADIATOR. NISSAN STATED THAT THE GOVERNMENT DID NOT DEEM THIS A SAFETY ISSUE THEREFORE THEY WERE NOT REQUIRED TO ISSUE A RECALL. WOULDN'T IT MAKE GOOD BUSINESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS SENSE FOR NISSAN TO STAND UP AND DO THE RIGHT THING AND ISSUE A VOLUNTARY RECALL? SO MY QUESTION TO THE GOVERNMENT IS; WHY ISN'T AN UNEXPECTED TRANSMISSION FAILURE OF A MOVING VEHICLE A SAFETY ISSUE? ANY PRODUCT DEFECT THAT CAUSES THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER TO A MOVING VEHICLE IS A SAFETY HAZARD. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER PRODUCT RECALLS DUE TO SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS ONE? *TR