NHTSA Complaint #10411630 — 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER

2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER WITH 93,000 MILES. HAD ORIGINAL ISSUE WITH TRANSMISSION IN 2009 A SLIGHT SHIMMY AND ONCE THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED, AS SOON AS IT SLIPPED I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME COOLANT HAD LEAKED INTO TRANSMISSION AND WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE: RADIATOR, AND TRANSMISSION AT ~$6,500. I ASKED FOR OPTIONS THE DEALER SAID I COULD TRY REPLACING RADIATOR, FLUSH TRANSMISSION AND ADD NEW TRANSMISSION FLUID FOR ~2,500, HE SAID IT MAY MAKE IT 5 MORE MILES OR 500K MILES, BUT EXPECTED THE TRANSMISSION WOULD AT SOME POINT FAIL. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO LOCAL TRUSTED REPAIR SHOP AND HAD RADIATOR REPLACED AND TRANSMISSION FLUSHED WITH NISSAN TRANSMISSION FLUID AND FILLED WITH NISSAN TRANSMISSION FLUID FOR LESS THAN $1K. HAD NO ISSUES SINCE. ON JUNE 6TH OUT OF THE BLUE AS I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM THE LAKE, I FELT THE SHIMMY AGAIN, IMMEDIATELY BACKED OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND THEN SLOWLY GOT BACK INTO THE GAS, AS I DID I FELT THE TRANSMISSION SLIP A LITTLE. LESS THAN 1,000 FEET DOWN THE ROAD I NOTICED SMOKE IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR AND IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHIN 1,000' AS I CAME TO A STOP THICK BLACK SMOKE CAME FROM BENEATH THE VEHICLE AND SHUT THE CAR OFF, AND I REALIZED THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. I OPENED THE DOOR TO GET OUT AND FLAMES WERE COMING FROM UNDER THE RUNNING BOARDS. WITHIN 3 MINUTES THE CAR AND ALL IT'S CONTENTS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED BY THE FIRE. IT WAS OBVIOUS FROM MY VANTAGE POINT AND THE PICTURES I TOOK DURING THE FIRE THAT THE FIRE ORIGINATED FROM THE TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING AND THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE RESULTING IN A THERMAL EVENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED, THANK GOD I WAS ALONE.AND THE DEALERSHIP COULD CARE LESS. *TR