NHTSA Complaint #10483209 — 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER

I WAS LEAVING A RESTAURANT PARKING LOT WITH MY WIFE AND KIDS. I PULLED TO THE PARKING LOT EXIT AND TURNED RIGHT ONTO THE 4-LANE BOULEVARD. I TRIED TO ACCELERATE TO TRAFFIC SPEED IN THE NEAR LANE BUT THE MOTOR SIMPLY RACED AND WOULD NOT PROPEL THE VEHICLE. AS TRAFFIC CAUGHT ME I HEARD TIRES SQUEALING AND HORNS BLOWING FROM THE VEHICLES BEHIND ME. THE TRAFFIC WORKED AROUND ME WHILE I SHIFTED THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK AND THEN BACK INTO DRIVE AND BEGAN TO MOVE AT IDLE SPEED. AS TRAFFIC ALLOWED I WORKED OVER INTO THE LEFT LANE AND THEN THE TURNING LANE WHILE GRADUALLY ACCELERATING TO DRIVING SPEED, MERGED BACK INTO TRAFFIC AND PROCEEDED HOME, CAREFUL TO AVOID ANY STOP LIGHTS IN BUSY TRAFFIC. WE ARE FORTUNATE THAT WE WERE NOT INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. I'M NO EXPERT, BUT I DO KNOW THAT A VEHICLE THAT SUDDENLY WON'T PROPEL ITSELF IN TRAFFIC IS AS DANGEROUS AS ONE WITH NO BRAKES. THIS WAS THE ONE AND ONLY TIME THAT WE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE NISSAN DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A TRANSMISSION COOLANT LINE FAILURE WHICH ALLOWED TRANSMISSION FLUID AND ENGINE COOLANT TO INTERMIX IN THE RADIATOR, ENGINE BLOCK AND TRANSMISSION, WHICH IN TURN CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO SLIP. I'M SURE NHTSA HAS RECEIVED MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I'M HEARING MANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS JUST IN MY AREA AND LIKELY THERE ARE OTHERS THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN REPORTED. HOPEFULLY NO ONE WILL HAVE TO DIE OR SUFFER SERIOUS INJURY BECAUSE OF THIS UNSAFE CONDITION BEFORE A RECALL WILL BE ISSUED. *TR