NHTSA Complaint #10499399 — 2005 INFINITI QX56

MY WIFE DROVE THE VEHICLE TO AND FROM WORK WITH NO VISIBLE PROBLEM AND PARKED IT IN THE DRIVE. THE NEXT DAY I WAS ABLE TO BACK OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY BUT WHEN I PUT THE VEHICLE IN DRIVE I NOTICED THAT THE ATS LIGHT IS ON AND IT IS STRUGGLING TO MOVE FORWARD. THE MANUAL SAYS TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER IF THE ATS LIGHT IS ON SO I HAD AAA FLAT BED IT TO MY LOCAL INFINITI DEALER. AFTER CHECKING THE VEHICLE I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE A LEAKING RADIATOR AND THE TRANSMISSION AT A COST OF ALMOST $5,000.00 SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS A FEW MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY EVEN THOUGHT I WAS UNDER THE MILEAGE LIMIT OF 70K. I TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP AND WAS INFORMED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON AND WELL KNOWN DEFECT WITH NISSAN/INFINITI SUV'S WHERE A DEFECTIVE RADIATOR CAN CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND COOLANT TO MIX AND RUIN THE TRANSMISSION. A QUICK SEARCH ON GOOGLE CONFIRMED THAT THERE IS IN FACT NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH INFINITI USA AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY THERE IS NOTHING THEY COULD OR WOULD DO ABOUT THE SITUATION. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP GETTING THE NECESSARY REPAIRS DONE. *TR