NHTSA Complaint #10499648 — 2005 NISSAN XTERRA

IN MARCH 2011 MY WIFE WAS DRIVING MY SON HOME AND THE XTERRA BEGAN TO SHAKE AS IF SHE WAS DRIVING ON RUMBLE STRIPS. I QUICKLY SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT AT A NISSAN DEALER AND IN ANTICIPATION OF THE SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT, I GOOGLED 2005 NISSAN XTERRA, RUMBLE STRIP. LITERALLY DOZENS OF WEB PAGES POPPED UP REVEALING THAT A DEFECT IN THE RADIATOR WAS CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK INTO THE TRANSMISSION, THEREBY RUINING THE TRANSMISSION/RADIATOR. THE TESTIMONIALS DETAILED MY EXACT EXPERIENCE AND ALSO DESCRIBED INSTANCES WHERE TRANSMISSIONS WOULD LOCK-UP WHILE DRIVING. I RAISED MY SUSPICIONS TO COCHRAN NISSAN IN PITTSBURGH, PA, AND THEY PERFORMED A FULL SERVICE CHECK WHICH CONFIRMED THAT COOLANT HAD LEAKED INTO MY TRANSMISSION. COCHRAN EXPLAINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SALVAGEABLE, BUT THAT THE RADIATOR NEEDED REPLACED WHICH I LATER FOUND OUT HAD ITS WARRANTY EXTENDED TO 80,000 MILES. THE PROBLEM WAS, HOWEVER, THAT MY XTERRA CURRENTLY HAD 101,000 MILES, MAKING ME A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY OF NO BENEFIT TO ME. COCHARAN REPLACED THE RADIATOR AND FLUSHED THE TRANSMISSION AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $830.00. NOW IN FEBRUARY 2013 AGAIN AS MY WIFE WAS DRIVING (OUR TWO KIDS), THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED CAUSING THE XTERRA TO STALL AND LOCK UP AND AGAIN I AM LOOKING AT A SUBSTANTIAL REPAIR COSTING WELL ABOVE THE $830 PREVIOUSLY PAID. NISSAN HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE RADIATOR/TRANSMISSION FOR YEARS (POSSIBLY 2007) AND HAS DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT. DAMAGE RESULTING FROM A DESIGN DEFECT IS NOT SOMETHING FOR WHICH PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE FROM THE OWNER COULD RECTIFY. SELLING A PRODUCT WITH DESIGN AND/OR MANUFACTURING DEFECTS TO UNSUSPECTING BUYERS THAT PLACES PERSONS IN DANGER IS UNETHICAL AND NISSAN SHOULD BE FORCED TO STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT AND TO DO THE RIGHT THING. PLEASE HELP AND PROTECT THE CONSUMER. *TR