NHTSA Complaint #10555389 — 2006 NISSAN XTERRA

ON DECEMBER 06, 2013, WHILE MERGING ONTO THE HIGHWAY, MY GRAY IN COLOR, 2006 NISSAN XTERRA, COMPLETELY LOST ALL MOTIVE POWER & FAILED TO SHIFT GEARS, SIMPLY REVVING OUT IN 2ND GEAR. IT SHOULD BE NOTED, MY 2006 NISSAN XTERRA IS THE 4X4, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION & HAD AROUND 99,950 MILES AT THE TIME. THE INCIDENT PUT MYSELF, MY WIFE, AND MY EIGHT MONTH OLD BABY GIRL IN DANGER DUE TO THE FACT WE HAD NO WHERE TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY & WERE QUICKLY SLOWING DOWN IN TRAFFIC. THIS INCIDENT ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE FASTER HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. IT HAS SINCE COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT NISSAN IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND THAT IT IS CAUSED BY THE RADIATOR LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE TRANSMISSION CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO MIX WITH THE RADIATOR FLUID, EFFECTIVELY DESTROYING THE TRANSMISSION. I WAS ABLE TO SLOWLY WORK THE RPMS UP & GET THE TRANSMISSION TO SHIFT UP A FEW GEARS SO WE COULD MAKE IT OFF THE HIGHWAY. I THEN CONTACTED MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALER WHO ADVISED THAT NISSAN WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUES AND HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 100,000 MI. HE INFORMED ME THAT TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION & THE RADIATOR IT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $7000, HOWEVER, IF I WAS UNDER 100,000 MI, I WOULD ONLY HAVE TO PAY A $3,000 DEDUCTIBLE. BECAUSE I HAD PASSED THE 100,000 MILE MARK BY DRIVING MY VEHICLE BACK HOME, I WAS NO LONGER ELIGIBLE FOR THIS EXTENDED WARRANTY. I'VE OWNED MY NISSAN XTERRA FOR OVER 6 YEARS & HAVE MADE SURE TO STAY CURRENT ON ALL THE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. THE FACT THAT NISSAN IS NOT ONLY AWARE OF THESE ISSUES (WHICH HAVE ALLEGEDLY AFFECTED THOUSANDS OF NISSAN OWNERS), BUT ALSO THAT THEY HAVE FAILED TO TAKE ANY CORRECTIVE ACTION, IS SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE & ALSO DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS. IT IS ONE THING FOR NISSAN TO NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT, BUT IT IS WRONG FOR THEM TO KNOWINGLY ALLOW THEIR PRODUCT TO PUT PEOPLE'S LIVES IN DANGER. *TR