NHTSA Complaint #10567565 — 2007 NISSAN QUEST

TRAVELING AT A STEADY 25 MPH ON HIGHWAY (CONDITIONS WERE SLOW DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER), VEHICLE SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFTED VERY HARD...FELT LIKE I WAS REAR ENDED BUT WASN'T...THEN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE WAS PRODUCING THE POWER, BUT THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT KEEPING UP. IT WAS SLOW TO ACCELERATE, WOULDN'T MAINTAIN SPEED UPHILL AND DOWNSHIFTED HARD WHEN SLOWING. I HEADED DIRECTLY FOR DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT MY TRANSMISSION HAD CODED AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. I HAD TAKEN IT INTO DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES PREVIOUSLY COMPLAINING OF SIGNIFICANT POWER LOSS, HARD AND/OR CONSTANT DOWNSHIFTING AND LOSS OF SPEED DESPITE ENGINE POWER. NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND UNTIL THIS INCIDENT. I REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION WITH NEW AT A COST OF JUST OVER $4700. I HAVE PUT JUST UNDER 2000 MILES ON THE NEW TRANSMISSION AND AM STARTING TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. TRAVELING TO NEW YORK ON THE INTERSTATE, TRAVELING WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 68MPH. STARTED ASCENDING A LARGE HILL AND THE VEHICLE STARTED SLOWING DOWN. THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED VIOLENTLY, ENGINE RPM INCREASED TO ALMOST 5000RPM BUT SPEED STARTED DROPPING IMMEDIATELY. COULD NOT MAKE IT UP THE HIGHWAY AND MAINTAIN CURRENT SPEED. THE VALVES WERE SCREAMING! I PULLED OVER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF, RESTARTED AND THEN STARTED AGAIN SLOWLY. I COULD NOT GET ABOVE 38 MPH WITHOUT TRANSMISSION REACTING AND ENGINE RPM RACING. ONCE I GOT OVER THE HILL, THE CAR SEEMED OKAY AS LONG AS I DIDN'T ALLOW THE RPM TO INCREASE TOO DRAMATICALLY. IT WILL NOT MAINTAIN SPEED IN CRUISE CONTROL ON HILLS. *TR