NHTSA Complaint #10587164 — 2007 NISSAN PATHFINDER

I PURCHASED A USED 2007 NISSAN PATHFINDER WITH EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR MY DAUGHTER ON 12/28/13. LAST WEEK THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. SHE MADE AN APPOINTMENT, ARRIVED EARLY AND 5 HOURS LATER WAS TOLD THAT A SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND SUGGESTED THAT SHE TAKE IT TO A NISSAN DEALER AS THEY HAD EQUIPMENT SPECIFIC TO NISSAN VEHICLES AND HER WARRANTY COVERS THE WORK AT ANY DEALERSHIP. SHE ASKED IF THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE AND WAS TOLD YES. SHE DROVE TWO MILES TO A NISSAN DEALER SPENT ANOTHER 2 HOURS THERE WHILE THEY RAN THEIR OWN DIAGNOSTIC TESTS. THEY DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS CROSS CONTAMINATION IN THE RADIATOR. NOT ONLY DID HER RADIATOR NEED TO BE REPLACED BUT SO DID HER TRANSMISSION. SHE WAS FURTHER TOLD THAT HER VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE CALLED THE WARRANTY COMPANY WHO INDICATED THAT THE RADIATOR WASN'T COVERED AND THEREFORE THE TRANSMISSION WASN'T COVERED AS IT WAS CAUSED BY THE RADIATOR. MY DAUGHTER DROVE BACK TO AUTO NATION AGAIN AND ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE GENERAL MANAGER. SHE WAS TOLD HE WASN'T IN AND THE USED CAR SALES MANAGER WOULD SPEAK TO HER. I LEFT WORK AND WENT OVER TO HELP HER. I ALSO ASKED FOR THE GENERAL MANAGER, WAS ASKED WHAT IT WAS ABOUT, I SAID I WOULD PREFER SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO THE GM AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING AS MY DAUGHTER. THE USED CAR SALES MANAGER RELUCTANTLY AGREED TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR AND FLUSH THE TRANSMISSION TWICE HE INDICATED THAT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. SHE PICKED UP THE SUV TODAY AND 2 BLOCKS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. SHE WENT BACK TO AUTO NATION AND WAS TOLD BY THE USED CAR MANAGER THAT THERE WAS NO WAY HE WAS PAYING $3500 TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. HE TOLD HER TO JUST DRIVE WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. THIS IS SO WRONG! TO SEND A 22 YEAR OLD OFF IN AN UNSAFE VEHICLE. THIS WAS APPARENTLY A KNOWN ISSUE ON THIS MAKE/MODEL & YEAR. NISSAN EVEN EXTENDED THE WARRANTIES BECAUSE OF THE ISSUE. *TR