NHTSA Complaint #10605355 — 2006 NISSAN PATHFINDER

PATHFINDER EXPERIENCED COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AND THE ENGINE STARTED SMOKING AND FLUIDS SPILLED OUT FROM UNDERNEATH. PEOPLE BEHIND US HAD TO SWERVE AROUND US TO AVOID HITTING US. SOME GOOD SAMARITANS HELPED MY HUSBAND PUSH THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. HE COULD NO LONGER DRIVE THE CAR. EARLIER IN THE DAY THE CAR WAS HAVING TROUBLE ACCELERATING AND WOULD JERK. WE MANAGED TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY BEFORE IT STALLED COMPLETELY. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MOSSY NISSAN AND WE WERE TOLD BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT THE MANUFACTURER RADIATOR THAT CAME WITH THE CAR WAS BADLY DESIGNED. THE RADIATORS CRACK CAUSING CROSS CONTAMINATION OF THE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION FLUID WHICH THEN RESULTS IN COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE, WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR CAR. HE TOLD US THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, ACTUALLY, AND THE SETTLEMENT TERMS WERE THAT IF YOUR CAR WAS UNDER 80,000 MILES NISSAN WOULD COVER THE COST OF REPAIRS. OUR CAR HAD 87,000 MILES AND SO WE HAD TO PAY $2500. OVER 90,000 MILES AND YOU HAVE TO PAY $3000. OVER 100,000 MILES AND YOU'RE OUT OF LUCK. WE WERE TOLD THE REPAIR RUNS ABOUT $7,000 OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY PERIOD. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL ISSUE, NOT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ISSUE, BECAUSE IT IS UNSAFE TO BE DRIVING ON THE ROAD WHEN YOUR CAR STALLS AND THE TRANSMISSION FAILS. THE CAR HAS SINCE BEEN REPAIRED BUT I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE IN A NISSAN. NISSAN NORTH AMERICA REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR A DESIGN FLAW AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM THE LAWSUIT BENEFITED NO ONE BUT NISSAN. YOU COULDN'T HAVE YOUR RADIATOR REPLACED UNDER THE WARRANTY IF IT WASN'T MALFUNCTIONING YET. YOUR CAR NEEDED TO BREAK DOWN BEFORE THE WARRANTY COULD KICK IN, AND AT THAT POINT YOU WERE ALREADY OUTSIDE THE 100% COVERAGE WINDOW. *TR