NHTSA Complaint #10691216 — 2008 NISSAN PATHFINDER

CATASTROPHIC COOLING/TRANSMISSION FAILURE. TRAVELING EAST ON A HEAVILY TRAVELED SINGLE LANE HIGHWAY WITH NO BREAKDOWN LANE. SUDDEN NOISE FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, SOUNDING LIKE LIQUIDS BEING EXPELLED. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. ENGINE TEMPERATURE GAUGE PEGS TO HIGH. LIMPED ALONG THE HIGHWAY UNTIL I COULD REACH A SAFE POINT TO PULL THE OVERHEATING VEHICLE OFF ROAD. ARRANGED FOR A TOW AND HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED. THE INSPECTION REVEALED FAILURE OF THE RADIATOR. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION AND WITH SOME RESEARCH, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT NISSAN HAS A KNOWN DESIGN FLAW THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE EVENTUAL FAILURE, IN A CATASTROPHIC EVENT, OF THE COOLING AND TRANSMISSION COMPONENTS. MY VEHICLE WAS MIXING ENGINE COOLANT AND TRANSMISSION FLUID TOGETHER. THE SUDDEN FAILURE OF THE RADIATOR, EXPELLED ENGINE COOLING AND TRANSMISSION FLUID IN A SUDDEN AND RAPID EVENT. THIS IS A KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED EVENT THAT NISSAN IS FULLY AWARE OF. A SUDDEN FAILURE OF THESE COMPONENTS POSES A SAFETY RISK FOR THE OWNER, OCCUPANT, PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENT. *TR