NHTSA Complaint #10693328 — 2006 NISSAN XTERRA

WHEN IT TURNED COLD JAN/FEB 2105 OUR DAUGHTER TOLD US THE HEAT WAS NOT WORKING. BUT SHE KNEW WE DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO REPAIR SO WE DID NOT WORRY ABOUT IT. WE OWN A 2000 CHEVY TRUCK & THE HEAT HAS NOT WORKED FOR YEARS & WE JUST LIVE WITH IT.SO WE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE RADIATOR/COOLANT BEING THE PROBLEM. THEN SOMETHING MAJOR HAPPENED-OUR DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HOME FROM AUBURN AL TO OUR HOME IN OPELIKA AL & SHE CALLED US SAYING THE CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 25-30 MPH. WE WERE OUT OF TOWN, IT WAS 10 PM AT NIGHT SO WE TOLD HER TO KEEP DRIVING AND GET HOME TO A SAFE PLACE (HER LIFE WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN STOPPING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD--A YOUNG LADY ALL BY HERSELF) SHE GOT HOME, PARKED IT & WHEN WE RETURNED HOME WE TOOK IT TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP THAT WE TRUST. HE CALLED US THE NEXT DAY & SAID I HAVE DEVASTATING NEWS. HE TOLD US ABOUT THE SERVICE REPORT PUT OUT ON NISSAN XTERRAS IN REGARD TO THE MAJOR, WELL KNOWN TO NISSAN PROBLEM OF WHEN THE COOLANT/RADIATOR CRACKS BECAUSE OF A FAULTY WHEN IN MANUFACTURING RADIATOR IS PUT IN IT IS A KNOWN BY NISSAN BAD ONE. IT CRACKS & LEAKS INTO THE TRANSMISSION IN WHICH THE COOLANT MIXES WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID & CREATES A TOXIC HELL STEW THAT DESTROYS THE TRANSMISSION. HE SAID YOUR CAR IS WORTH $5,000 BUT THE COST TO REPAIR IS $7,000. I CALLED NISSAN THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO TAKE IT TO A NISSAN DEALER FOR THEIR DIAGNOSIS AND THE DIAGNOSIS IS THE SAME. MY HUSBAND IS VERY, VERY SICK AND WE HAVE HUGE MEDICAL, PHARMACY, HOSPITAL BILLS AND I HAVE HAD BREAST CANCER WITH CHEMO THAT HAS CAUSED AN AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER (ALMOST LOST MY LEFT EYE) AND OUR 15 YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER GOES TO CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL IN BIRMINGHAM AL FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. WE THOUGHT WE WERE BUYING A VERY DEPENDABLE CAR FOR $14,000 ONLY 3 1/2 YEARS AGO AND NOW IT IS 4500 POUNDS OF JUNK METAL. IF NISSAN HAD TOLD US ABOUT THE PROBLEM, WE COULD HAVE BEEN PROACTIVE. *TR