NHTSA Complaint #10703347 — 2007 NISSAN XTERRA

ON 3/28/15, PARKING MY 2007 NISSAN XTERRA (126,0000 MILES) IN TAMPA, FL. BEFORE I HAD THE CAR IN "PARK", THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE, THE ENGINE STARTED SMOKING AND A LOT OF PURPLE/GREEN/GRAY FLUID LEAKED OUT FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY CAR. AFRAID TO MOVE THE CAR, AAA TOWED IT TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP IN TAMPA. WHEN THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER ARRIVED AND SAW THE COLOR OF THE FLUIDS, HE QUICKLY DETERMINED THAT MY CAR HAD LEAKED BOTH TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR FLUID. HE SAID HE HEARD THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH NISSAN XTERRAS. I WAS SHOCKED! SINCE PURCHASING NEW IN DECEMBER 2006, I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN MY CAR TO NISSAN FOR ALL SERVICE. OTHER THAN A FEW OIL CHANGES, ALL SERVICE HAS BEEN PERFORMED BY NISSAN DEALERSHIPS AND THEIR CERTIFIED TECHNICIANS. JUST PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, MY CAR HAD BEEN SHAKING. I HAD BEEN TO NISSAN WITH THIS COMPLAINT IN THE PAST, BUT AFTER REPAIRS WERE MADE IT SEEMED TO GO AWAY. AT NO TIME WAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM MENTIONED AS A POSSIBILITY. I HAVE LIVED IN DIFFERENT AREAS IN FLORIDA AND USED ONLY NISSAN DEALERSHIPS FOR SERVICE AND REPAIR, WILLING TO PAY MORE FOR REPAIRS THAN AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS, THAT NISSAN DEALERSHIPS AND SERVICE WOULD KNOW MY VEHICLE BEST & BE PROACTIVE, ALERTING TO ANY POTENTIAL FUTURE PROBLEMS, I FELT PROTECTED. THE LAST MAJOR REPAIR WAS IN JULY 2014, AT 113,000 MILES AT AUTONATION NISSAN, DELRAY, FL. COMPLAINT WAS SEVERE SHAKING, AND STUMBLING WHEN ACCELERATING. REPAIRS WERE OVER $1,000; A TRANSMISSION ISSUE WAS NEVER MENTIONED, EVEN AFTER FURTHER REPAIRS WERE NEEDED. I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH XTERRAS UNTIL SATURDAY AT THE DEALER IN TAMPA, WHO SAID HE ALERTS ALL XTERRA OWNERS TO BE PROACTIVE WITH RADIATOR REPLACEMENT. AFTER THE COMMENT I DID RESEARCH ONLINE. I WAS UNAWARE OF THE CLASS ACTION SUIT SETTLED WITH NISSAN; I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF A PROBLEM HISTORY WITH NISSAN XTERRA TRANSMISSIONS AND RADIATORS. *TR