NHTSA Complaint #10863628 — 2006 NISSAN XTERRA

IN OCTOBER 2015 I NOTICED THAT MY XTERRA WAS OVERHEATING AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING AT TIMES. WHEN I REMOVED THE RADIATOR CAP TO CHECK THE COOLANT, IT LOOKED FOAMY AND MILKY, LIKE A LIME SMOOTHIE. I THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE A BLOWN HEAD GASKET AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY MECHANIC, WHO TOLD ME ABOUT THE ISSUE WITH NISSAN RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION CROSS-CONTAMINATION. HE TOLD ME THAT FLUSHING THE SYSTEMS WOULD NOT HELP AND THE ENTIRE COOLING SYSTEM AND TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT $6500, WHICH I DIDN'T HAVE. HE TOLD ME TO CONTACT NISSAN. UNFORTUNATELY, AT THE TIME MY XTERRA WAS DIAGNOSED, IT HAD 112,000 MILES ON IT, WHICH WAS BEYOND THE SCOPE OF NISSAN'S EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH CAME ABOUT AS A RESULT OF THE CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT. THE ONLY THING THEY DID FOR ME WAS GIVE ME A REFUND ON A RECALL ITEM FOR WHICH I'D PAID BEFORE THE RECALL CAME OUT. THEY ALSO OFFERED ME A "BUSINESS ASSOCIATE'S" DISCOUNT ON ANOTHER NISSAN--AS IF I'D BUY ONE AFTER THIS! BECAUSE I AM MOBILITY CHALLENGED, I MUST HAVE A VEHICLE TO GET TO WORK, DOCTORS' VISITS, ETC. I WAS FORCED TO BUY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE PAYMENTS HAVE ME SO STRAPPED FOR CASH THAT ONCE I GET MY BILLS PAID THERE'S NOTHING LEFT FOR GROCERIES OR PET FOOD, MUCH LESS PUTTING GAS IN MY CAR! I AM SO DISGUSTED WITH NISSAN FOR PUTTING ME IN THIS POSITION I CAN'T EVEN PUT IT INTO WORDS.