NHTSA Complaint #11111334 — 2005 NISSAN XTERRA

"TRANSMISSION/RADIATOR RECALL" I OWN A 2005 NISSAN XTERRA OFFROAD V-6. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN SEPT. 2005. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AN AIR INTAKE PROBLEM WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF PURCHASE, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS VEHICLE! UNTIL IT WENT OVER 90,000 MILES IN FEB. 2014, THE TRANSMISSION JUST STOPPED AND WENT INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED IN THE FAST LANE ON A BUSY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO PASS OVER THE OTHER LANES OF TRAFFIC AND MAKE IT TO THE SHOULDER BEFORE THE CAR ROLLED TO A COMPLETE STOP. I LET IT SIT AND COOL AND STARTED IT UP AGAIN TO FIND THAT I WAS ABLE AT LEAST DRIVE IT TO THE DEALER. IT WAS THEN THAT I WAS FIRST MADE AWARE OF THE RADIATOR/TRANSMISSION RECALL AND SUBSEQUENT ISSUES. THEY "SERVICED" THE COOLING SYSTEM BY REPLACING THE RADIATOR HOSES AND CLAMPS AND FLUSHING THE SYSTEM OUT AND TELLING ME THAT THAT WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. (AT MY EXPENSE OF COURSE) THEY CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION AND SAID THAT IT WAS FUNCTIONING NORMALLY WITH NO PROBLEMS. FINE. 2 YEARS AND 6,000 MILES LATER WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON A LOS ANGELES FREEWAY (IT IS SOMETIMES POSSIBLE) THE TRANSMISSION SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND SWITCHES INTO NEUTRAL LEAVING ME TRYING TO AND WEAVE MY WAY TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY WHERE THERE IS A SHOULDER BEFORE I LOOSE MOMENTUM. THEN THE VEHICLE WAS NON OPERATIONAL AND I WAS STRANDED 100 MILES FROM HOME. IN THE 2 YEARS SINCE, THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION REBUILD, HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 4 MORE TIMES AND HAD 2 MORE CATASTROPHIC TRANSMISSION FAILURES WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE IMPORTANT POINT TO BE ADDRESSED HERE IS THAT THE INVESTIGATION INTO THIS RECALL ENDED AND IT WAS DETERMINED NOT TO BE A "SAFETY HAZARD". WELL, WHEN MY VEHICLE FAILED ON A BLIND CURVE ON CA ST HWY 74 (THE CORRIDOR OF DEATH), WITH NO MEDIAN OR SHOULDER, IT BECAME A REAL TIME SAFETY HAZARD TO ME.