NHTSA Complaint #11340525 — 2008 NISSAN PATHFINDER

WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO STUMBLE FOR A SECOND, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN FELT LIKE IT HAD ALMOST NO POWER. WOULDNT ACCELERATE WELL, DIDNT SHIFT NORMALLY, AND DIDNT FEEL LIKE IT WAS RUNNING AS WELL AS NORMAL. WHEN WE PARKED THE VEHICLE, I TURNED IT OFF TO HOPEFULLY "RESET" WHATEVER MAY HAVE MALFUNCTIONED. WHEN I TRIED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, IT WOULDNT START. THE STARTER WOULDNT EVEN TRY TO START THE MOTOR, LIKE IT WASNT EVEN GETTING POWER. BEING A MECHANIC BY TRADE, I JUMPED OUT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND HAD MY WIFE TRY TO START IT WHILE I WATCHED & LISTENED... AS SHE TURNED THE KEY TO START IT, I COULD HEAR THE STARTER RELAY CLICK TO SEND VOLTAGE TO THE STARTER, BUT THE STARTER WASNT RESPONDING. AFTER FURTHER EXAMINATION, I FOUND A BLOWN FUSE IN THE FUSEBOX UNDER THE HOOD. IT WAS THE "A/T ECU" FUSE. THIS IS WHERE THINGS GET BAD. I REPLACED THE FUSE TO GET US HOME, BUT AS SOON AS WE GOT HOME AND SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF, I TRIED IMMEDIATELY TO RESTART IT. AGAIN, NOTHING HAPPENED... NO CRANK, NO START. SAME FUSE WAS BLOWN AGAIN. AFTER A LITTLE RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT FUSE IS ON THE CIRCUIT TO THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE. THIS MODULE HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND NOW BLOWS THE FUSE EVERY TIME IT IS REPLACED. THAT LED ME TO DROP THE TRANSMISSION PAN TO CHECK IT OUT, AND WHAT DID I FIND? TRANSMISSION FLUID ALL CLOUDED UP AND CONTAMINATED WITH RADIATOR COOLANT. HOW DID THAT GET THERE? AFTER INSPECTING THAT, I FOUND THAT THE RADIATOR HAD FAILED AND ALLOWED COOLANT TO MIX WITH THE TRANS FLUID. THIS COOLANT IS ALSO DAMAGING THE CLUTCHES IN THE TRANSMISSION, AS IT CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO PUT EXTRA STRESS ON THEM DUE TO THE WAY THE VEHICLE SHIFTS NOW. THEN I REALIZED NUMEROUS PEOPLE WITH PATHFINDERS, TITANS, AND MANY NISSAN VEHICLES HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS. NOW I'M UPSET BECAUSE I HAVE A TRUCK WITH AN EXPENSIVE PROBLEM THAT NISSAN SHOULD BE LIABLE FOR, AND SHOULD FIX.