2005 Nissan Frontier Power Train Problems
- 227
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 227 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 2 indicate fire
What owners report
- transmission fluid · 28 records
- transmission failure · 15 records
- radiator transmission · 13 records
- failure mileage · 11 records
- transmission radiator · 11 records
- coolant transmission · 11 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 101 |
| 60–100k mi | 83 |
| 150–400k mi | 14 |
| 30–60k mi | 8 |
| 1–30k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine · Power Train
Complaint re: transmission failure with my 2005 nissan frontier. Is locked in 3rd gear in automatic transmission. Overdrive gear was gone due to coolant mixing with transmission fluid. Had replaced radiator & flushed transmission 3 months ago hoping to buy me some more miles before having to replace transmission. Didn't work. Told by nissan that i was sol due to over 100,000 miles. *tr ## vin passed ## nissan…
ODI 10919372
Power Train
Transmission failure due to radiator leaking coolant into transmission fluid.i replaced the radiator a year prior to prevent this problem from happening at the strong recommendation of the dealerships service department and still the problem occurred.
ODI 10898242
Power Train · Radiator Assembly
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan frontier. The contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact pulled the vehicle into an empty parking lot and the smoke dissipated. The contact removed the key from the ignition and exited the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the radiator fluid mixed with the transmission fluid. A remedy was not provided.…
ODI 10917163
Power Train
While driving to work with out notice the transmission failed, and would not engage, leaving me with out controll of the pickup, while i was in motion , the engine raced but lost controll of the drive, which could have been serious. I found out after the fact, that nissan had been in a class action law suite because of this problem, but only remedy the problem when you break down out of controll. I was told 3 months…
ODI 10914796
Power Train · Radiator Assembly
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan frontier. The contact stated that the transmission slipped and the vehicle experienced abnormal vibration. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the transmission fluid mixed with the radiator fluid. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that the transmission fluid mixed with the radiator fluid and stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The…
ODI 10903904
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
2005 nissan frontier. Consumer writes in regards to engineering issues with cross contamination fluids between radiator and transmission. *smd
ODI 10891435
Engine · Power Train
Radiator leaking fluid into transmission . Notices slight shutter at high speed, approximately 65 mph, in the transmission. Vehicle was checked by dealer at 89,000 miles without any issue at that time . Dealer would not replace radiator due to no problem at that time. Vehicle is at 112000 and now radiator fails. Nissan would not cover due to out of extended warranty. Faulty designed system and potential safety…
ODI 10874642
Power Train
Chugging, slipping, hard shifting transmission when driving most any speed. Over the last 1 1/2 years
ODI 11048449
Engine · Power Train
Transmission oil leaking into coolant system and coolant leaking into transmission.
ODI 10877152
Power Train
Design defect in radiator of 2005 nissan frontier allowed transmission fluid and engine coolant to mix. Resulted in catastrophic failure of transmission. Dealer stated since vehicle has more than 100,000 miles, the $4 - 5,000 expense is mine. Last nissan we'll ever buy after 40 years of ownership.
ODI 10871505
Electrical System · Power Train · Radiator Assembly
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan frontier. While driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle stalled when the contact attempted to slow down. The vehicle started normally after a few minutes. The failure recurred four times. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was an electrical short in the fuse box. The transmission and…
ODI 10870655
Power Train
Radiator leaked fluid into the transmission... Broke down on highway at 103,000 miles.... Well known and documented problem with this year and model
ODI 10865394
Power Train
Radiator of 2005 nissan frontier allowed transmission fluid and engine coolant to mix. 1st i had to purchase a new radiator and now i am having to have the transmission rebuilt. There should be a recall on this type of muliple failures which cause multible problems. Paid $$$$ for radiator repair now $4300.00 for transmisson at my expense. I would not be interested in purchasing another nissan.
ODI 10896261
Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
Timing chain on 2005 nissan frontier. The engine makes a loud whining noise due to the chain contact. When the vehicle is stationary or motion it make the noise. When the vehicle in motion it changes gears at a higher rpm. I have sensors that were operable because of the timing chain issue.
ODI 10859816
Power Train
Transmission started to shudder at around 45 miles an hour. Drove the vehicle home and parked it in the driveway. Went out to start vehicle next day and it would not crank. Had vehicle towed to dealership and had it diagnosed and found out that the radiator had an internal rupture which caused antifreeze to contaminate the transmission fluid causing the tcm module to fail along with damage to internal parts. The…
ODI 10864089
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan frontier. The contact stated that while a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate over 5 mph. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission was flooded with coolant and needed replacement. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was…
ODI 10845525
Engine · Power Train
In 2013 i received a notice of class action about a nissan vehicles related to possible radiator fluid leak into the transmission due a defect that permits cross-contamination of engine coolant and transmission fluid. It did not include vehicles before it happens. In 2013, i went to a authorized nissan dealer to check if my radiator can be affected but they told me that in that moment the radiator was working well…
ODI 10845833
Power Train
Last november 6th i hit a deer, front impact. Took truck to local garage to have it serviced. The only damage they said occurred was body damage. 3wks later got my truck back with body damage repaired. About 3wks after that i started to notice a slight vibration in my truck when i got to a certain speed. I really didn't think nothing of it and thought maybe i had a tire out of balance. Well the vibration started…
ODI 10821591
Power Train
Transmission starts slipping at highway speed. Rpm increases without increase in speed. Intermittent but getting worse. This is my son's truck and i am worried about his safety when merging into the interstate. He almost got hit by a semi last week when merging into i-20 as the slipping was happening.
ODI 10820548
Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan frontier. While driving, the vehicle was not able to shift gears and the gears were stuck occasionally. In addition, the vehicle accelerated independently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 97,668.
ODI 10818333
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
2005 nissan frontier. Consumer writes in regards to coolant leaks from radiator into transmission. *smd
ODI 10806938
Power Train
Radiator fluid mixed with the transmission and caused complete transmission failure
ODI 10967901
Power Train
Soon after passing the 103,000 mile mark in october, 2015, my 2005 frontier 's automatic transmission (with the v-6 engine) started shuttering when i pressed the accelerator while the car was going 62 to 65 mph. It was quite startling and worrisome. The problem slowly got worse with shuttering occurring at different speeds and under different loadings. Within a week or two, i took it into a national transmission…
ODI 10788472
Power Train · Unknown Or Other
My radiator failed and contaminated the transmission with coolant causing the transmission to fail. The truck has 108,000 miles but the technician that replaced the transmission and radiator said that it had been mixing for a while so it is difficult to say how many miles the vehicle had at the time of the failure. It cost me $4750 to repair. This is a common problem with nissan frontiers.
ODI 10760576
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan frontier. While parked, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, who diagnosed that there was contamination by the engine coolant. As a result, the transmission and radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 104,000.
ODI 10744406