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 And Engine Cooling · Power Train
While driving my frontier, the transmission starting making noise. It started slipping when i was taking off, after having stopped for a red light. Then the service light and indicator lights came on. I could tell that 2nd gear was gone. The truck was towed to a certified nissan dealer. They informed me that the truck was not covered under warranty and gave me a $5190 estimate. This does not include the $300 for the…
ODI 10474426
Power Train
Stopped on hill behind another vehicle, they took off, i tried to pull up to stop sign but had no forward movement. Luckily no one was behind me so i backed down to a driveway to get out of the road. I had reverse at this time. After trying to figure out what happened, i put truck into gear and drove the five miles to work. Service engine soon light came on. Left work and had no problems until my driveway, steep…
ODI 10472773
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan frontier. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that radiator fluid had leaked into the transmission. She was also informed that the radiator and the transmission would both need to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The…
ODI 10501344
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
Was traveling at 55mph in my 2005 nissan frontier when it was as if the transmission was put in neutral. Had to stop in the highway, nowhere to pull off. As luck would have it was near my destination and managed to get there going about 10 to 15mph. It was at night so luckily not much traffic when it occurred. Towed to dealership next day and was told the radiator failed and coolant was allowed to enter transmission…
ODI 10472536
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
Brought vehicle in to mechanic because of rough sound happening occasionally. It turns out it was the transmission, and that radiator fluid leaked into transmission which has caused transmission issues. Cost to repair will be approximately $4,000. This should not happen to a vehicle with 66,000 miles. *tr
ODI 10473651
Electronic Stability Control · Power Train · Suspension
While driving at a speed of 60-65 on the highway my 2005 nissan frontier feels like the transmission slips out of gear and starts to grind. This occurs only under acceleration and i do not mean hard acceleration. I am simply at a cruising speed on the highway and trying to simply maintain a speed and the noise occurs daily. I am not positive that the noise is coming from the transmission because i am no mechanic,…
ODI 10485837
Power Train
My 2005 nissan frontier has had the transmission/radiator problems that are numerously evident from doing my research. It is in the shop at the present time. The minimum repair cost at this time is $3000.00. If certain other parts are needed to be replaced it could be quite a bit higher. *tr
ODI 10494717
Power Train
Transmission oil cooling lines inside radiator failed, contaminating the transmission, radiator, and engine. Transmission and radiator need replaced, engine needs flushed, $6,000 estimate. Nissan refuses to help with payment even though they are aware of a rampant problem. They increased the warranty to 80,000 miles, but i have 88,000 miles on the vehicle. *tr
ODI 10465894
Power Train · Service Brakes · Unknown Or Other
Nissan's rear axle design for the frontier is faulty, utilizing a bleeder valve that clogs causing seals to fail. Failed seals cause differential oil to leak leading to axle wear, among other issues. Oil leak also spreads all over breaks leading to possible break failure. My axles were replaced in 2012 (along with breaks due to oil damage), now i'm being told (2015) that axles need to be replaced again. I believe…
ODI 10726642
Power Train
I notice there was a milky substance in the radiator of my truck. After doing some research on line it looks like a lot of nissan frontier owners have the same problem. I called two nissan dealers near my house (garden grove and costa mesa) and they are well aware of this problem. I also called about seven independent transmission repair shops and most of them are aware of this problem. Nissan dealers say they would…
ODI 10460178
Power Train
This problem is in the automatic transmission. Due to nissan producing a faulty and very poorly engineered cooling system for the 2005 nissan frontier, pathfinder, and xterra automatic transmissions they eventually get contaminated with radiator coolant and makes the transmission slip and clunk during shifting. Mine slips from 2nd into third and when i accelerate in any gear. There is no power unless i baby it…
ODI 10470185
Power Train
Improper shifting, sometimes major vibrations, or kicks out hard. *tr
ODI 10578615
Power Train
I was traveling back from a trip in my 2005 nissan frontier. Coming over a mountian pass i let up on the gas to coast and the rear end of the vehicle starting shacking so bad that i almost drove off the road. I had to decrease my speed because i could not travel the posted speed limit safetly. I have not driven this vehicle on the freeway since because i am concerned for the vehicle and that it could seize up and…
ODI 10464534
Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
Nissan has a know radiator problem. Internal leakage into the transmission cooler. Causes catastrophic transmission failure. Pulling away from stop sign. Transmission shifted hard twice. Then had no forward motion, engine would rev up, but not move the vehical. Truck has 100,000 mile nissan extended powertrain warranty. Was first told by the dealer. 100% covered. Less than an hour later, was told not covered. Cost…
ODI 10457375
Engine · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan frontier. While driving approximately 45 mph up an incline, the transmission failed to down shift. There were no prior warnings. The failure only occurred when driving up an incline. The contact replaced the radiator and there was no longer a malfunction with the transmission. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.
ODI 10469360
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
Transmission cooler failing and contaminating the transmission, repaired transmission cost was more that i can paid, fixed anyway but still not 100% good, haven't bought a new radiator, don't want the same problem again. *tr i hope this will be a recall so i can have my transmission repair by nissan and a radiator replace.
ODI 10467768
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
Was stopped at red light went to pull off transmission slipped and check engine light came on. Had engine checked and it had a code of p1754 for transmission solenoid. Check code on internet and saw where it was a problem nissan had with a cracked radiator. Took to radiator shop and he said radiator was cracked and fluid from radiator and transmission was mixing together had radiator replaced and took truck to…
ODI 10449752
Engine · Power Train
Nissan has a known problem with the radiator and transmission. The date listed is merely the date we discovered the issue. Before jan 31, 2012 we knew nothing about this problem. It is a safety issue. You don't know if this has happened to your truck until it overheats and you find out the fluids have mixed. Replace the radiator. Flush the fluids (3 or more times, since the fluid is now like purple soft serve ice…
ODI 10488653
Power Train
At 60mph on a slight grade, the truck began to shake. At first i thought it was chatter bumps, but the shaking increased over a couple of days and began to happen at low speeds. According to the mechanic, radiator was leaking into transmission and destroyed the transmission. Have attempted to fix by reparing radiator and flushing transmission. Neither has helped. *tr
ODI 10449222
Power Train
My 2005 frontier started stuttering and not accelerating as normal. I was trying to get onto the freeway and my truck would not go past about 45 mph. I got off the freeway and took side roads back home. After numerous phone calls to nissan to try to fix this problem i looked online and found out that the most common problem with this vehicle is transmission fluid mixing with coolant from the radiator and causing the…
ODI 10444740
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
At 45mph the truck started jerking and i thought it was going to stall out. When i got it to my mechanic we found radiator coolant had contaminated the transmission fluid. *tr
ODI 10558478
Power Train
Truck would not shift into drive after backing up. Had been having trouble with the od for about a month. It would vibrate or rumble at speeds of around 60mph. Stopped using the od and it seemed ok until yesterday. Checked coolant for transmission fluid like everyone else with the same problem and there it was. This is very obviously a manufacturers defect with so many people having the same trouble. *tr
ODI 10440845
Power Train
Vehicle shifts up and down frequently and hard at 40 to 45 mph while in drive d. *tr
ODI 10554980
Power Train
The problem began with a growling noise accompanied by a shuddering sensation. I had the problem diagnosed at the dealership as transmission fluid contamination. They advised me to take the vehicle out of service for repairs at an estimated cost of $6500. I could not afford this so i had my local asme certified mechanic replace the radiator and power flush the transmission at a cost of $900. The problem persists and…
ODI 10472490
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan frontier. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph when the transmission began to slip gears with hesitation. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and an independent mechanic for diagnosis, in which both advised the contact that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
ODI 10497987