2009 Nissan Pathfinder Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 8about this part
- Share
- 22%of 37 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 100,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 8 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2009 Nissan Pathfinder, 22% of the 37 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 100,000 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving to work when my transmission failed. There was no warning. I was driving about 60mph, and had to merge to the side of the road. I had to get it towed, and it was determined the radiator failed, causing radiator fluid to get into the transmission. This ruined the transmission. Cost is about $4,000 to replace, and third party warranty is refusing to cover any of it.”
NHTSA complaint #11377508, filed 2020-12, 107,000 miles“My 2009 Nissan Pathfinder (after the warranty ran out), started having issues with the transmission and overheating. Lo and behold we have an issue where the radiator and transmission fluid is mixing. This appears to be the same problem others have reported as a failed transmission fluid cooler integrated in the radiator that allowed engine coolant to mix with and contaminate the automatic transmission fluid. There were no warning signs leading up to the failures other than a sudden jolt of the vehicle like the transmission was slipping. …”
NHTSA complaint #11342448, filed 2020-07, 92,000 miles“Was on my way home and truck lights came on transmission started jumping and all lights came on ... Parked car would not crank the next day ,,, called and had towed. Was told by Nissan that transmission and radiator was not any good and it would cost me $4800 to fix ... No one offered to help .. I was told that I could contact Nissan so I did , was told by Nissan that it was to bad that I was past the extention of the warenty of the truck. And they could not help at all.... And hung up. It cost me $3800 to repair my car.. …”
NHTSA complaint #10560943, filed 2014-01, 110,000 miles“When driving uphill on long mountain roads and shifting the automatic transmission down to 2, 3 or 4, the car won't stay in gear. After a few minutes of driving it will shift by itself into 5 without allowing you to shift down again. You can only go into d or stop and shut down the engine. The transmission shop already replaced the shifting assembly, inspected the entire transmission & wires from the computer. No problem could be identified but the issue remains. The car will stay in lower gears when driving downhill. It's a mystery and very expensive to diagnose further. …”
NHTSA complaint #11308894, filed 2020-02, 100,000 miles“The defect in the radiator caused the antifreeze and oil to mix. It then mixed with the transmission fluid. That was fixed by a repair shop. Now the transmission has slipped out because of the mixture of the three fluids.”
NHTSA complaint #10615087, filed 2014-07, 108,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10192821May 10, 2016SERVICE INFORMATION Replacement 5-speed rear wheel drive Automatic Transmission (A/T) assemblies and replacement control valves (valve bodies) now come with blank Transmission…
- 10192615Aug 6, 2015SERVICE INFORMATION The information in this bulletin is provided to help ensure correct diagnosis and repair of fluid leaks. All fluid leaks, when properly diagnosed, should be…
- 10192524Feb 6, 2015SERVICE INFORMATION When diagnosing possible power steering gear (rack and pinion steering rack, or steering rack) leak issues, it may appear the steering rack is leaking when…
- 10192474Nov 20, 2014SERVICE INFORMATION If a customer describes lack of power or poor acceleration, perform the following checks before attempting any repair: * Check for stored DTCs. * Check if the…
- 10192051Oct 12, 2012Nissan has decided in the interest of customer satisfaction, to further extend the warranty for the Radiator Assembly on all 2005-10 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra vehicles…
- 10043950Apr 10, 2012Nissan: ecm replacement procedures with consult iii plus. Applies to all 2004 and later (does not apply to leaf/ev) vehicles.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 27% |
| 2025 | 8 | 14% |
| 2024 | 9 | 10% |
| 2023 | 13 | 12% |
| 2022 | 17 | 12% |
| 2020 | 9 | 17% |
| 2019 | 9 | 12% |
| 2018 | 12 | 15% |
| 2017 | 34 | 18% |
| 2016 | 7 | 7% |
| 2015 | 77 | 24% |
| 2014 | 215 | 37% |
| 2013 | 371 | 42% |
| 2012 | 2 | 9% |
| 2011 | 7 | 16% |
| 2010 | 11 | 28% |
| 2009 | 8 | 22% |
| 2008 | 155 | 47% |
| 2007 | 337 | 60% |
| 2006 | 450 | 54% |
| 2005 | 585 | 56% |
| 2004 | 9 | 13% |
| 2003 | 3 | 3% |
| 2002 | 10 | 6% |
| 2001 | 3 | 1% |
| 2000 | 6 | 5% |
| 1999 | 8 | 8% |
| 1998 | 20 | 13% |
| 1997 | 19 | 9% |
| 1996 | 12 | 8% |
| 1995 | 20 | 12% |
| 1994 | 10 | 11% |
| 1993 | 3 | 6% |
| 1992 | 9 | 30% |
| 1991 | 14 | 36% |
| 1990 | 13 | 34% |
| 1987 | 2 | 11% |
Other parts of the 2009 Nissan Pathfinder
11 complaintsEngine
7 complaintsBrakes
5 complaintsElectrical system
4 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaintsFuel system
2 complaintsOther or unknown
2 complaintsElectronic stability control
1 complaintsEquipment
1 complaintsSeat belts
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2009 Nissan Pathfinder
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology