Emergency Help Needed

Dmilli0501

Test Drive
Location
Clarksville, TN
I bought our 2006 Xterra a little over a month ago. It drove well, no leaks and everything worked. All it had was the classic ABS, VDC & Slip lights on constantly. Over the last two weeks I noticed that in the hotter parts of the day, the transmission would clunk into gear when I slowed down to stop. It also demonstrated vibration going into the higher gears. Well today while I was out, it started slipped by on me. I immediately stopped, turned it off for a few minutes and then started it back up and it acted fine for about 10 miles and then did it again. It has now done this four times today and I had to leave it in a parking lot in fear of the worst, the tranny being shot. Now I am an optimistic guy and I stay strong in faith for my family to ensure everything is going to be okay. I am reaching out to the amazing people in this forum in hopes that there are things I can troubleshoot, fluids to replace, sensors to check or anything else before I just hand it over to some mechanic to tell me it needs a new transmission because all he cares about is making money.

We are a family that needs two vehicles with three teenage boys, two of them that work as well as me and my wife. I want to thank everyone in advance for the information and guidance that you will share with me to get our Xterra back on the road.

Thank You and gobble Bless!
 

Fromfrontier2Xterra

I bought a Taco
Super Moderator
Supporting Member
Location
All over PA
I bought our 2006 Xterra a little over a month ago. It drove well, no leaks and everything worked. All it had was the classic ABS, VDC & Slip lights on constantly. Over the last two weeks I noticed that in the hotter parts of the day, the transmission would clunk into gear when I slowed down to stop. It also demonstrated vibration going into the higher gears. Well today while I was out, it started slipped by on me. I immediately stopped, turned it off for a few minutes and then started it back up and it acted fine for about 10 miles and then did it again. It has now done this four times today and I had to leave it in a parking lot in fear of the worst, the tranny being shot. Now I am an optimistic guy and I stay strong in faith for my family to ensure everything is going to be okay. I am reaching out to the amazing people in this forum in hopes that there are things I can troubleshoot, fluids to replace, sensors to check or anything else before I just hand it over to some mechanic to tell me it needs a new transmission because all he cares about is making money.

We are a family that needs two vehicles with three teenage boys, two of them that work as well as me and my wife. I want to thank everyone in advance for the information and guidance that you will share with me to get our Xterra back on the road.

Thank You and gobble Bless!

Gonna go out on a limb here and assume you’re auto. Check your coolant color. Let us know what color it is.

Also, any warranty?
 

Dmilli0501

Test Drive
Location
Clarksville, TN
Sure sounds like SMOD to me.

The guy I bought it from had just replaced the radiator prior to selling it. I did check the fluid color and smell when I test drive it and the tranny fluid smelled and looked normal.

Had the truck towed back this evening. I will try and get it up on jack stands tomorrow to get a fluid sample and from the transmission and the rear axle. Both seemed to look wet when it was on the flatbed.
 

Dmilli0501

Test Drive
Location
Clarksville, TN
UPDATE FINALLY! It has been a whirlwind of issues between the Xterra transmission failure and my wife's Maxima being the primary vehicle also having issues... The verdict on the Xterra is not SMOD but the fluid is burnt and flagged 26 error codes on the drive train itself. So verdict is to rebuild the tranny. Now, having just bought this vehicle used on May 14th, 171,000 miles on it, is it worth rebuilding? If so, should the local reputable shop do it for me with a 12 month / 12,000 mile nationwide warranty to the tune of $3k? Has anyone used these before and had good luck with it: https://www.streetsmarttransmission.com/remanufactured-nissan-xterra-transmissions/

I am always very thorough when I purchase a used vehicle, this one was treated no differently, so I have never been in a situation like this facing a potential loss...
 
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