2004 Frontier gearbox issue

[astrubinger]

I bought a 2004 Frontier V6 5speed 4x4 last week. It has a rather clunky feel to the shift AND there is a metal-on-metal rattle if you're coasting in gear with the clutch pedel pushed in and you're on bumpy terrain (such as railroad crossings and speed bumps). I'm afraid the dealer is going to pull a "oh, that's nothing to worry about." I feel it's a brand new truck, there should be no rattles at all. I can only imagine how bad the rattle will be when I take it off-road. And it doesn't feel like a loose heat shield... it actually feels like it's inside the gearbox or somewhere between the gearbox and the shift lever, since you can feel the rattle in the stick itself. Has anyone out there experienced the same? And if so, how did you deal with it?

[astrubinger]

Just an update: I took the truck in and the tech replicated the noise and told me all nissan trucks do it. I was skeptical until he took me out in another brand new truck exactly like mine and produced the same noises.

[ashleywat]

I find this unacceptable, all Nissan trucks do not do this. If the dealer keeps saying that I would call nissan corporate, or another dealer nearby. I currently own a 2002 Frontier SC 4x4 and it does not do this, however I do have a sporadic metal on metal noise from the back rear wheel and the dealer here told me they will fix it. Im curious where ur noise is coming from? The way you described it, "when clutch is in", I first thought of the throwout bearing, but with an 04 that is quite uncommon. Could Nissan even tell you what the noise is?