2003 Nissan Civilian Pricing and Specs

This model X-Trail is fitted with active lane-keeping assistance which is sort of a helping hand when the driver isn’t keeping the car in the centre of its lane. It could be that this system is what’s causing the car to feel like it wants to pull you into the next lane.

You need to have this checked under warranty as soon as possible, since it’s an obvious safety issue. This isn’t just a Nissan thing, either. Many brands have had complaints about these systems, and in some cases, cars fitted with collision-avoidance systems have been known to slam on the brakes when the car’s camera 'sees' something like a wheelie-bin on the footpath and mistakes it for a truck entering the road. Speaking of which, your lane-keeping assistance is controlled by a camera at the front of the car. Have a quick check to make sure there’s not a huge dead bug confusing the camera.

You could be dealing with either a worn transmission itself (where wear inside the gearsets, shafts or torque converter has made something sloppy) or there’s something else in the driveline (such as a differential or universal joint) that has likewise allowed some looseness or play to enter the equation. In either of those cases, a thump or clunk during shifts can be a symptom. It feels worse under acceleration, as that’s when the maximum stress is on all those moving, meshing parts.

Sometimes, a transmission can be serviced and adjusted to get rid of thumping or banging during shifts. Take the car to a transmission specialist who will be familiar with this transmission and may be able to return it to civility.

This model X-Trail used a conventional automatic transmission with a torque converter. There are lots of things that can cause this condition, including a failure of the torque converter or any number of moving parts within the transmission itself.

But the first check is to see if there's sufficient transmission fluid inside the gearbox. Use the transmission dipstick to check the fluid level according to the owner's manual's instructions. A transmission with low fluid can certainly exhibit the symptoms you've noted. A quick fluid top up might put the wheels back in motion.

Bear in mind, however, that the transmission is a sealed unit and should only require top ups if there's a leak somewhere. That leak needs to be identified and fixed or the problem will recur.