Well, nothing would surprise me from Nissan. Our 2005 Altima manual (which we sold off pretty quickly) needed a transmission replacement before 10K miles, and then needed a new second gear in another 3K miles. And to answer the inevitable question; no, I did NOT drive it like a rice rocket - it was a 4 banger sedan, after all. The 6 speed in our '06 XTerra is not that much better, either, We've already put 56K on it (we do a lot of interstate driving), and I hear a funny knocking in the trans when it is in neutral and the clutch is out. Throwout bearing? Any thoughts?