Nissan / Pathfinder / 1997
1997 Nissan Pathfinder problems
Owners have filed 293 complaints about the 1997 Nissan Pathfinder with NHTSA. Suspension accounts for 38.9% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of steering at 8.9%.
Complaints293
Crashes20
Fires2
Injuries19
Deaths1
What owners report breaking
Suspension 38.9% · 114
Steering 8.9% · 26
Power train 6.8% · 20
Engine and engine cooling 5.8% · 17
Tires 5.8% · 17
Vehicle speed control 5.8% · 17
Structure 5.8% · 17
Service brakes, hydraulic 5.1% · 15
Severity
Of those complaints, 20 describe a crash, 2 describe a fire, 19 report an injury and 1 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 24 model years of the Nissan Pathfinder in this data, 1997 sits 9th by complaint volume. 2005 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 5 in the last three years against 12 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 118,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Premature tire wear. Need two new front tires after 28,000 miles! Contacted the dealer and they advised that it was the improper tire that was selected for the vehicle. I contacted the tire manufacturer and they advised it was poor engineering of the front end suspension on Nissan's part. Nissan has admitted that it has received numerous complaints about this problem.( Dot number: tire size: p235/70r15 ) Suspension
The contact owns a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for routine maintenance when the mechanic noticed a separation of the front driver side strut. The contact was advised that the vehicle was not drivable and could not be repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The vin was unavailable. The failure mileage was 183,000. Suspension · reported at 183,000 miles
1997 Nissan Pathfinder 4wd, terrible wobble on uneven pavement, causing vehicle to sway out of control at high way speeds. Nissan did not know why. I replaced all tires..Front struts, lower ball joints..Finally found on internet site, that the rear upper and lower link bushings wear. This causes the rear axle to shift, in effect,,the rear axle steers the vehicle..Cause of the bad bushings. Suspension · reported at 93,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…