This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving 40 mph, the rear of the vehicle wobbled violently especially when making a turn. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.
Our 1997 Nissan Pathfinder develops a rear rocking motion (sway, wobble) at highway speeds that would clearly put the vehicle out of control if not quickly stopped, which can usually be accomplished by letting off the gas. This happens continuously and repeatedly, sometimes even at lower speeds (in the 40 mph range.) the sensation is very unnerving to the driver and passengers especially since it is not due to anything the driver has done and it strikes without warning. In just a few seconds the car feels like 2 seconds more and it will flip or roll or crash into another lane! (take a ride with me, you'll see I'm not exaggerating.) the trick is to stop the rocking as soon as you notice it starting, usually by letting off the gas. This problem is well known to many Pathfinder owners (in the 1996-200 range) and to Nissan, which has produced a tsbs on it (ntb98-001, ntb98-012) but the company has not dealt with it as a recall. It is an expensive ($700-$1,400) repair apparently due to faulty control arm bushings, the smart repair is apparently to use polyurethane after-market bushings instead of oem (unless you want it to come back again in less than 100K.) we have had this problem for 6 months and ours set in at about 170K but many other owners were reporting this problem 3 or 4 years ago at 100K. And many are not happy with how Nissan has not handled this design problem they created.
97 Pathfinder safety problem with rear suspension links. Side to side sway. Almost caused vehicle to flip it is so bad. Numerous complaints. Why has the NHTSA not done something about this problem! dangerous"?"
Truck sways dangerously side to side in rear while driving at over 40mph replaced struts & shocks. Mechanic suspects rear upper & lower control arm bushings very expensive usually because of labor. These parts are defective because of inferior quality.
- Union Grove, WI, USA
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After desperately looking for an answer to the reason why my vehicle was acting the way it was I stumbled upon an internet site with other Pathfinder owners describing same things I was experiencing. I own a Nissan Pathfinder xe 3.3 L 4X4. The problem I am having is violent swaying of the rear end at speeds between 50 and 65 mph. The only way to get it to stop is to tap the breaks or speed up. It has almost caused an accident several times. I have tried to fix it at the cost of hundreds of dollars. Nothing has worked. This is a serious issue that could lead to serious injury or death! especially considering the velocities at which it occurs. It is the consensus of the many posters on the site that the above symptoms are the result of the failure of the control arm bushings.
Rear bushings on Nissan Pathfinders. Mine is a 97 model. That sways as soon as I hit 65 mph. I have to tap on the brake or accelerate for the swaying to stop. It starts again soon after. I looked online and found out about the rear bushings.www.topix.com/forum/autos/T5lstpr5onpc09ctlfor any solutions and was shocked to see that Nissan has done nothing to remedy this situation. I am required to drive to work each day and just can't fanthom the thought of loosing total control of my vehicle because Nissan won't recall this.
I have a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder. I experience very "heavy" side to side swaying of the vehicle at speeds greater than 55 mph. I have looked on the internet at other blogs and noticed that many other owners experienced the same condition. Nissan is aware of the problem and has issued a tsb, (ntb98-001 )but has not issued a recall, no doubt due to the cost of the repair, which was just quoted to me by the local dealership at $1,400 (and two days in the shop). The problem, according to Nissan and other consumers online, is the control arm bushing (front and rear) and other connecting parts. This is a very unsafe design error and should be recalled at the expense of Nissan, not the consumer.
My 1997 Nissan Pathfinder has the well documented "death wobbles" on the highway where it is nearly impossible to control the vehicle. Apparently it is the rear bushings that are defective. Causes severe uneven tire wear. I've heard the same story from many Nissan owners. I'm frightened to even sell the vehicle for safety reasons even when I tell a buyer about the factory problem.
Car developed a side-to-side wobble, mostly in the rear, at speeds from about 50 to 65 mph. Wobble is not induced by steering wheel; it just happens. It's worse when car has passengers in the back seat. The problem was solved by replacing the control arm bushings (or trailing arm bushings), only the lower control arm bushings. It is a simple solution to a very serious problem, and it is very common for 97 and 98 Nissan Pathfinders, and a lot of users replace many other parts (shock absorbers, tires, etc) that don't solve the problem and can cause a roll over accident.
I have a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder that has a very dangerous condition. At 55-65 mph it shakes uncontrollably. It has been explained to me that this is a common problem with this model and the wobble is caused by bad bushings in the rear of the suspension system. There is no doubt in my mind that this condition will cause loss of life if it has not already. In my case I escaped injury when it caused me to lose control of the vehicle.
- the contact stated that while driving his 1997 Nissan Pathfinder (50000 failure mileage) at 50 mph, the vehicle began to sway from right to left without any warning. The contact had to reduce his speed in order for the swaying to stop and regain control of the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they notified him that the rear stabilizer arms were worn and had to be replaced. The vehicle has not been repaired.
The rear end on my 97 Pathfinder shifts intermittently and has almost caused me to lose control many times. After taking it into the dealer, they told me it wasn't a recall. I was very surprised cause this is a major safety hazard.
Reporting a vehicle issue that is known by Nissan "if a 1996-98 Pathfinder exhibits the following conditions, the cause may be from worn bushing(s) in the rear suspension upper and/or lower links. Excessive play in the rear axle especially during moderate acceleration or deceleration. Vehicle pulling at a constant speed. Excessive sway and rocking motion in the front suspension when coming to a stop. To correct these conditions, use the service procedure on page 2. " this is a very dangerous condition that can easily lead to loss of control of the vehicle. It causes very violent shaking/rocking of the chassis.
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.
: the contact stated that while driving between 30 to 65 mph, the vehicle violently swayed from side to side or performed a death wobble. The vehicle was taken to the independent repair shop on 08/27/03 and the front struts were replaced. The contact has replaced the tires, struts, shocks, and had a wheel alignment, but the problem keeps occurring daily on all road conditions. There was no warning prior to the failure and the vehicle wobbles more violently as speed increases.
No crash and no injury. Vehicle at speeds above 40 mph begins to rock violently side to side. Internet postings describes a known problem with the Nissan unibody chassis that causes this problem. Reat bushings need to be replaced to correct safety problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Lebanon, PA, USA