Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1997 record →
SOMETIMES, THE ABS DOES NOT STOP THE TRUCK ON GRAVEL ROADS. WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES LOCK UP, CAUSING THE SUV TO SLIDE. THE DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. DEALER COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS. AROUND 8/15/98 CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES, AND THE SUV WOULD NOT STOP, CONTINUED TO SLIDE AND CRASHED INTO A ELECTRIC GATE ON CONSUMER'S PROPERTY. *AK
AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT SUFFICIENT CAUSE.
OWNER UNABLE TO INSTALL REAR FACING CHILD SAFETY SEAT. DEALER AND CHILD SEAT MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE OWNER WAS ON HER OWN.
WHEN STEPPING ON THE BRAKES TO STOP VEHICLE OR WHEN RELEASING BRAKES, TRANSMISSION MADE NOISE LIKE CRACKING. CONSUMER THOUGHT THAT IT WAS THE REAR TRANS-AXLE, BUT A MECHANIC HAD TOLD HER THAT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. *AK
THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN INTO THE DEALER TWICE FOR REPAIRS AND COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. THEY SAID THAT NISSAN IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM IN BOTH THE 1996 AND 1997 MODEL YEARS. NISSAN CUSTOMER SERVICE SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT PLANNING AN "FIX" FOR THIS PROBLEM NOW OR IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THEY SAID WE WOULD JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE NOISE AND INCONVENIENCE. NOISE CLUNK/SURGE WHEN STOPPING
ANTI LOCK BRAKES SLIDE WHEN ENGAGING.
AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY AFTER STRIKING A DEER.
WHEN VEHICLE COMES TO A STOP THE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY MAKES A LOUD ROLLING THUMP AS IF SOMEONE REAR ENDED VEHICLE.IS AT DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S/PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DURING A COLLISION. DRIVER WAS SLIGHTLY INJURED. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.
REAR DIFFERENTIAL FAILED, CAUSING A LOUD THUMP THEN LURCHES FORWARD.
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING VEHICLE AT 65 MPH AND WAS CUT OFF. SHE TURNED THE WHEEL TO AVOID IMPACT, AND THE VEHICLE TURNED OVER. THE FRONT PASSENGER WAS IN A RECLINING POSITION WITH RESTRAINTS AND WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE AND KILLED . THE REAR PASSENGER WAS INJURED. *AK
DEFECTIVE REAR DIFFERENTIAL HAS A LOUD CLUNKING SOUND AND VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD UPON STOPPING AND STARTING FROM A STOPPED POSITION.
WHEN RELEASING THE BRAKES AFTER STOPPING, A LOUD BUMP SOUND CAME FROM THE REAR. IT FELT LIKE THE VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED.
BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO TURN OVER.
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION, IMPACT 12:00, POSITION SPEED 50MPH, PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
CAR WILL SURGE IN REVERSE AND DRIVE. TAKEN TO DEALER 3 TIMES NOT ABLE TO FIX. *AK
THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES DO NOT WORK ON WET PAVEMENT, THE VEHICLE SKIDS AND WILL NOT STOP. A MONITOR WAS INSTALLED FOR THE ABS AND IT STILL DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1997 Nissan Pathfinder → · Every Pathfinder year → · How the figures are calculated →