Three problems related to cruise control have been reported for the 1997 Nissan Pathfinder. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Have problems with vehicle idling. Engine revs up and tach sticks from 1500-2000 rpm almost constantly. When vehicle is in first gear it will stick and take off by it self and even speed up even though it is a manual transmission. Dealer has seen truck 4 times now and "can not" find the problem. Non dealer repair diagnosed the valve in one visit. Are there reports of any other Nissan Pathfinders or vehicles that are having this problem? it's dangerous!!!!!!.
Accellerator sticks badly! during cold starts and idle time (eg. At stop light or cruise control on) you go to press on the accellerator pedal an it's stuck. You push harder with your foot to loosen it up, and the vehicle will jerk and lurch forward badly. I've had 3 (three) Nissan Pathfinders, all different model years with the same problem. 1987, 1992 and 1997 all the same problem! Nissan suggests you repair by a clutch assembly kit, which costs $200+ installed. But if this is a known problem, in all Nissan vehicles, why don't they solve this problem permanently??? any ideas or help, contact lpedo@WI. Rr. Com - thank you!.
Summary of the incident: it was a near-miracle that no one was injured from this scary experience during the rush hour lasting over a mile or loner stretch for many minutes. The car had unusual, uncontrollable, and very dangerous behavior without any warning. This situation was so bad that it almost collided with a few other cars at very high speeds. Events:(1) while entering highway ramp, gradually accelerating (with speed around 30 to 35 mph), the engine hesitates. Almost immediately, the engine suddenly roared and accelerated by itself with the car quickly gained speed above 55mph - without applying any gas paddle. No cruise control was used or turned on. The driver tried to apply service-brake but the brake was very stiff without any response even with extra effort. The driver noticed the engine was at 6000rpm. (2) the driver immediately tried to shift the gear to neutral. Though the shift-lever-position did enter the "neutral" indication, the transmission mechanism still stayed at the "drive" and the engine continued to accelerate and gaining speed. (the driver continued to use service-brake all the time to no avail. )(3) the driver tried to slow the car down by shifting to a lower gear ("2"), the car speed slowed down very gradually. At that time, the driver applied emergency hand-brake. (4) eventually the car stopped using the hand-brake. Right after this, the driver shifted the lever to "park" then the engine suddenly (and immediately) shot up to 6000rpm again - and the transmission appeared to re-engage and moved the car forward with a very loud noise. The driver immediately turned-off the ignition to stop the car. The car was towed to a Nissan dealer.