Rear Suspension Problems of Nissan Pathfinder - part 1

The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle started to wobble as if the steering wheel was being turned to the left and to the right repeatedly. The contact stated the vehicle wobbled more violently after driving over bumps in the road. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact’s husband checked the under carriage and observed that the driver's side rear tire was nearly rusted through. Additionally, there was an inch of room above the wheel well. The contact stated that wheel was turned inward the wheel well. The contact stated that her husband observed extensive rust on the rear subframe and members. The contact stated the vehicle was undrivable. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.

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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.

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Have a 2001 Pathfinder sways from side to side from the rear at 55 miles I thought it might be the shocks but now I found that all 2001 Pathfinder do this at that speed. Why does has it not being recal. Same vechical engine light does not turn have repacled all kinds of sensors and still light does not turn off.

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While driving on the highway in clear conditions on smooth payment with my two small children in the back at speeds of 65-70 mph, the vehicle suddenly began swaying and wobbling in a severe manner, nearly causing me to lose control of the Pathfinder. As I was not in an area where I could safely stop, I had to continue to drive some distance and the swaying and wobbling continued intermittently and without warning, making it difficult to control the vehicle. After researching this issue, I discovered numerous similar incidents and am dismayed there has been no recall as this is a hidden defect. My mechanic could not locate the problem until I showed him my findings from my research, and confirmed the rear bushings are defective and must be replaced. This is an extremely dangerous condition and there should be a recall.

See all problems of the 1996 Nissan Pathfinder 🔎.

1996 Nissan Pathfinder has inherent rear suspension problem. Thousands of these vehicles sway uncontrollably from the rear without any action by the driver. The problem is poor design by the manufacturer resulting in a very dangerous and sometimes uncontrollable driving situation. Nissan should recall these vehicles.

I purchased a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder in 2004. The bose 6-disc changer immediately failed. The dealership repaired it because it fell within the 30-day warranty period. It worked for about two months after that and then I got an error message one day when I tried to load a cd and it hasn't worked since. Last spring, I took the car in for a tire rotation and balance and my mechanic noted that there was a slight fish-tailing in the back which was caused by deterioration of the rear bushings, and over time, the fish-tailing would get so bad, it could possibly cause an accident when braking. Apparently this is a common occurrence in certain Pathfinder models, and Nissan even corrected the problem in future models of the Pathfinder once the problem was discovered. I have read multiple posts to this website as well as others regarding both of these issues in the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. How can Nissan not be responsible for the repair/replacement of this faulty equipment? the rear bushing problem is a major safety hazard, and I pray for Nissan's sake no one is ever killed in an accident because of this issue, because a good attorney will have a field day in court with the class action lawsuit. . Read more...

2002 Pathfinder started swaying all over the place on freeway. Take foot off gas and it calms. Took to mechanic and it was the bushings/bearings. Replaced them for a total of $380. Also, have had to replace driver and passenger side window motors. . . Twice!!.

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Car develops a violent wobble at 55-75 mph when you engage or release the gas pedal. This is a problem on all Nissan Pathfinders after approximately 100k miles. The rear trailing arm link bushings need to be replaced every 100k miles in order to avoid this dangerous condition. The cost to do this for all 8 bushings is $650-$1000, depending on where you get it done. The dealership refuses to replace just the bushings and only sells the entire trailing arm link. Thus, the cost at the dealership can exceed this estimate. Many savvy owners have sought aftermarket polyurethane bushings to eliminate this problem and avoid having to replace the bushings every 100k miles. This should be a recall because it is an extremely dangerous wobble. I would expect that many accidents have occurred due to this condition and it is often reported as "driver lost control of vehicle. " unfortunately, it is not the driver's fault when the vehicle become highly unstable at high speeds due to the excessive play in the suspension from this design. There are tsbs regarding this condition, yet Nissan has failed to fix it.

Over 40 mph, I get a rear end sway or wobble when accelerating in my '02 Nissan Pathfinder . Sway reverses when I let up on the gas. Feels like I'm losing control of the vehicle. I was told by an online mechanic that it was most likely the rear suspension links for the rear differential, the bushings are torn or broken. When broken will cause the back end of the truck to feel loose. Inspect all 4 rear links and replace which ever links you find bad.

The contact owns a 1996 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that she was unable to drive at speeds above 40 mph or the vehicle would become difficult to control due to excessive shaking. The dealer inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the rear axle, bushings, and struts needed to be replaced. The manufacturer had not been notified. No repairs were performed. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 127,000.

1998 Nissan Pathfinder 200,000 miles. July 2008. Driving on freeway around 60-70 mph, any change in road surface ( ie going over bridge) sends rear of vehicle into severe wobble. Acceleration seems to be only way to recover. Around large curves ( turnpike in pennsylvania) feels very unstable. All shocks/struts had been replaced in last year except r rear, so upon return from trip had r rear replaced. Did not fix problem. Mechanic unable to tell what else is causing problem except wide wheel wall of new tires, but these have been on car for 5 months and problem did not occur before this. 4 months later received call from mechanic stating same vehicle different owner in with same problem, but worse, investigated to find TSB (ntb98-001) for rear upper/lower link bars and bushings needing to be replaced. Mechanic advised it was a significant safety risk to continue driving vehicle without repair, especially as have teenage driver in family, and should be repaired ASAP, at cost of $800-$1000.

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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???.

1999 Nissan Pathfinder rear suspension "swaying" feels like the car is going to roll over. Very scary to drive. Occurs at all speeds but mostly at higher rate (55-60 mph) replaced - per Nissan dealer- front/rear shocks/ struts. When this didn't fix problem then was told about rear bushings needed replacing but only 4 of them. Cost $1200. Still have problem. Took back to dealer and told another/different 4 rear bushing needed replacing another $1200. Have not been able to get back to dealer yet. This should have been a recall-very dangerous to drive this car.

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Swaying action from the rear of vehicle when vehicle is traveling 60mph or higher.

Rear swaying of vehicle ( 98 Nissan Pathfinder) when vehicle is traveling over 60 mph.

Rear end sways at freeway speeds so I changed shocks & struts but problem still exists, found out its the rubber bushings on the rear stabilizers they are defective.

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. . Read more...

I have a 1996 Nissan Pathfinder and there is a dangerous sway when I drive, it feels like the rear end is going to fish tail.

I have noticed that at speed of up to 70mph the backend of my truck starts to shimmy back and forth. If continued at that rate of speed the sway gets worse to the point where it feels like the truck is going to flip over. The only way to correct it is to let off the gas. I have noticed that I am not the only one that has had this problem. This seems like a mechanical defect in the design and should be considered by Nissan for a recall.

At ~ 65mph, my 96 Pathfinder can sway spontaneously, almost to the point of the car bouncing. Driver & passenger neck snaps back and forth. Very dangerous.

98 Nissan Pathfinder - extreme rear end sway occurring at highway speeds. Result of faulty upper & lower rear arm bushings. This should be a recall as it creates an extremely dangerous uncontrollable back and forth sway at normal highway speeds.

Rear upper and lower control link rod bushings defective causing dangerous rear end sway at highway speeds which could lead to a crash, serious injury and death. Repair is costly and is a known defect with dealerships and Nissan.

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.

I am reporting a failure in the suspension system of my 1996 Nissan Pathfinder. At speeds of 50+ mph, the back half of the vehicle has instances where out of nowhere it begins to sway back and forth for about 5-10 seconds and then it stops and will do it again just out of the blue. I reasonably foresee this failure resulting in a potential cause of death, personal injury, or property damage. All instances of this occurrence has occurred while driving on a heavily traveled interstate. There was a tech service bulletin addressing this issue but Nissan should change it to a recall.

97 Nissan Pathfinder - dangerously sways left to right once you drive above 60 mph. Been to repairs many times and has not fixed the problem.

The contact owns a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving 60 mph or greater, the rear of the vehicle sways left to right. The tire shop stated that the vehicle needed new tires and shocks. The shop made the replacement, however, the failure persists. The dealer has not inspected the vehicle. The VIN and engine size were unknown. The current mileage was 90,000 and failure mileage was 85,000.

1996 Nissan Pathfinder wobbles intensly at 50 - 65 mph. Took to repair shops and had struts replaced, tires balanced many times. I understand it is the rear arm bushings. This is a defect and extremely dangerous.

I have 2wd Nissan Pathfinder. The car has been vobbeling left to right and right to left at speeds of 50mph and over. Some of the symptoms are excessive play in the rear axle especially during moderate acceleration or deceleration. A vehicle pulling at a constant speed excessive sway and rocking motion in the front suspension when coming to a stop. There are about 100 + people that I found on one website with the same problem. . Read more...

1996 Nissan Pathfinder wobbles dangerously at high speeds, over 60 mph. Mechanic fixed struts for $800, but problem persists. Just went online and found out lots of Nissan Pathfinder owners are having this problem, and the fix usually has to do with bushings. That will probably cost me another $800. This is a dangerous problem and Nissan owes its customers a recall. Thank goodness I seemed to have figured out the problem without an accident. I hope the word gets out to all Pathfinder owners before a tragedy occurs.

I have a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder se and have loved it since the day I got it. Until the yesterday when I was driving home from a football game about 110 miles away from home. When I was on the highway doing 65 mph +/- 5 mph, the rear end would start wobbling uncontrollably. It is very dangerous and very unsafe. I did some research online to find the problem ( to save myself money ) and it seems that I am not the only person that has had this problem, Nissan themselves have a site that addresses the issue, but no recall has been made. What has to be done for the automotive company to say " hey this isn't safe, we should get this fixed for our valued customers" I have been driving Nissans for 10 years now and have been thoroughly disappointed in the way it seems the manufacturer is handling this. I think this should be recalled so that everyone with a 1996-1998 Pathfinder doesn't kill themselves or someone else on the road with the wobbles.

1) slightly applied gas on a turn at 35 mph 2) loss of traction and lost control of the vehicle and skidded to 180 degree turn. Vehicle's rear end also wobbles dangerously at 50 to 65 mph upon acceleration/deceleration. 3) so far new struts and shocks but no solution to the vehicle's performance.

98 Nissan Pathfinder have the side-to-side wobble, mostly in the rear, at speeds from about 50 to 65 mph. Finally found rear upper and lower suspension links got problem. From website, I found this happened to so many Nissan owners. It is definitely a design problem, which is very dangerous!!.

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.

Refer to internal Nissan motors -technical service bulletin -ntb98-001. Bushing failure on upper and lower rear control link arm bushings that result in excessive rear sway in the vehicle and loss of control at high speeds this is well described by multiple owners all over the internet and costs over 800 dollars to repair and is well described in Nissans TSB so why no recall? how many people have to have a wreck for this to be done?.