Rear Suspension Shock Absorber Problems of Nissan Pathfinder

I have a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. It sway from side to side while I'm driving. It doesn't have to be fast or slow. First, I changed the front shock absorber. Not much improvement, then the ball joint. It improved about halfway. But now after about a month, it's even worse. I did some research in the internet and surprise, I'm not the only one having this problem. It looks like a lot of Pathfinder owners have the same issue. I know my car is old but quite a few have the same issue before they hit 100k miles. I think this is a design problem or parts problem and should be recall. So far, I didn't see any death or accident reported because of this but I'm sure it's bound to happen. It's dangerous driving this thing around with the swaying specially in high speed.

See all problems of the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 1997 Nissan Pathfinder 🔎.

I purchased a used vehicle from a private owner, a 1996 Nissan Pathfinder with 139,500. Immediately after my drive on the highway, I noticed a substantial amount of body sway from the rear end of the vehicle. I decided to research my problem on the internet and found several references to issues related to the premature wear of the bushings in the rear upper and lower links (control arms) that attach the axle to the frame (ref. Nissan bulletin# ntb 98-001). This bulletin describes in detail about worn bushings which it creates excessive sway, rocking and pull at any speed at that point, I decided to bring my vehicle at my expense to have an authorized Nissan dealer to examine and document the potentially hazardous condition. They verified and concur with the wear in the rear links and recommended the replacement of the upper and lower links along with the rear shock absorbers (part # 55080-0w001 (2) and #08911-6441a (2))-part numbers for the links. In addition, I spoke to several owners of Nissan Pathfinders with the same condition which was built in 2004 on the same chassis. As a result, I contacted Nissan motors of north America and filed a complaint/inquiry based on this defect (ref# 5555692) on 12/7/06. They refused to assist with the complaint based on a TSB and not a safety recall. Also, the vehicle was inspected by a virginia state annual vehicle safety inspection last month and was passed in error by an inspector who had missed this safety defect. I reported this issue to the virginia state police and the problem was verified and investigated by trooper fowler in williamsburg va. This defect is definitely a safety related issue as described in the standards for vehicle inspection. Not being an engineer, I would suggest that I could have lost control of the vehicle at times of highway passing,around on ramps or evasive maneuvering that could cause the vehicle to roll over. I paid to have the parts replaced at a body shop at my expense. I have the old part.

See all problems of the 1996 Nissan Pathfinder 🔎.

2005 Nissan Pathfinder SUV becomes very unstable at highway speeds when hitting a bump. The vehicle rocks violently diagonally and the vehicle sways out of the lane. The vehicle also bottoms out constantly since it was new with no load in it. Dealer has attempted a fix by reprogramming the vehicle dynamic control, this has not fixed the problem. This vehicle is extremely unsafe to drive at any speed above 40 mph. Driver feels as if he has lost total control when hitting a bump. I followed my wife when she was driving the vehicle and it appears that the rear shocks are trying to over-compensate for every little bump as they are jumping up and down like crazy as the vehicle drives over bumps. Something must be done to fix this problem before fatalities start happening.

See all problems of the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder 🔎.

While driving between 25-30 mph suddenly there was a clucking noise. Consumer pulled off the road to investigate the noise. Upon exiting the vehicle consumer noticed that front right tire was sticking out at an angle. Also, shock absorber spring was sticking out. Vehicle was towed to a dealership, who was unable to resolve the problem.

We had some major replacement of parts in the rear of the vehicle about 2 years ago but don't remember if it made the same sound as before or not. Dealer said it was the struts but those are in the front and the sound is coming form the rear.