2.2

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
72,350 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

1998 Nissan Pathfinder suspension problems

suspension problem

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1998 Nissan Pathfinder Owner Comments

problem #17

Aug 012009

Pathfinder

  • 140,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that when traveling at speeds above 50 mph, the rear end would sway from side to side and become difficult to control. The dealer inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the upper and lower sway bar links needed to be replaced. The manufacturer had not been notified nor was the vehicle repaired. The current mileage was 170,000. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

- Mays Landing , NJ, USA

problem #16

Jul 162009

Pathfinder

  • 200,000 miles
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.

- Dryden, MI, USA

problem #15

Apr 102009

Pathfinder

  • 149,000 miles
Rear swaying of vehicle ( 98 Nissan Pathfinder) when vehicle is traveling over 60 mph.

- Bensalem, PA, USA

problem #14

Apr 102009

Pathfinder

  • 152,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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

- Bensalem, PA, USA

problem #13

Jan 272008

Pathfinder

  • 124,000 miles
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.

- Grand Haven, MI, USA

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problem #12

Oct 242007

Pathfinder

  • miles
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.

- Martinez,, CA, USA

problem #11

Jun 032007

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 139,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 98 Nissan Pathfinder sways uncontrollably from side to side when driving on uneven roads and freeway which could cause to loose control of the vehicle and crash. Numerous owners have reported the same problem on the internet and have been identified as a problem with the rear suspension control arm bushings and may include the control arm itself also known as upper and lower link arms. Updated 10/22/07

- Buena Park, CA, USA

problem #10

Jun 012007

Pathfinder 4WD 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 85,000 miles
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.

- New London, CT, USA

problem #9

Dec 242006

Pathfinder 4WD 6-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 110,947 miles
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 Nissan 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.

- Wellsville, NY, USA

problem #8

Nov 102006

Pathfinder

  • miles
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!!

- Evanston, IL, USA

problem #7

Oct 012006

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 130,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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 Nissan tsb so why no recall" how many people have to have a wreck for this to be done"

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #6

Jul 152002

Pathfinder 4WD

  • Manual transmission
  • miles
While driving 60mph the rear of vehicle shakes violently, it was discovered theat the suspension links were worn out.

- Aptos, CA, USA

problem #5

Aug 242001

Pathfinder 4WD

  • miles
While driving at 60 mph the vehicle began to shimmy from the rear end from side to side. It felt like I would loose control of the vehicle. I regained control by taking my foot off of the gas. The problem came back repeatedly -- at least 20 times during my trip on interstate 80 while bringing my daughter back to college. The proplem was not related to any specifice roas surface condition. It woul happen out of the blue. The road could be flat and smooth. It did not matter. I am sure that I would have lost control of the vehicle if it had happened during the winter and there was snow or even worse ice on the road. Since I had just purchased the vehicle used, I took it that afternoon and had a wheel alignment (front and rear) and I had the tires balanced hoping that this would correct the problem. However, on the way home the next day from the college the problem was still there. This is a very dangerous problem and I can only compare it to when you see a car towing a trailer behind it and the trailer begins to sway from side to side. I also understand that this problem happens to many models of the Nissan Pathfinder covering at least the years 1997, 1998 and 1999 and it is not related to any specific mileage on the vehicle. It could happen at 15,000 miles or 90,000 miles. This is a very serious problem and is caused by a design failure of the bushings (there are 4 of them) that are part of the control arms.

- Glen Head, NY, USA

problem #4

Jan 102001

Pathfinder

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Vehicle has had alignment problems from time of purchase. Dealer could not correct problem. Currently, consumer was told that swaybar was inoperable. Nissan willing to replace swaybar under warranty, but not tires.

- Westboro, MA, USA

problem #3

Apr 221998

Pathfinder 4WD

  • miles
Vehicle leans to left. Dealer provide service bulletin that recognized defect but felt it is still within norms. This imbalance can affect handling, especially while turning. This leaning is very noticeable.

- Manalapan, NJ, USA

problem #2

Apr 251998

Pathfinder 4WD

  • miles
Vehicle leans noticiably to the left, even when parked with no cargo. The dealer showed me a service bulletin that stated the leaning was "acceptable" by their standards. I feel that the leaning can affect the dynamic handling of the vehicle and can cause or aggravate handling problems.

- Manalapan, NJ, USA

problem #1

Mar 271998

(reported on)

Pathfinder

  • miles
Clunking sound in the rear when coming to a stop. Dealer could not determine cause.

- Chula Vist, CA, USA

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