1997 Nissan Pathfinder problems
The 1997 Nissan Pathfinder has 293 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (39%) concerns suspension. Next are steering (9%) and cruise control (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 293 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 39% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 20 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 19 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 118,000 miles 119 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 4 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 10 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 27 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 14 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 21 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 12 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 9 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 12 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Of the 119 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 118,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 113,000 miles (66 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 20 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 19 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 13th most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Nissan Pathfinder with enough data (99 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
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.
Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision, impact 12:00, position speed 50MPH, passenger's side airbag did not deploy.
Claim number 38-j636-167 - while driving (roadhugger radial gt / performance radial gt p235 70r15; DOT# is pjm1 dxkr 489) tire blew out causing vehicle to roll over several times, 4 injuries were sustained.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 nissan pathfinder. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for routine maintenance when the mechanic noticed a separation of the front driver side strut. The contact was advised that the vehicle was not drivable and could not be repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 183,000.
At around 120000 miles the vehicle began to sway uncontrollably. Mechanics could find nothing wrong. Only way to stop the sway is to tap the brakes or accelerate. Happens quite often and is downright scary at times. Also the entire underbody / frame is extremely corroded. Vehicle should not corrode that quickly. All underbody parts are extremely rusted.