1996 NISSAN PATHFINDER Complaints

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.

1996 PATHFINDER, 120K MILES. APPROX. ONE YEAR AGO VEHICLE DEVELOPED SCARY SIDE-TO-SIDE ROCKING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING ON CURVED ROADS. REPLACED REAR SHOCKS- NO HELP. I HAVE FOUND LOTS OF OTHER PATHFINDER OWNERS THAT HAVE THIS SAME EXACT CONDITION. TURNS OUT THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE REAR CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS AND REAR LINK ARM BUSHINGS. BUSHINGS DEVELOP DRY ROT WITH AGE AND SHRINK, MAKING EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE CONTROL ARMS. MANY PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED TO NISSAN, BUT NISSAN REFUSES TO EVEN CONSIDER A RECALL. *TR

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. *NM

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. *NM

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. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH OVER AN EVEN PAVEMENT, THE VEHICLE WOBBLED FROM SIDE TO SIDE WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING A MODERATE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. THE ABS LIGHT ALSO ILLUMINATED CONSTANTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN BY A DEALER.*AK

NOTICED BACK END OF MY PATHFINDER SWAYING AT SPEEDS 60-70 MPH. BROUGHT TO MY MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD REAR BUSHINGS ARE BAD AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. MY MECHANIC SAID IT IS A BAD PART BUT NOT YET A RECALL BY NISSAN BUT SHOULD BE. I HAVE FOUND ALOT OF SIMILAR COMPLAINS ON THE WEB BY OTHER NISSAN PATHFINDER OWNERS. I ALSO FOUND RECALLS ON OTHER NISSAN'S FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM BUT NOT THE PATHFINDER. I FEEL IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE A RECALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! *NM

DANGEROUS WOBBLE OF CAR WHEN ON THE HIGHWAY. FROM REPORTS I'VE READ ON THE INTERNET, SEEMS TO BE CAUSED BY DEGRADING CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS. FIX MAY BE TO REPLACE ALL 8-10 BUSHINGS AND/OR CONTROL-LINK ARMS. PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE COMMON ON '96-97 NISSAN PATHFINDERS. *NM

TREAD SEPARATION OCCURRED FOR REAR-PASSENGER SIDE TIRE WHILE TRAVELING AT 65 MPH. (DUNLOP GRANDTREK 265/70/R15) THE TIRE CAME AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT WITH THE SUV, IT WAS THE (FULL-SIZE) SPARE. THIS TIRE WAS MOUNTED ON THE REAR WHEEL A YEAR OR ABOUT 10,000 MILES AGO. THE VEHICLE SPUN OUT OF CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO THE CONCRETE BARRIER. *JB

TRIED CALLING NISSAN RE: RECALL FOR BRAKES AND STEERING, AND THEY WOULD NOT HELP ME. *AK