Your vehicle report
1996 Nissan Pathfinder
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 159
- Received Feb 1996 to Feb 2019
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed21 complaints · 13% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Suspension struts and shocks wear out early15 complaints · 9.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Tires blow out or tread separates13 complaints · 8.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #11V244000Nissan is recalling certain model year 1996-2004 pathfinder and model year 1997-2003 infiniti QX4 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, washington d.c., west virginia and wisconsin. In areas of the country in which heavy concentrations of road salt are used, a mixture of snow/water and salt may enter an assembly location hole in the upper strut housing, causing water to collect at the mating surface of the strut housing panel and the inner hood ledge assembly. Over time, this snow/water and salt intrusion may result in corrosion of the strut tower housing in some subject vehicles.
- Recall #96V031000Due to the thickness of the carpet padding on the transmission tunnel, the space between the brake pedal and the transmission tunnel could catch a driver's right foot under the brake pedal.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 20 crashes, 0 fires, 32 people injured, 3 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 16 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 10 |
| 1997 | 20 |
| 1998 | 13 |
| 1999 | 9 |
| 2000 | 14 |
| 2001 | 10 |
| 2002 | 8 |
| 2003 | 8 |
| 2004 | 6 |
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2006 | 7 |
| 2007 | 6 |
| 2008 | 6 |
| 2009 | 7 |
| 2010 | 6 |
| 2011 | 10 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 159 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 21 | 13% | – | |
| Suspension struts and shocks wear out early | 15 | 9.4% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 13 | 8.2% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 10 | 6.3% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 8 | 5.0% | – | NHTSA recall #11V244000 |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 8 | 5.0% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 6 | 3.8% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 6 | 3.8% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 5 | 3.1% | – | NHTSA recall #96V034000 |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 5 | 3.1% | – | |
| Axle breaks while driving, wheel detaches | 5 | 3.1% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 5 | 3.1% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 4 | 2.5% | – | |
| Engine won't start or cranks intermittently | 4 | 2.5% | – | |
| Brakes fail intermittently or repeatedly | 3 | 1.9% | – | |
| Vehicle rolls backward out of park | 3 | 1.9% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #11V244000April 20, 2011195,991 vehicles affected
steering: column; suspension: front
Nissan is recalling certain model year 1996-2004 Pathfinder and model year 1997-2003 Infiniti QX4 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, washington d.c., west virginia and wisconsin. In areas of the country in which heavy concentrations of road salt are used, a mixture of snow/water and salt may enter an assembly location hole in the upper strut housing, causing water to collect at the mating surface of the strut housing panel and the inner hood ledge assembly. Over time, this snow/water and salt intrusion may result in corrosion of the strut tower housing in some subject vehicles.
The strut housing may crack and pull away from the inner hood ledge assembly. This may lead to grinding noises, increased steering effort, and possibly the steering column to break, resulting in the loss of steering control, which could result in a crash.
Remedy
Nissan will inspect the strut housing and repair the vehicles as necessary, free of charge. An interim notification letter was sent out in may 2011. The second notice was mailed on july 25, 2011. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
NHTSA recall #96V031000February 22, 19961,775 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
Due to the thickness of the carpet padding on the transmission tunnel, the space between the brake pedal and the transmission tunnel could catch a driver's right foot under the brake pedal.
This condition could inhibit a driver from applying the brakes, increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
Remedy
Dealers will remove the carpet padding on the transmission tunnel adjacent to the accelerator pedal.
NHTSA recall #96V034000February 22, 19961,775 vehicles affected
steering: gear box (other than rack and pinion)
Due to the type of lubricant used in the steering transfer gear assembly, the effort required to turn the steering wheel at low ambient temperatures (less than -30 c) could increase to the point where some drivers would have difficulty in turning the wheel.
This condition could result in the inability to change the direction of the vehicle while attempting to turn the wheel, increasing the potential for a vehicle accident.
Remedy
Dealers are replacing the steering transfer gear assembly with a new assembly having different lubricant.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1996 Nissan Pathfinder.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN