Your vehicle report

2001 Nissan Pathfinder

The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.

NHTSA data through October 2026View original NHTSA data Change vehicle

Your vehicle at a glance

Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.

Owner complaints
230
Received Sep 2000 to Oct 2024
Official recalls listed
3
Naming this model year; check your VIN for applicability
BrakeNews flagged problems
0
Statistical signals, not official defect findings or recalls

Owner reports

Most reported problems

  1. 1
    Infotainment screen ghost-touches and changes on its own31 complaints · 13% of this vehicle’s complaints
  2. 2
    Frame rusts and corrodes through23 complaints · 10% of this vehicle’s complaints
  3. 3
    Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly14 complaints · 6.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
See all reported problems

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 #07V435000On certain vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, kentucky, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, tennessee, vermont, virginia, west virginia , wisconsin and the district of columbia, during the coating process of the fuel filler tube assembly, an insufficient amount of coating may have been applied at the lower mounting bracket. This could result in an opening in the coating which can allow water to enter and make contact with the bare metal of the tube.
View recall details

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 identified

Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 18 crashes, 2 fires, 12 people injured, 1 death.

Explore by system

Where do owners report problems?

Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.

Schematic car with five system shortcutsGeneric side view, with the front on the left. Numbered links explore engine, brakes, steering, electrical, and body complaints. Text controls below provide the same choices.12345FRONTSCHEMATIC VIEW

Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.

View selected problems

Showing all 15 listed problems by system.

Engine & powertrain

Brakes

Electrical & lights

Airbags, belts & seats

Steering, suspension & tires

3 more problems

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.

Complaints received about the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
29
Show as a table
YearComplaints
200010
200113
200210
20036
200414
20057
200615
200718
200824
20098
201012
201129
20128
20138
201414
20159
20164
20172
20188
20196
20202
20211
20221
20230
20241
20250
2026 (to Oct 2026)0
Total230

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.

ProblemComplaintsShareShare ratioStatus
Infotainment screen ghost-touches and changes on its own3113%–
Frame rusts and corrodes through2310%–NHTSA recall #11V244000
Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly146.1%–
Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline125.2%–NHTSA recall #07V435000
Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed125.2%–
Tires blow out or tread separates83.5%–
Suspension struts and shocks wear out early83.5%–
Seat belt fails to latch or retract73.0%–
Airbags fail to deploy in crashes62.6%–
Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines62.6%–
Check engine light comes on repeatedly62.6%–
Unintended acceleration despite braking52.2%–
Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed52.2%–
Glass shatters or cracks without impact41.7%–
Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps31.3%–

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 #07V435000September 18, 2007372,250 vehicles affected

    fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: filler pipe and cap

    On certain vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, kentucky, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, tennessee, vermont, virginia, west virginia , wisconsin and the district of columbia, during the coating process of the fuel filler tube assembly, an insufficient amount of coating may have been applied at the lower mounting bracket. This could result in an opening in the coating which Can allow water to enter and make contact with the bare metal of the tube.

    This may result in surface rust but not perforation of the tube. However, in those areas of the country which use heavy concentrations of road salt in the winter, if a mixture of snow/water and salt makes contact with the bare metal, corrosion may occur to a degree which results in perforation of the tube. In this case fuel leakage may occur when filling the tank. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.

    Remedy

    Dealers will replace the fuel filler tube assembly with a new one with an improved coating process. The recall began on november 26, 2007. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

  • NHTSA recall #01V282000August 30, 200131,000 vehicles affected

    structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments

    Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. Some of the brackets used to attach the two gas struts to the rear door (hatch) may have been improperly made. At high ambient temperatures, the increase in gas pressure in the strut(s) could cause one or both brackets to bend, resulting in the struts detaching from the bracket(s) when opening or closing the rear door.

    If both struts detach from the brackets, the door will rapidly fall down, possibly striking someone and causing serious injury.

    Remedy

    Dealers will replace the strut brackets. Owner notification began september 24, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

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 2001 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