1996 Nissan Pathfinder Suspension Problems
Owners have filed 64 complaints with NHTSA about suspension problems on the 1996 Nissan Pathfinder, 40% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 123,183 miles. The words owners use most often: “rear bushings” (8% of reports).
- 64suspension complaints
- 123,183median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 67%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Rear bushings: mentioned in 5 of 64 complaints (8%)
- Difficult control: mentioned in 5 of 64 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do suspension problems happen?
Based on 37 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 64 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 3 an injury.
Nissan Pathfinder suspension complaints by model year
| Model year | Suspension complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Pathfinder | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2024 Pathfinder | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2022 Pathfinder | 3 | 2% | 24,000 |
| 2020 Pathfinder | 3 | 6% | — |
| 2018 Pathfinder | 1 | 1% | 19,000 |
| 2017 Pathfinder | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2016 Pathfinder | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2015 Pathfinder | 2 | 1% | 80,000 |
| 2014 Pathfinder | 14 | 2% | 7,500 |
| 2013 Pathfinder | 29 | 3% | 75,273 |
| 2012 Pathfinder | 5 | 22% | 144,500 |
| 2011 Pathfinder | 6 | 13% | 44,289 |
| 2010 Pathfinder | 4 | 10% | 52,000 |
| 2008 Pathfinder | 7 | 2% | 135,000 |
| 2007 Pathfinder | 5 | 1% | 104,000 |
| 2006 Pathfinder | 9 | 1% | 81,662 |
| 2005 Pathfinder | 9 | 1% | 27,800 |
| 2004 Pathfinder | 3 | 4% | 182,706 |
| 2003 Pathfinder | 21 | 19% | 143,000 |
| 2002 Pathfinder | 43 | 28% | 120,000 |
| 2001 Pathfinder | 68 | 30% | 134,000 |
| 2000 Pathfinder | 41 | 37% | 132,649 |
| 1999 Pathfinder | 35 | 34% | 145,000 |
| 1998 Pathfinder | 47 | 32% | 134,500 |
| 1997 Pathfinder | 105 | 48% | 114,800 |
| 1996 Pathfinder | 64 | 40% | 123,183 |
| 1995 Pathfinder | 16 | 9% | 143,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Suspension:front; steering:column
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 nissan pathfinder. While the vehicle was being inspected at the dmv, the mechanic informed the contact that the rear strut was rusting. In addition, the contact stated that the steering made an abnormal popping noise while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent…
On a long road trip from indiana to north carolina, the rear-end of my vehicle began swaying or rocking from side-to-side as i was going 60 mph or more and whenever i changed lanes. It felt very unstable, as though it may rollover. Upon my return home, i took it in for repairs and was informed it…
All of these complaints are the same complaint, yet nothing is done for the consumer of what was a very expensive vehicle when new even though it is dangerous and many consumers spend a lot of money trying to fix the problem (or give up and park the vehicle), often spending the money on the wrong…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1996 Nissan Pathfinders have suspension problems?
No. NHTSA has 64 owner complaints about suspension for the 1996 Nissan Pathfinder (40% of the 159 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Nissan Pathfinder suspension?
Yes: 1 safety recall list suspension. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do suspension problems start?
The median reported mileage is 123,183 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about suspension problems on the 1996 Nissan Pathfinder?
The most frequent phrase is “rear bushings”, in 5 of 64 complaints, followed by “difficult control” (5).
See all 1996 Nissan Pathfinder problems or suspension problems across all Pathfinder years.