2001 Nissan Pathfinder Body & Structure Problems

Your car's body has severe rust damage that caused a fender to pop loose while you were turning, which affected your steering column and caused you to lose control of the vehicle. This is a serious safety issue that needs immediate inspection and repair. A mechanic will need to assess the rust damage to your vehicle's frame and fender, and repair or replace the affected components.

The rear mounting bracket of the front passenger side control arm has cracked at the point where it bolts to the frame, leaving very little metal remaining in that area. This structural damage could affect suspension stability and alignment. The repair will likely require replacing the damaged mounting bracket or reinforcing the frame in that area.

You noticed rust and corrosion in the front passenger wheel well area of your Pathfinder, and discovered a large crack in the strut tower itself. The crack appears to be in the same area that was previously repaired under a Nissan recall, suggesting the earlier repair didn't hold. A cracked strut tower can compromise the structural integrity of your vehicle and suspension performance. The fix will likely require professional welding or replacement of the strut tower assembly.

Your door open warning light stays on and your dome light won't turn off. When you open the rear door hatch, you hear an abnormal noise. The dealer said the replacement parts for this issue are no longer available and couldn't repair it. This appears to be related to a known safety campaign for your vehicle's structure.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDERGOING ROUTINE REPAIRS, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE VEHICLE WAS COMPROMISED DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE AND WAS UNABLE TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE FRAME WAS PERFORATED DUE TO RUST. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHO CONFIRMED THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.

STRUT TOWER SEPERATED FROM UNIBODY AT WELD ON BOTH SIDES OF DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL WELL, CLEAN SHEAR AT WELD SEAM LIKE A DELAMINATION OF POOR WELD.

2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER SEVERELY RUSTED AT DRIVERS FRONT STRUT TOWER, SEPARATING THE STRUT FROM THE FRAME. *LN

OUR NISSAN PATHFINDER 2001 HAD A NOISE IN THE LEFT FRONT END. WE ASKED OUR MECHANIC TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE FRONT END. WHAT HE FOUND, AND CONFIRMED BY 3 OTHER INDEPENDENT SHOPS, WAS THE UNIBODY FRONT END ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HAS ROTTED OUT. THE CAR HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED AND WE HAVE HAD NO OTHER PROBLEMS BEFORE THIS FAILURE. THE COST FOR REPAIR RANGES FROM $3,000 TO $5,000 AND THESE ARE ONLY ESTIMATES. UPDATED IVOQ 05/24/11 *TR

I HAVE A 2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER. IT RECENTLY DEVELOPED STEERING ISSUES AFTER HITTING A SMALL POTHOLE. MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME THE ENTIRE LEFT WHEEL WELL WAS ROTTED OUT AND THAT I SHOULD NOT DRIVE THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AS THE WHEEL MIGHT COLLAPSE. AFTER THEN TAKING THE CAR TO A BODY SHOP FOR A REPAIR ESTIMATE, I WAS TOLD THIS WAS THE 3RD TIME HE HAD SEEN THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM, WITH A 1999-2001 PATHFINDER. RESEARCHING ON LINE I FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE SAME ISSUE. REPAIR ESTIMATE WAS 2000.00. MECHANIC AT BODY SHOP ALSO STATED NOT TO DRIVE CAR ON HIGHWAY AS RESULTS COULD BE FATAL. REPAIR WILL INVOLVE REMOVING ENGINE COMPONENTS,BUMPER AND REPLACING WHEEL WELL HOUSING, THEN WELDING A REINFORCEMENT BRACE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT OPENED THE LIFTGATE AND IT RAPIDLY CLOSED BY ITSELF ONTO HIS HEAD. HE SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. ALTHOUGH THE FAILURES WERE IDENTICAL, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. UPDATED 10-30-08 *BF UPDATED 11/03/08.*JB

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON 5/15.2008 I NOTICED A STRANGE NOISE EMANATING FROM THE OUTSIDE REAR AREA OF THE VEHICLE. THE NEXT DAY WHILE HAVING THE VEHICLES TIRES REPLACED A SHOP EMPLOYEE POINTED OUT TO ME THAT THE SWAY BAR WAS BROKEN IN HALF. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR OCCURRENCE AND WAS NOT DUE TO ANY MISTAKE OR MISUSE OF THE VEHICLE BY ME. I HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE VEHICLE SINCE AND THE BROKEN PART HAS NOT BEEN REPLACED. *TR

THE CAR WOBBLES BACK AND FORTH LIKE RIDING A BOAT IN RUFF WATERS. THIS IS A STRUCTURAL ISSUE AND 2 DIFFERENT AUTO REPAIR MEN HAVE NOT YET FIGURED OUT WHAT IS CAUSING IT. *TR

I AM GREATLY DISAPPOINTED DUE TO THE FACT THAT I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING SEVERAL PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE SAME MATTER IN MY 2001 PATHFINDER SE. IT HAS BEEN ONE DISAPPOINTMENT AFTER ANOTHER ALL RELATED TO THE SAME ISSUE, THUS MAKES THE VEHICLE UNSAFE. THE PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE ARE WITH THE WEATHER STRIPS AND THE REGULATORS IN THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE. THEY HAVE BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES, AND NOW THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. OBVIOUSLY THESE PARTS ARE MADE OF POOR QUALITY. THE COST FOR REPLACING THESE PARTS IS VERY EXPENSIVE. I URGE NISSAN TO RECALL THE PARTS IN THE PATHFINDER DOORS. *JB

VEHICLE ROLL OVER WHICH INVOLVED A 2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER. *MR IT WAS THE CONSUMER'S OPINION THE VEHICLE DID NOT POSSESS SUBSTANTIAL WEIGHT WHICH WAS NECESSARY TO PREVENT ROLL OVER SITUATIONS, THE VEHICLE LACKED THE NECESSARY HEIGHT TO WIDTH RATIO AS WELL AS THE NECESSARY MASS TO MAXIMIZE THE SURVIVABILITY AND PREVENT OR SUBSTANTIAL DECREASE IN THE CHANCE OF A ROLL OVER.*TT *JB