1999 Nissan Pathfinder Problems, Recalls & Reliability
144 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1999 Nissan Pathfinder, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 18/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Suspension leads the reports, typically around 145,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 1999 Nissan Pathfinder has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 1999 sits among all Pathfinder years
What owners report
“Front driver side strut,housing and bearings were destroyed, could have possibly locked up on me, when i had the children in the car, on the way to church. This condition is dangerous, and nissan won't replace the vehicle. I have only had the truck for three, to four weeks. They are trying to tell…”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Pathfinder
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 80 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 130,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 80,000 and 160,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
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,…
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.…
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
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…
Fix: 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.
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 11V244000.
Technical service bulletins
90 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and body & structure — are on file for the 1999 Nissan Pathfinder. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1999 Pathfinder TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1999 Nissan Pathfinder reliable?
The 1999 Nissan Pathfinder drew 144 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 18/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 1999 Nissan Pathfinder problems?
The top reported problems for the 1999 Nissan Pathfinder are suspension (37 complaints), steering (20), and body & structure (18).
At what mileage do 1999 Nissan Pathfinder problems show up?
Owners most often report 1999 Nissan Pathfinder problems around 130,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 80,000 and 160,000 miles.
Does the 1999 Nissan Pathfinder have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 1999 Nissan Pathfinder. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.