2001 Nissan Pathfinder Problems, Recalls & Reliability
299 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 24/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Suspension leads the reports, typically around 134,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2001 sits among all Pathfinder years
What owners report
“Driver side front strut tower made a loud "pop" sound when driving. Bottom portion of strut top cracked through. Strut tower bearing now moaning when turning, out of gimble.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Pathfinder
“01' nissan pathfinder bose 6 disc in-dash cd changer won't play, repeated clicking, reads error”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Pathfinder
“Driver's side strut tower has rusted to the point were the truck will pass va state safety inspection. There was a recall performed by several years ago by nissan for the rust issue on both inner wheel wells and strut tower area.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Pathfinder
“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.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Pathfinder
“I have noticed a very strom gas smell in and outside of my wehicle lately. I took it to the garage and it needs a new gas tank as the original has rusted and leaking. I see where this model has a recall in the states with high road salt useage - this unit came from ontario with high road salt…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Pathfinder
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 187 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 102,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 71,000 and 155,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
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 CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO…
Fix: CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
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.
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…
Fix: 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…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 11V244000.
Technical service bulletins
90 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2001 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 2001 Nissan Pathfinder reliable?
The 2001 Nissan Pathfinder drew 299 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 24/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2001 Nissan Pathfinder problems?
The top reported problems for the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder are suspension (69 complaints), other (47), and steering (36).
At what mileage do 2001 Nissan Pathfinder problems show up?
Owners most often report 2001 Nissan Pathfinder problems around 102,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 71,000 and 155,000 miles.
Does the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2001 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.