2002 Nissan Pathfinder Problems, Recalls & Reliability
206 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2002 Nissan Pathfinder, alongside 9 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 16/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Suspension leads the reports, typically around 120,500 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2002 Nissan Pathfinder has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2002 sits among all Pathfinder years
What owners report
“Brought vehicle in for repair due to an issue with the steering. Apparently my vehicle has also been affected by the same rust/corrosion problem as previously recalled under recall 11v244000 and 11v244000 although these are not listed with my vin. Vehicle is unsafe to drive.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Pathfinder
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 131 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 108,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 60,000 and 143,123 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (9)
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2002 Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4 vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with Takata air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on March, 31, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 and I35, 2003 FX35 and FX45, and 2001 I30 vehicles. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.…
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.…
NISSAN IS RECALLING FORTY-SIX CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002 PATHFINDER AND INFINITI QX4 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM AUGUST 24, 2001 THROUGH AUGUST 28, 2001. THE AIR BAG INFLATOR CONTAINS PROPELLANT WAFERS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO PROPERLY DEPLOY THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR…
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY THE OWNERS OF THE FORTY-SIX AFFECTED VEHICLES. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG MODULE ASSEMBLY WITH A NEW ONE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST…
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.
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.
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Led to recall campaign 11V244000.
Technical service bulletins
72 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and body & structure — are on file for the 2002 Nissan Pathfinder. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2002 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 2002 Nissan Pathfinder reliable?
The 2002 Nissan Pathfinder drew 206 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 16/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2002 Nissan Pathfinder problems?
The top reported problems for the 2002 Nissan Pathfinder are suspension (45 complaints), engine (43), and body & structure (19).
At what mileage do 2002 Nissan Pathfinder problems show up?
Owners most often report 2002 Nissan Pathfinder problems around 108,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 60,000 and 143,123 miles.
Does the 2002 Nissan Pathfinder have recalls?
9 recall campaigns apply to the 2002 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.