Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Nissan Pathfinder owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder. While the contact was driving 2 MPH and making a left turn, another vehicle crashed into the driver's side of the contact's vehicle. The driver's air bag deployed with force, which impacted the contact's right eye. The contact sustained bruises and head injuries that required stitches and medical treatment. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 207,000.
This is in regards to a recall repair for the driver side strut tower. It has rusted out do to an improper recall repair.
I own a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder le, with 149,000 miles, which is now out of warranty. Tues 7/27/10, while pulling out of a parking space, I lost steering control. Find steering column is snapped. Tow to mechanic, who discovers the shock tower, which is part of the frame (uni-body design), has sheared away from the rest of the wheel-well. The shock tower has pushed up into the steering column, causing it to break. Mechanic gave estimate of $640.00 for steering, and at least $1700.00 for the wheel-well, which is a body shop repair. Also suggested to call Nissan to see if there a recall on wheel-wells as this is a safety issue, and is not the first time he has heard of this problem. This is not normal wear and tear, it is a design flaw. Control arms just below tearing in frame, if tearing continued, wheel could also become dislodged, in addition to loss of steering. …
My 2000 Nissan Pathfinder seemed excessively bumpy and the steering seemed very stiff at times after hitting a pothole. I took it into a Nissan dealership and was told that the frame has rusted through where the wheelwell is attached to a strut mount. The strut is loose (causing the bumpy ride) and the strut is pressing against the steering system causing the steering to be stiff. The Nissan shop told me they could not fix it and referred me to a body shop for an estimate. The body shop told me that they have seen this same problem with several Nissan and/or lexuses (Lexus Pathfinder model - I think it is the rx330). I was told that if I continued to drive it and went over a bump, the strut could plunge through the hood. I feel that this is a safety issue that could cause a serious or fatal accident if I were to hit a pothole at on a highway at a high rate of speed. …
I heard a rubbing sound and the passenger side front brake was acting unusual so I took my truck to my mechanic assuming it needed brakes. When the driver front wheel was taken off it was ovious that my brake pad was fine. It was noted that my tires were wearing unevenly and it was also very very ovious that the entire wheel wheel area was corroded,rusted and missing. There was a extremely large hole being the wheel area. Looking further it was noted that the steering column was rubbing against a part of the engine area. That explains the rubbing sound and diffuculty turning the wheel. It was also noted that the suspension was rotted and that the engine measured around 2 inches lower as it was leaning on the drivers side. I was told by my mechanic that the damage was so extensive that it could not be repaired. …
Sever body frame corrosion causing the vehicle to be very unsafe to drive (examined by the local Nissan dealership) and surely will not pass the new york state safety inspection. Service recall on the "strut tower" corrosion last year but did not take care of the body frame corrosion due to the same corrosion factor that makes me very upset about Nissan. This might be a life death impact on the body frame corrosion where the vehicle might be break in 1/2 due to no body frame support at all. I m not sure why Nissan do not take any proper action like the way Toyota foreseen the impact on the life death incident due to body frame corrosion. According to many web discussion and forum resources, many Nissan Pathfinder owners are sharing the same corrosion issues complaints. …
I just found action number pe11004 and would like to report that a similar problem has just happened to my 2000 Pathfinder (117,000 miles). I heard a noise coming from the left front strut area and when I and a mechanic looked there was a visible, large horizontal crack extending in both directions in what they described as the side member behind the strut tower. In the course of about a week the crack got noticeably larger and the car is now not safe to drive. This car has never been in an accident and there is no reason that this should have happened. The steering road is now resting against the frame as described in the noted action. Two mechanics have now said that this is hazardous and the car is neither safe to drive nor repairable in their opinion, given the age of the vehicle.
I was driving my Nissan into the dealership for an inspection on a recall it was under. I hit a pothole and could not drive over forty miles an hour. When I got it to the dealership they informed me my frame was broke. The dealership did the recall repairs and said they couldn't repair the frame because the rust was outside the recall area. I have only owned the vehicle for a year and a half and there is no way that it rusted this bad to cause the frame to break. I feel that the frame was fatigued and it should either be fixed or I should at least get market value for my vehicle that I can no longer drive due to it being unsafe. I would appreciate it if you could help me out. I need my vehicle or a refund in order to put a down payment on a new one.
My 2000 Nissan Pathfinder se started making strange noises in the front end about a week ago. Upon inspection, I found that the strut tower had totally rusted out and completely separated from the vehicle. When I tapped it with a hammer, it created a huge hole, and the frame just disintegrated. The vehicle is no longer safe to drive and must be taken off the road. Having it repaired is not feasible. As a mechanic, I take very good care of my vehicle. It's maintained and washed regularly. This is clearly a defect in the Pathfinder, and should warrant a product recall. Driving the vehicle like this would be risking the safety of my family and myself.
Tl contact owns a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving 50 MPH, the contact heard a knocking noise underneath the passenger side of the engine. A few days later, the noise worsened. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the vehicle was not salvageable. The frame was built insufficiently and was rotted out. The dealer stated that they could mold the frame back together, but it would only last temporarily. The contact found numerous complaints on his vehicle for this exact failure. He believes a recall should be issued since it was a manufacturer defect. The current and failure mileages were 135,000.
Body complaints in other Pathfinder years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2000 Nissan Pathfinder?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the body & structure of the 2000 Nissan Pathfinder, 26% of the model year's 112 complaints. The component named most often is body (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Nissan Pathfinder body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2000 Nissan Pathfinder, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Nissan Pathfinder body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 135,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.