Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
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. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, a noise was heard emerging from the front passenger side of the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to find the passenger side strut had perforated the wheel well and damaged the brake line. The vehicle was driven to the dealer koeppel Nissan (74-15 northern blvd, jackson heights, ny 11372) where they determined that the strut perforated the wheel well and the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case number: a33362679 was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 153,000.
My 2000 Nissan Pathfinder started handling bad so I took it to a mechanic and the problem was that the front passenger side control arm bracket that holds the control arm to the frame had totally rusted away and the control arm was not connected to the frame. I took the car to the dealership and they fixed a rust problem associated with the front strut recall but did not acknowledge the control arm issue. I contacted [redacted] at Nissan north America consumer affairs and she was of now help as she continually said that the recall was performed and she wouldn't do anything else. I went back to bermans Nissan in chicago we put the car on the lift and the service manager acknowledged that the car was unsafe to drive. He tried to get his boss to fix the problem but he wouldn't so I'm stuck with a car that is unsafe to drive. I see that frame rust is an issue for pathfinders. …
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. …
I have a Nissan Pathfinder le 2000 that in the past 8 mo have rocking or wobbling from side to side (or left to right) when driven at freeway speed (55-75). If you do not let off the gas or make a slight correction with steering wheel, it will get really bad to a point the it might fishtail. It's been progressively worsening even at lower speed, it's been happening. Aside from speed, it can be triggered by slight uneven road or bumps. I have had my alignment, wheel balanced, front end struts replaced which helped a little. I still have to get rear control arm bushings replaced. I have researched this online and there ar thousands of people complaining of the same exact symptom of my care. It seemed to be a common problem with the Pathfinder (high mileage-- mine is 121,000) and it appears that the control arm bushings on rear suspension is the problem. …
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. …
Also after having the previously mentioned problem fixed, 1 week later I noticed the following: my 2000 Nissan Pathfinder seemed excessively bumpy and the steering seemed very stiff at times after hitting a pothole. I took it into my mechanic and was told that the frame has rusted through where the wheel well 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. 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. …
Tl contact owned a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving approximately 60 MPH she heard a noise coming from the drivers side wheel while making a right turn into another lane without any warning. The vehicle was later taken to a local mechanic who advised her that the apron had cracked near the drivers side strut. The mechanic welded it back together. Six months later, while driving, the same wheel would not reposition itself after making a turn. The vehicle was taken back to the same local mechanic again and he advised her that the front strut would go through the tower and the wheel would come off; therefore, it would be best to junk the vehicle unless she wanted to spend thousands of dollars to repair it. The vehicle was taken to a junk facility. The VIN was unavailable. The approximately failure mileage was 99,000 and the current mileage was 106,000.
My sixteen year old son along with my seven year old son were driving my car when car started wobbling, he lost control going approximately 60 miles an hour, over corrected and went head first into trees and the air bag did not deploy. Fortunately my sons were wearing seatbelts and did not sustain any major injuries, just bumps and bruises. The car then hit on the drivers side after the frontal impact then hit on the rear. My car was totaled. At no time did the air bag on the drivers side deploy. If not for the seat belts, my children could have been seriously injured and my son driving did hit the steering wheel, and the air bag would have prevented this had it deployed. I would say this was definitely a defect with the car.
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.
My 2000 Pathfinder started to sway back and forth in the rear of the car violently when going over bumps. Especially at higher speeds then 45mph and especially when there are turns in the road or freeways. Really happens on freeways when there is a turn to the left and there seems to be those bumps that big rig trucks seem to make in some of the lanes. The car starts swaying back and forth in the rear real bad and seems like the car could flip over if in the right circumstances! Very scary! Very unsafe!. Have read thousands of the same complaints online everywhere that it is the rear control arm bushings that seem to wear out and need replacing.
Related recalls
Suspension › Front
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, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode…
Remedy: 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.
Suspension complaints in other Pathfinder years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2000 Nissan Pathfinder?
NHTSA has 41 complaints about the suspension of the 2000 Nissan Pathfinder, 37% of the model year's 112 complaints. The component named most often is front (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Nissan Pathfinder suspension problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 11V-244 (front, Apr 20, 2011). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2000 Nissan Pathfinder suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 133,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 2 injuries to suspension 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.