Our 1998 pathfinder has what is described by many people as a "death wobble." it began after we bought it in 2003 and has happened several times since. It happened as recently as 2017 and I am beginning to be afraid to ride in it. At speeds between 40-70 MPH the car begins to violently shake from side to side. It gradually gets worse. Reducing your speed does help. It appears to begin because of a small, uneven place in the highway road, but then doesn't stop shaking back and forth, side to side. It has happened repeatedly even after having it supposedly fixed. Each time we have taken it to be repaired the service personnel are familiar with this problem callling it a "death wobble" and replace the struts and other affected parts. It's very expensive. We've done this 2-3 times but after a couple years it happens again. Can you please help owners of the nissan pathfinder with this defect? It's extremely unsafe and terrifies both driver and passengers. Please search online: 1998 nissan pathfinder death wobble and you will read hundreds of posts and utube videos about this problem. Please help us.
The worst 1998 Nissan Pathfinder problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Suspension47
- Transmission20
- Acceleration16
- Brakes15
- Body14
- Fuel system12
- Steering11
- Airbags10
- Tires9
- Engine6
- Electrical5
- Seat belts3
- Visibility2
- Wheels2
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
Recalls 2
Suspension: front
- What is wrong
- 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 island, vermont, washington d.c., west virginia and wisconsin. In areas of the country in which heavy concentrations of road salt are used, a mixture of snow/water and salt may enter an assembly location hole in the upper strut housing, causing water to collect at the mating surface of the strut housing panel and the inner hood ledge assembly. Over time, this snow/water and salt intrusion may result in corrosion of the strut tower housing in some subject vehicles.
- Risk
- The strut housing may crack and pull away from the inner hood ledge assembly. This may lead to grinding noises, increased steering effort, and possibly the steering column to break, resulting in the loss of steering control, which could result in a crash.
- 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. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 11V244000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: filler pipe and cap
- What is wrong
- 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 island, tennessee, vermont, virginia, west virginia , wisconsin and the district of columbia, during the coating process of the fuel filler tube assembly, an insufficient amount of coating may have been applied at the lower mounting bracket. This could result in an opening in the coating which can allow water to enter and make contact with the bare metal of the tube.
- Risk
- This may result in surface rust but not perforation of the tube. However, in those areas of the country which use heavy concentrations of road salt in the winter, if a mixture of snow/water and salt makes contact with the bare metal, corrosion may occur to a degree which results in perforation of the tube. In this case fuel leakage may occur when filling the tank. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 07V435000 · Recall details
See all 2 recalls for the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
Defect investigations
Frame/Body Structure Corrosion
In their Defect Information Report (DIR) of April 20, 2011, Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the federal safety agency that it would conduct a safety recall of certain 1996-2004 Nissan Pathfinder and 1997-2003 Infinity QX4 vehicles to repair corrosion damage to the driver's side front strut tower.The vehicles included in the recall are those that were originally sold, or are currently registered in salt belt states including Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.The DIR states in part, ...the strut housing may crack and pull away from the inner hood ledge assembly.This could lead to the strut housing panel separating and contacting the steering column lower shaft.Contact with the steering column lower shaft can cause steering difficulties and may require an increase in steering effort by the driver.If the steering column lower shaft completely fractured it would result in a total loss of steering control.In some cases, the strut housing panel can contact or affect adjacent brake system components.Complainants reported experiencing either steering or brake system issues, and in some cases, both.Nissan dealer's will inspect the strut housing and, based on the level of corrosion found, make an assessment as to how to remedy the vehicle (see defect information report for additional details). Brake system components adjacent to, and in the area of, the strut tower (i.e., brake master cylinder, left front brake line, ABS wire harness, etc.) will also be inspected.
PE11004
Technical service bulletins for the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder 88
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Diagnosis of vehicle pull (DRIFT) and/or steering wheel off-center
- 12 volt battery testing for in-service vehicles service information
- Silicone-based lubricant or grease CAN damage electrical components service information
- Vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start
- Intelligent key replacement or swapping between vehicles
- Windshield cracking
- Removing foreign material from the window glass
- Wheel bearing collision damage
- Strut and shock absorber replacement guidelines
- Service information
1998 Nissan Pathfinder fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3L 6‑cyl | RWD | 14-15 | 18 | 16 |
| 3.3L 6‑cyl | 4WD | 14 | 16-17 | 15 |
What 1998 Nissan Pathfinder owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I cant even drive down the street over 40 without the vehcle doing a death shake from hell to top that off due to the recall for the strut placement error causing my strut tower wall directly behind my passenger side front wheel to almost be completly gone from rusting out. This is total bullshit. Something gotta give. Im calling corporate in the morning. Hopefully they dont try to beat around bush with me like they do to all there customers they do wrong.
Tl* the contact owned a 1998 nissan pathfinder. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle hydroplaned during a rainstorm, flipped over, and crashed into a median on the highway. Upon impact, the contact and her daughter struck the windshield and glass was inserted into the passenger's head. The air bags deployed partially, in a balloon-like fashion, and the powder from the air bag entered the vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact was temporarily blinded and suffered neck pain from the impact of the windshield. Medical attention was required for both occupants. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location in altadena, california. A dealer was not contacted about the crash. The manufacturer was made aware of the crash. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 3,500. The VIN was not available.
We own a 1998 nissan pathfinder. There is a strong fuel odor emitting from the . The order of gasoline was so strong it filled the first floor of my home when the vehicle was parked in the garage. He vehicle was about 1/4 full of fuel my records indicate that the filler tube had been replaced. The manufacturer has been made aware of the failure. The mileage is 153k.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 nissan pathfinder. While driving 40 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a tree. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was able to be driven away from the scene. In addition, the power steering malfunctioned on several occasions. The contact stated that the steering wheel became very difficult to steer left or right. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the crash or the power steering failure. The failure mileage was 176,548.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 nissan pathfinder. When the vehicle was taken in for inspection, the front driver's side strut assembly was fractured and separated from the uni-body. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that it was unable to be repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 176,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 nissan pathfinder. When the shift lever was shifted into the reverse position, the vehicle failed to operate without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 nissan pathfinder. The contact was unable to shift the gear into reverse. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. Updated 7/16/15
We own a 1998 nissan pathfinder and for some reason we have lost our reverse but still have our park, neutral and drive, and 4 wheel drive. We were told that it could be the clutch pack that needs replaced but then after talking to the mechanic that inspected it for us he said that he thought we might be looking at a new transmission. Is there any recalls for this reason for this truck?
Driving down the hwy and SUV started rocking back and forth side to side severely..I had to brake fast ..then when I accelerated it wobbled worse...I thought I was going to roll...could not go over 30...very dangerous and scary...I looked it up on forums to see if anyone else has had this problem....everybody that owns them has had this experience at all different mileages..they refer to it as the "death wobble" online...millions of vehicles have this problem from faulty bushings and trailing arms....yet they "nissan" refuse to recall or pay to fix it...here is "nissans" bulletin I found after researching online....they should be paying for this and there should be a recall...I hope that this gets some attention before someone gets killed service bulletin classification: ra97-002 reference: ntb98-001 date: april 1, 1998 pathfinder vehicle pull and front/rear suspension excessive play applied vehicle: 1996-98 pathfinder (r50) applied VIN: vehicles built before jn8ar05y*ww256932 service information if a 1996-98 pathfinder exhibits the following conditions, the cause may be from worn bushing(s) in the rear suspension upper and/or lower links. * excessive play in the rear axle especially during moderate acceleration or deceleration. * vehicle pulling at a constant speed * excessive sway and rocking motion in the front suspension when coming to a stop.
Compare the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
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Other model years
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Questions about the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
Is the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder reliable?
Owners have filed 149 complaints about the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder, close to a typical Pathfinder model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder?
Suspension, with 47 complaints, typically around 139,000 miles. Next is transmission (20).
How many recalls does the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder have?
2 recalls, covering suspension and fuel system, gasoline.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder suspension?
Yes, 1 recall: 11V244000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Nissan Pathfinder have bad suspension?
The Nissan Pathfinder model years with the most suspension complaints are 1997 (105 complaints), 2001 (68 complaints) and 1996 (64 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder get?
Official estimates for the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder range from 15 to 16 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.3L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 14-15 city and 18 highway.
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