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.
1998 Nissan Pathfinder suspension problems
47 complaints (32% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 139,000. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 47
- of this car's complaints
- 32%
- typical mileage
- 139,000
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Rear17
- Front8
- Front: shock absorber1
- Front: macpherson strut1
- Front: control arm: upper ball joint1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Nissan Pathfinder suspension problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder suspension
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
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
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 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.
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.
1998 nissan pathfinder. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle suspension recall issues. *smd the consumer stated after he hit a pothole, the would rock from left to right. The consumer was informed of the recall, which was rectified on sept 23, 2011. The bearings, tires, and struts were replaced. *jb updated 05/04/15.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 nissan pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, there was an abnormal clicking noise coming from the front end of the driver's side. The contact mentioned that while making a left turn to exit the highway, the front driver's side tire fractured. The contact was able to slowly drive the vehicle to his residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000. Updated 10/10/14*cn the consumer stated the strut came off of the vehicle after exiting the freeway. According to the dealer both struts needed to be replaced. Updated 3/31/2015
As I was driving on the highway, while accelerating, my SUV started rocking from side to side. I had to apply the brakes in order for it to stop rocking. It felt as if my SUV was going to rollover even though I was driving straight and at the speed limit. This has happened several times. It happened this morning while driving around 55 MPH on a straight highway. It has also happened while on a curve but is even worse at that point.
Vehicle strut housing and strut had to be replaced on driver side and passenger side ,front driver side tire also had to be replaced due to it. All services was done by a mechanic and charged for labor and parts. Please email me about this @[xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 nissan pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel began to wobble and the driver felt like she was going to lose control of the vehicle. The failure ocurred while driving at low speeds as well, but the degree of wobbling was lesser. The vehicle wobbled so much that the passengers became queasy. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnosis and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed new bushings, control arms, and struts. The manufacturer was notified and offered little assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 180,000.
I am having multiple issues with my 1998 nissan pathfinder due to corrosion. The most recent incident was while I was driving my muffler fell off. I took it to a shop and when they raised the vehicle, the entire exhaust system had corrosion and holes from it. This was followed by last years strut housing corrosion which broke off the strut from the frame of the vehicle while I was driving. I lost brakes and had to step on pedal all the way, and then the vehicle gradually came to a stop. The recall notice came after the incident. This was followed by the previous year's gas tank corrosion which caused gas to drip. Also a recall notice came in and nissan dealer fixed issue.
Questions about the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder suspension
Does the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder have suspension problems?
Owners have filed 47 complaints about the suspension of the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder, 32% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 1998 Nissan Pathfinder suspension problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 139,000 miles.
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).
Other 1998 Nissan Pathfinder problems
Transmission 20Acceleration 16Brakes 15Body 14Fuel system 12Steering 11Airbags 10Tires 9Engine 6Electrical 5Seat belts 3Visibility 2Wheels 2
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