1989 Nissan Pathfinder: common problems

Owners of the 1989 Nissan Pathfinder filed 15 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 15
involving a crash: 3

What fails most often

1 Engine and cooling 27% of all complaints
2 Seat belts 27% of all complaints
3 Vehicle speed control 20% of all complaints
4 Steering 13% of all complaints
5 Suspension 13% of all complaints
6 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
7 Service brakes 7% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Engine and cooling: 4 complaints (27% of all).
Seat belts: 4 complaints (27% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (20% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Steering: 2 complaints (13% of all).
Suspension: 2 complaints (13% of all).

Engines and transmissions

US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.

2.4 L · petrol · 4 cyl
3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
automatic, 4-speed
manual, 5-speed

Drive: AWD, RWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 15 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

seat belts3 · 20%
steering or power steering problems1 · 7%
unintended acceleration1 · 7%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Engine and cooling	4	0
Seat belts	4	1
Vehicle speed control	3	2
Steering	2	0
Suspension	2	0
Electrical system	1	0
Service brakes	1	0
Other	2	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Vehicle was put in reverse ,went immediately into high speed backwards, hit tree driver. Put vehicle into neutral ,jumped gear into drive, brakes did not hold ,had to hit another tree in order to stop.throttle stuck wide open which caused the vehicle to go out of control, resutling in injuries to driver.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 1999-02-17 · NHTSA complaint #824676
After campaign 95v103002 was done in march 1996, experienced shoulder/lap buckle failure, when buckle detached, allowing driver to impact with interior.
Seat belts · crash · 1996-05-31 · NHTSA complaint #985145
Sudden acceleration/loss of control, causing accident/injuries.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 1996-04-17 · NHTSA complaint #502208
Consumer states front suspension component maybe broken or loose.
Suspension · 2001-09-27 · NHTSA complaint #785505
The manifold bolts are defective on these vehicles. I have nothing but problems with these things when I get the car inspected. Nissan fails to acknowledge that these things are faulty previous to 1995. What I find interesting is that when they do replace them (at your expense) they use a much heavier duty bolt! Why?
Engine and cooling · 2000-12-13 · NHTSA complaint #737126
While starting the vehicle up and still in park, vehicle accelerated at high speed. Consumer applied the brakes, and the pedal went half way to the floorlboard. Vehicle kept going at high speed, and the consumer had to turn the vehicle off to get the vehicle to come to a stop.
Vehicle speed control · 1999-11-08 · NHTSA complaint #852657
Exhaust header leaked and cracked. This is a non-moving part and should never wear out.
Engine and cooling · 1998-07-12 · NHTSA complaint #538277
Replacement seat belt (replaced under recall) fails. It will open with moderate forward pressure.
Seat belts · 1997-12-23 · NHTSA complaint #527514

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19966
19971
19981
19993
20001
20012
20051

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 9,286 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 25% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Pathfinder has 176 complaints (42 years in the data). This year has 15, below average.

What to check before buying

Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1989 Nissan Pathfinder?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, seat belts, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 15. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (20%), steering or power steering problems (7%), unintended acceleration (7%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1989 Nissan Pathfinder?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1989 Nissan Pathfinder from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1989 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.