AI Damage2000 Nissan Pathfinder: common problems
Owners of the 2000 Nissan Pathfinder filed 112 complaints with NHTSA, most often about suspension and structure. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 112
- involving a crash
- 9
What fails most often
- 1 Suspension 37% of all complaints
- 2 Structure 26% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 24% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 10% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 9% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 8% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 5% of all complaints
- 8 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
- Suspension: 41 complaints (37% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 29 complaints (26% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 27 complaints (24% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 11 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel system: 10 complaints (9% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 112 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 41 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 29 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 27 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Tires | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Wheels | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Airbags never deployed either. I thought I did something but got the recall notice right after my accident. Unfortunately, I had already settled with the insurance company on a payout and they took possession of the car so I have no way of verifying that this is what caused it but I honestly believe it was!
Had a severe car accident because the back right tire blew out and detreaded. Sustained from neck and back pains. Fix of the nissan pathfinder costs near $10000. Under medical evaluation.
While driving my suv I heard a loud bang, inmediatelly after that, the suv turned abruptly to the right. I tried to maintain on my lane but it was useless. The vehicle kept turning right. I pressed the brakes, and then the vehicle skidded on the wet pavement slamming the vehicle against the bridges wall.
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.
windshield wiper motor and relay stopped working no known new parts for relay
The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after it was parked. The vehicle was towed to the dealer (russ darrow nissan of milwaukee, 11212 w metro auto mall, milwaukee, [ZIP], [phone]) where it was diagnosed that there was a crack in the transmission that caused the failure.
The left front strut housing has corroded and is breaking away. This seems to be similar to the following recall:campaign id #: :r1107; nhtsa #11v-244. This vehicle, however, is not registered in designated "salt states" but owned and operated within 30 miles of 2 such states.
There was extensive rust and corrosion. The dealer kept the vehicle for further diagnostic testing. The contact was eventually provided with a loaner vehicle. The dealer refused to remedy the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified and indicated that a dealer should be able to provide the remedy for the repair.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 3,305 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 9% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Pathfinder has 176 complaints (42 years in the data). This year has 112, below average.
What to check before buying
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
- Pathfinder 198719 sources
- Pathfinder 198817 sources
- Pathfinder 198915 sources
- Pathfinder 199038 sources
- Pathfinder 199139 sources
- Pathfinder 199230 sources
- Pathfinder 199349 sources
- Pathfinder 199491 sources
- Pathfinder 1995170 sources
- Pathfinder 1996159 sources
- Pathfinder 1997217 sources
- Pathfinder 1998149 sources
- Pathfinder 1999104 sources
- Pathfinder 2001230 sources
- Pathfinder 2002156 sources
- Pathfinder 2003110 sources
- Pathfinder 200467 sources
- Pathfinder 20051,050 sources
- Pathfinder 2006837 sources
- Pathfinder 2007561 sources
- Pathfinder 2008328 sources
- Pathfinder 200937 sources
- Pathfinder 201040 sources
- Pathfinder 201145 sources
- Pathfinder 201223 sources
- Pathfinder 2013891 sources
- Pathfinder 2014576 sources
- Pathfinder 2015321 sources
- Pathfinder 2016244 sources
- Pathfinder 2017349 sources
- Pathfinder 2018206 sources
- Pathfinder 2019189 sources
- Pathfinder 2020143 sources
- Pathfinder 202132 sources
- Pathfinder 2022280 sources
- Pathfinder 2023194 sources
- Pathfinder 2024119 sources
- Pathfinder 202570 sources
- Pathfinder 202621 sources
- Pathfinder 99995 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2000 Nissan Pathfinder?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: suspension, structure, steering. Total complaints: 112. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (37%), knocking, grinding or other noise (6%), vibration (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2000 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 2000 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 2000 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.