Nissan Pathfinder Meet the Members

sls666 · May 2001

Hi, I'm Stephanie. My Town Hall handle is sls666. For my birthday, I bought myself a fully loaded 2001 LE, Sierra Silver pathfinder w/charcoal leather. So far I have just under 6K. Got a great deal, too. Did all of the negotiation on the phone then when I went to the dealer, the poor salesman almost had a coronary when he found out I had a trade-in. Chalk one up for us consumers.

Then when the snows came (15-20"), followed by a warm-up, then a deep freeze, I was LMAO as I watched everybody dig out their cars. I've never had a car w/a sunroof & I love it. Already have a bit of a tan, too.

Only had a few minor problems, besides the dreaded shimmy, but I addressed that in the "Problems" forum. I went thou a car wash, and afterwards, noticed a leak coming from under the dashboard on the passenger side. I crawled up under there & found that a small tube about the size of a drinking straw was the culprit. Then, as I was drying off the car, I noticed leaks in the sunroof. The dealer knew right away what the problem was. Seems some drain holes were clogged up. And no, I didn't have the car after-market rust-proofed, due to advice not to, specifically for that reason.

All in all, I love this truck. I'll never go back to a car again. Now if I could only afford the gas. :-)

mdj3 · May 2001

FIRST BRAND NEW VEHICLE EVER, SAID I WOULD NEVER BUY NEW, BUT THE 240HP GOT THE BETTER OF ME. BOUGHT THE GREEN 4WD SE DELIVER DATE SAME AS MY DAUGHTER WAS BORN(JUST IN TIME TO TAKE MY WIFE HOME IN). LOVE THE HIGH RIDE, PERFECT TO PULL THE BOAT. NO PROBLEMS YET, EXCEPT I WAS CLEANING SOME BUGS OFF THE WINDSHIELD AND NOW IT HAS SCRATCHES!! IS THERE SOME SORT OF COATING ON THE WINDSHIELD OR WHAT, I HAVE NEVER SEEN A WINDSHIELD DO THAT BEFORE. MINOR PROBLEM THOUGH, JUST OVER 6,000 KM, NO REGRETS.

neil73 · May 2001

My wife and I bought the PF in Feb at Edmunds TMV price. Great truck no rattles or shimmies. Much higher quality vehicle than my Chevy.

turkdre · May 2001

Bought a Pathy LE loaded in January and have about 6000 miles on it. Great truck. I have really enjoyed it. Wish the Nav System was more detailed in my local area but maybe the update in June will handle that. Also, suprised that I could not get CD's for Canada. It certainly works well in the Orlando and Jacksonville areas.
Only problem I've had is an Oxygen sensor causing the service engine light to come on. No shimmy as some have mentioned. Enjoy the comments of owners and want to be owners.

sabre66 · August 2001

Hi, everyone i'm Curt. I Drove my '01 Apsen White Pearl LE off the show room floor about a week ago and already have over 500 miles on it. Gotta say after trading in a '01 Acura CL Type S, it hasn't been at all a hard transition. The truck rides great on the road and of course has a little bounce, but that's expected with a 4000 lb SUV. The interior is great and comfortable and the Bose system sounds better than what the CL-S had. In case your wondering why i traded a sweet '01 car for a '01 SUV...i'm buying a house and getting married all in the next 9 months, so the Pathfinder will provide alot more utility (and fun). I'll miss the speed and fun of the CL-S, but when i'm camoing in mountains with my dog (Sabre) and fiancee looking at the dirt on the tires and dust on the hood of the Pathfinder, i won't regret it a bit.

Looking forward to gaining some insight on the truck and learning from the experience of long time Pathfinder owners.

gerald57 · October 2001

Bought our 2001SE 4X4 about 2 months ago so far, except for some paint problems that Nissan and the dealership have, and are, taking care of, we love it. We bought it to make trips bact to Colorado again. We lived there for 9 years, from 67 to 76, and in Wyoming for 7 years, from 76 to 83. We had a 71 Wagoneer then, we bought it in 72. We made many camping trips to the High Country in those days, but now we are in Houston TX and are homesick for the mountains. Our boys are grown so it will be just us and that will be great--sort of. I like this site because it keeps me in touch with problems, solutions and up-grades for our Pathy. This is my 5th Nissan and 4th from Mossy Nissan. They treat a person great and are very willing to work on problems with the unit. I would love to meet some folks from Colorado, and maybe go 4-wheeling together next fall. Use my e-mail address to get in touch.

john315 · November 2001

Anyone know where I can see one of those underground photos that are always out whenever a vehicle gets a new look? I want to buy an SE next year, but I need to see the new one first.

Thanks.

goatshead_81 · November 2001

Howdy folks. I'm from Pennsylvania and had my 1992 XE for quite a long time- (only 85,000 miles). It seems that the majority of posts for this club deal with the newer models. Could you possibly start a club of "1995 and before"? i think the big change in design happened in 1996? Look forward to enjoying this site. just registered last week. still finding my way.

goatshead_81 · November 2001

i have a 1992 pathy with 85,000 miles - i can't relate to alot of the newer models and discussions. How about creating a discussion group for just us dinosaurs?

puertoricanpat · December 2001

Greetings from the island of Puerto Rico.
I have a 2001 SE pathfinder and it's a great ride. It would be nice if more accessories could be found for this SUV.

puertoricanpat · December 2001

nissanlover · December 2001

Can these two tail lamp be retrofit each other?
Pathfinder is $110-140/each
QX4 is $60/each..
Why is that? I thought Infiniti one should be more expensive that other.

cagy11 · December 2001

Howdy all..I'm Ed, San Antonio, Texas. We now have 3 PF SE 4x4s in the family. A '00 in Alaska. a '01 in Illinois and I just took delivery on a '02 PF 4x4 SE, auto, leather, ltd slip diff, sunroof & popular pkgs. Dealer went for invoice and took my 92 Exp in trade for near what I wanted.

My 02 SE has the new roof rack with the XTierra look...the rack has a front air dam (you can't call it a deflector!) and there's a 1/2 inch gap between the bottom of the air dam and the roof...the wind noise w/ the sunroof open is considerably higher than the '00 with no air deflector or the '01 with the Nissan installed air deflector. It's not intolerable...just louder than it should be!

Anybody else having this problem with the '02 SEs? Any ideas? The dealer's parts manager is sending a query thru Nissan channels. If there are other '02 PF SE owners with sunroof wind noise situation, we might try and make some group noise to our dealers and see what happens. Only the '02 SE has this rack with the air dam in the front...the LE's are like last year and most have the air deflectors installed.

kpt_krunch · December 2001

Hello everyone. I purchased 18 months ago (April 7, 2000) a 2000 Pathy. Got it with 7km's on the odometer. This is only my second new vehicle (first was a 1991 Nissan 240SX). After 18 months of ownership no problems, except for that annoying sqeak in the rear end. It goes away when I turn on the superb sound system though

jackburton · December 2001

Hi all, my name is jack. Screen name jackburton. Just bought a 2002 Dark Green LE with tan leather interior. I love it so far. I feel really confident I made the right choice. I looked at a lot of sport ute's and finally settled on the Nissan.

peace,
jackburton

paisan · January 2002

Should come with the Subaru-Isuzu owners crew to a light off-road trip to the Pine Barrens of NJ. Check this thread out:

http://i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=543bce2b2c716f667e19b432b656d056&threadid=130770

-mike

'00 Trooper

'88 XT6

'91 XT6

ralsidewinder · February 2002

Hi Folks

Name here is Andy and I've just made the decision to get a 2002 Sierra Beige 4x4 SE 5-speed (man, it was -hard- to come by!). This is after 15 years of being a loyal Honda owner.

I have a rack question that's similar to cagy11's.. I haven't investigated the workings of the rack, but are the crossbars adjustable? Further, can the system be removed to make room for an aftermarket rack? I suppose I'll find out when I take delivery of the truck next week, but I was curious to know if anyone else had similar experience. I'm an avid kayaker who has found that factory racks are renowned for being unable to handle heavier loads (like a 50lb, 14' long piece of plastic!).

-andy
Raleigh, NC

p.s. - For those with concerns about Bridgestone tires, my Prelude has had them ever since I bought the car and they've been second to none in terms of performance and reliability. Most sport tires (I know, different from M/S) aren't guaranteed past 20k miles. Mine have lasted to 50k and I'm just about to replace them. I'd buy them again in a heartbeat.

meca2 · February 2002

I set a 18' 100 lb on the factory rack and it works
great!! The rack is good for 150 lb. And yes
the rack can be moved and removed if needed. I have
removed the factory rack and installed Yakima
Easy rider and installed my kayak and and two
mountain bikes!! No problem.

neckred · May 2002

neckred · May 2002

Cagy11, I bought Silver 2002 SE with sunroof, I have the same problem as you described about sunroof wind noise. I almost thought about to take away the wind deflector or other ways to seal it at the bottom.. But I agree with you that we should have some group voice back to Nissan to get some solution. People have the same problem, please pass that through your dealer. thanks. David, Cary, NC

dlundgren · May 2002

I have a 2002 SE with that rack, but the front fairing is right down to the roof - no gap. I have the sunroof open almost all the time, day, night, whatever, short of a steady rain. I've found it to be very quiet with minimal wind noise, less buffetting than on our 2001 LE with the add on sunroof deflector. My only gripe is that the fairing should be see through tinted instead of opaque plastic.

tencentpart · August 2002

Well, I bought it new last February and have 12,000 miles on it now....

Hello, great site here! I am Brad from NW sububan Chicago and I am so glad I found it. Edmunds helped me so much last February in making my decision to wean myself from Volvo wagons (wonderful vehicles) and purchase a new '02 PF LE. What a great decision that was.... (sorry Volvo). This past summer my wife and I and our two teens piled into the PF and went ALL over Wisconsin. What a joy the Pathfinder was - in everyway (even though the teens didn't moan about the lack of space in the backseat - I hope Nissan improves on that in the future). I fitted my large Thule Adventurer luggage box to the top and it fit perfectly. Like Meca2 said above, the LE rack (one of the best around) can be removed to make way for another roof rack system.

My PF does everything I ask it to.... My work commute on Chicago's expressways is a joy (it's even saving me from the dreaded road construction) as is taking it out on weekends.

I love the 3.5L V6. Since Ward's Automotive has started naming the World's Top Ten engines, this Nissan V6 is the ONLY one to have made that list every year (7 years running).... Another reason why I switched to Nissan. They got it right!

Thanks, Edmunds, for this area on your site!
Brad

danpf1 · September 2002

I have a 2001 PF LE AWD. I have about 10,000 miles on it. One problem, the rear end has a tendency to bottom out over rough roads and dips.
I purchased Air Lift air bags for the rear. problem solved. has any one else had this problem?
Dan from Clovis CA.

xplorx4 · September 2002

Yes. Lots of people. I believe there are several posts on this exact issue in some of the other Pathfinder forums here.

Basically, you're not alone.

onboost91 · September 2002

Picked up my new Blue (which is a really nice color btw) 02 LE from the dealer last night. I cross-shopped it with the Highlander and the Explorer and for me it wasn't a difficult decision. The Explorer felt too big, much cheaper, and long-term reliability was a concern. The Highlander is nice but they arent really dealing on it and my wife and I had some issues with some of its interior aesthetics. I've also heard rumors that the Highlander may only have a AWD system capable of 85%F/15%R which isnt very confidence inspiring. I would have loved to have a look at the Murano but they keep pushing the release date back and the reliability on first year releases for any manufacturer generally isnt that good.
I live in Upstate NY (Albany) and am hoping it will be surefooted in the snow and last a long time.

nissangirl · October 2002

I would think you are more likely to bottom out in an LE vs. the SE which has the sport tuned suspension.

phil47 · October 2002

who confirmed that all replacement parts for the suspension of both the SE and LE are identical. This was during my research to "sport tune" the suspension on my 2001 LE.

smokey75 · October 2002

Yeah PHIL47, you're right. The SE & LE have the identical suspension. This was a discussion in the boards a while back & everyone came to the same conclusion. No difference, unlike other Nissan vehicles...

sailor16 · November 2002

I've just completed the first week of ownership of my '03 Chilkoot.My wife has had Nissans for the past five years("98 Altima and now an '02 Max GLE) without trouble.Hope my experience is as good.(so far so good!)

phil47 · November 2002

Welcome to PF ownership. I've owned my 2001 LE for 2.5 years now, and I'm still not over that "new car" love affair. It's a great truck.

sailor16 · November 2002

Did my first road trip this past weekend.The PF was very comfortable for a 2 hour ride and as solid as a rock with the cruise set at 125.

nissangirl · December 2002

Is that really a good idea being brand new? I was told...No!

xplorx4 · December 2002

is probably KPH, not MPH. Note sailor16's country of origin is CA, not US.

nissangirl · December 2002

That was scary. Thank you for correcting that for me.

zgxl04 · January 2003

Hello Pathfinder Lovers,
I bought my Nissan in 1989 4WD brand new just out of college....basic as they come-no radio (still no radio installed), manual windows and doors. I have since driven her 195,000 miles and I know it will be time to retire her but I get emotional everytime I think about. I cannot bring myself to even look at other vehicles.

She has been very reliable and after all these years the only problems I've had were: replace alternator, replace starter, replace radiator and replace transmission. The reason why I had to replace the transmission was because I did a stupid thing by having the fluid flushed out at 120,000 miles for the first time since purchasing. The transmission fluid looked clean. They say that if you don't flush out your fluid regularly after 30,000 mi then you shouldn't flush it out at all.

I get a lot of flack from friends and co-workers about driving such and old car but I love the vehicle. We owned a BMW while we were living in Europe but I let my husband drive that and I shipped my Pathfinder overseas and drove her there for 2.5 years and paid to ship her back to USA.

I hope you Pathfinder owners get as much enjoyment out of your vehicle as I have mine. If you treat them right they will be reliable...:)

smokey75 · January 2003

That's good to hear ZGXL04... I plan on keeping my 2001 PF at least 10 years & hope it will be just as reliable

pathstar1 · May 2003

Hi guys. I was Pathstar, now pathstar1, as (so far) I haven't been able to move my login to my new home cable modem account. Was lucky enough to be able to retire very early from work, so now I can do "more productive" things. Just to jog minds, I have a 2001 LE in Edmonton, Alberta Canada (still in snow!!!). Well, it's raining now, but there is still some snow on the ground. Don't let anyone try to tell you an SUV isn't needed!

airforce3 · December 2003

Hi, I'm Roy Stewart from sunny Northern California. I have owned Nissan's since 1986, and recently purchased a 2004 Pathfinder Armada LE. This is my second Pathfinder. I love this car, but I'm having trouble with my climate-controlled heater system. The heater will not responds to the temp setting--it tends to discharge cool air regardless of the setting, except full hot (90 degrees). Is anyone else having similar problems?

pathy04 · April 2004

This is my 2nd pathfinder, i had traded-in my SE 2001 to 2004 LE4x4 platinum edition. Its the most dependable vehicle i have owned

I really like this vehicle, This one had VDC on it

I was expecting a HID head lights and the fog lights similar to Q4. I beleive Nissan was matching the features of Q4 on this platinum edition

Great SUV !!!

danpf1 · April 2004

I purchased my 01 in Dec. 01. I have 22,000 miles without any problems. I made a few modifications to the rear, added air lift air bags and rancho shocks and a grill guard. It runs great and is very reliable.

cryobaby · August 2004

Thanks for having a place where Pathfinder owners like me can visit and share info.

Hey everybody, my name is Jon and I just joined. I just bought my first SUV last April, a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 SE, I got it with only 18k miles on it!!

Over the past four months, I've noticed that the front end suspension is a bit tempermental. I just had new tires (4 Yokohama Geolanders HTS) put on at Tires Plus (owned by Firestone) and ballanced as well as a front end allignment done last Sat. The next day, I noticed some knocking and vibration coming from the front wheels. I took it back to Tires Plus yesterday and after waiting for 3hours, they said that they forgot to balance the wheels when the new tires were put on. After leaving, I still noticed the same noise and vibration. Today, I took it to the Tires Plus near my office and had them check it in which the manager did the work himself. The ride was much better but the knocking during braking was still present.

I decided I better take it to the Nissan Dealer to get the pros to take a look. They found that I had a bad strut on the front driver's side!! I do not understand how a strut could go bad at only 23K miles!!! I do not hit curbs, potholes, or run offroad (yet, hee heehee) so there's no explanation I can think of on my part.

Anyway, it was covered under warranty and I now have a great ride. Has anyone else had the same or similar issues I've recently experienced??

Thanks!

danpf1 · August 2004

I would like to up date my original post as a new member to say that my 2001 Pathfinder has turned out to be one of the finest vehicles that i have purchased to date, bare none. I now use full synthetics, front to rear, with a little hesitation at first but after a few months running full synthetics found that they are a perfect match for this great SUV. Also like to say that this forum has been very informative and educational, to say the least. Keep up the good work.
Dan

newman · August 2004

I love the pictures on some of the web sites.Im falling in my love with my 95 pathfinder 4x4SE. I drive it more than our 94 dodge van.It does pretty good on the highway getting almost 20 miles to a gallon.I would like to spice it up some more but money is tight. Im from kansas and love to take shortcuts with my pathfinder!

brickyfw · February 2005

Hello everyone. I'm BrickyFW. I bought my 2001 SE about 3 weeks ago on eBay, flew to Richmond, VA, and drove it back to TX. So far, it's awesome. I used to own a 2000 Xterra, and loved it too. My PF is Burnt Cherry, with sun roof and it's got the manual transmission with 4x4.

annoyedman · February 2005

I just purchased my first Pathfinder (first Nissan as well) - a used 2002 SE 4WD w/ green exterior and tan interior - about a month ago. So far, I like it waaaaaaaay more than the constantly breaking and reliably unreliable 2002 Saturn VUE I traded in.

We took it for our first road trip this past weekend, a short weekend jaunt up to Ventura and then inland through Ohai, Santa Paula, and Filmore before returning to Pasadena. We did not have the opportunity to take it off road at all, but it travelled very well as a comfortable and roomy highway car. The somewhat poor fuel economy I normally experience around town expanded dramatically, netting me an additional 30 or 40 miles on this tank of gas.

So far, it's a great car. Hopefully, it will remain so.

Karen_S · March 2005

Full Test: 2005 Nissan Pathfinder

greenpath · March 2005

Hi my name is des i have a 97 pathfinder and presently live in jersey city nj i am looking 4 any one with info on modifing my suspention if any one have any info please let me know

pathmaker · March 2005

Hello All! I've read this thread for a while, but, this is my first post. I own a green '97 Pathfinder with front end damage, and I'm looking to part it out. It's been an exceptional truck, but, it's time to move on. There are plenty of good parts to be had. It's only got 85K on the drivetrain (w/ a manual transmission). I'm looking to part it out, but, I'd also consider selling it on the whole.

emoshuns · April 2005

Townhall Name: Emoshuns

Hi, I own a 2001 LE 3.5 Pathfinder. I purchased my Pathfinder in July 2002 Silver w/Black Leather. Iti s now April 2005. I have 94,000 miles. (Yes) I replaced the tires that came with my truck with Michelin Tires, I still have the same tires on my truck from day one. My (PATH) provides a smooth EXCELLENT ride compared to the emotional roller coaster you get with a Ford Explorer. I drive to New York 4x a year and to Chicago once a year............in between Virginia, Tennessee, Florida and Texas. (Love to travel). Have faith in your purchase the Path is alot stonger/sturdy & reiable than the look (My path name is (JIGGA) I am a Jay-z fan...............this is where the name is generated from. Periodic Oil changes and regular>>>>>Rotate/Balance & Alignment is allI have done to my Path. Rugular maintence as scheduled by Nissan per milege requirements 30,60,90 etc.

dmoniz · June 2005

Hello,

My name is Dave from Mass and I just purchased my 4th Nissan, a 95 Pathfinder as my son's first car. I now own a 98 Altima SE, 99 Quest SE and an 01 Sentra SE. The latest addition to our Nissan family is an XE 4x4 with 102,000 miles and is in excellent condition. The interior is very clean with no rips or tears. After reading all these forums on the Pathfinder, I know I made a good choice for a dependable vehicle. Does anyone know if the engine is an interference or not? I know the timing belt is supposed to be changed at 105,000 and just wondering if owners have gone many miles past that. Also, I'm getting a strange humming/static sound on occasion from the door speaker in both the Path and the Altima. Any thoughts?

Thank you,

Dave

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