Nissan Pathfinder Electrical Problems

ilovenissan

Last night while i was cleaning out the interior i had the keys in acc mode.While i was listing to the bose i looked at the gauge cluster and my rpm gauge was moving and so was the mph gauge i found that to be odd because the motors wasnt on.It stoped after about 3 seconds.About 5 minutes later the bose was changing the volume by its self.I pulled te keys out and it tolled me that the battery was dead.10 minutes later i turned the key back to acc mode.It then told me the battery was normal.About one day passed i got into it early in the morning i turned the motor off while i was at the pump and the gauge cluster stated acting up again.

ritadmuncy

Headlights on my 1995 Nissan Pathfinder won't work. I've putin a new battery, checked the alternator/belt, checked fuses. Parking light do work. Headlights don't work. Right now I'm on a dusk curfew!!! Yuk!!!!! Any suggestions short of having my husband sit on the hood with a latern?

flounderingfre

Good afternoon,
I just found this site my 95 pathfinder is doing the exact thing. i have taken the bulbs out and my battery goes dead. did yours drain your battery? did you ever figure out what was wrong with it. could you please help me out. i do not have the money for a new electrical system if you know what i mean.

icby

I bought this used vehicle in excellent physical shape from a dealer, but after the warranty expired I started to have electrical problems. (1) The interior dome light and trunk lights are intermittent and must be left in the off position, (2) door lights do not work (3) the security alarm horn would go off in the middle of the night when no events were happening--I had to disconnect the horn, (4) the stereo radio/cd control buttons on the steering wheel do not work. Anyone have any similar experiences and/or ideas how to fix this problem? icby

pathybabe

Hello,
I don't know if this will help any, but I have a '94 Pathy and a while back one of my high beam headlights was out. I tried everything I knew to check, but I ended up taking it to a Nissan dealer, and it was a headlight switch.

lildavidjax

I have pulled every pin switch at each door away from the body to test the switches. (switch closed goes to ground).
Somewhere the light circuit is getting grounded.I have the carpet out and have pushed and pulled on ALL the harnesses but
alas the lights never went off or even flickered. Any ideas?
Anyone? Is there possibly a switch in the tailgate that I cannot find? I am very mechanically inclined, so this is buggin' me bugger!

parsons73

I just bought a '95 and mine was doing the sames thing. In mine, it was the switch inthe rear hatch latch. If you open up the hatch and look up at the latch, on the left side there is a flat square black plastic "contact" that pushes back away from the gold metal piece when the door is closed. Apparently this plastic part wears out just enough to keep from moving off the metal piece leaving the dome lights on. Adjusting the latches wouldn't fix the problem, so I simply wrapped the left side of the strike plate (U-shaped metal loop at the rear floor where the door latch latches to) with about 3-4 wraps of electrical tape to make it thicker. The contact will hit that and slide away from the metal piece.

icby

Hi. Thanks for the very useful info on how to deal with the dome light problem on my 02 Pathfinder. The other problem is that intermittently, the alarm goes off for no apparent reason--usually in the middle of the night. Even when I click it with the remote to silence it. It will do so again later. No one trying to get in or loud noises. I had to have the horn fuse disconnected. Any ideas? Any way to adjust the sensitivity of the alarm system? Best wishes for the new year. Charles

pathstar1

It's probably one of the dome light switches. If you had an intermittant rear hatch switch as just posted about, that would do it. You can also check the door switches for water corrosion. They're easy to remove and inspect. There is no motion detector in the stock alarm system, so noise or vibration will not set it off.

tlditanna

I have a 1995 XE Pathy with 145K on it. Recently had to replace the battery and alternator. Now the red LED next to the Security switch on the little console between the front seats won't stop flashing. No matter what position I set the switch it keeps flashing. I don't believe the security system works anymore but I'm concerned that the flashing LED will gradually drain the battery. Does anyone know what I can do to disable the LED? I was thinking of prying the switch plate and disconnecting a wire.

lildavidjax

I don't know why the led might be flashing, but for an led to drain the battery, the car would have to be sitting for a very long time (months).

dj69

I have a problem that started two days ago. First, my left turn signal was stuck (left on) when the lights were on. Few other lights were also off. After a while, the lights including the signal light worked again. What a relief.. Then today, everything started out okay. About 10 minutes later, all of the inside dashboard lights, turn signal lights, all rear lights, and lights for radio and climate buttons went out. It's still out. Anyone with any crazy problems like mine? Thanks.

lildavidjax

I bet you bucks its the the cluster/ combo switch if all those things happened at once. They are pricey! $ 90-100. Not a hard repair to do yourself, haven't had to do one on my pathfinder yet.
Involves removing the steering wheel. After that should be a piece of cake. You should weigh your options on this one. I
personally would buy this part new, not from a junk yard.Good luck! David

lkendallsr

I am having major electrical problems with my Pathfinder. I had a remote start installed(bad idea) and had no problems with the vehicle until 8 months later. The list of things that it does is: head lights flicker, goes into 4wd on its on and then back to norm, heat/air cuts off/on by itself, VDC/SLIP cuts on/off by itself, etc. I have since had the remote start removed and the wiring harness where the system was tapped in repaired. I am still having the same problems and Nissan is refusing any more repairs involving this situation(They have replaced a number of control modules and the problems still persist). If anyone has any advice(besides getting rid of it), please let me know. Right now, i'm open to anything.

cbpatty

I have a 1994 pathfinder. both my headlights stopped working. I have changed the headlight switch and is still not working. Checked all fuses and they are good. I could really use some help. Thanks.

campfreddie

Hi Guys, Great Forum!

I have a 2001 Pathfinder SE with a none functioning clock. I was told I may have a short or I made may need to replace a fuse? Does anyone have a suggestion on how I go about repairing it myself? Thanks JC

dodger21

Great forum, thanks!

The tailights and brakelights have some issues. The tail lights work fine but the brake lights have ceased to function. I have checked the bulbs and both are fine, so is the fuse. Odd though, I remove the bulbs and replace bulbs with the bulb turned 180 (socket probes touching opposite light probes) and suddenly the brakelights work and the taillights no longer work. Hope this explination is enough to get a discussion started.
Thanks.

dudenbostel

We have a 2006 Pathfinder,please be aware the wiring harness can burn. We had a brake sensing unit put in a year ago right after we bought the vehicle. Our sensor lights came on a month ago and we took it to our dealer, Hampton Motors in Fort Walton Beach Florida, after diagnosing the vehicle they downed our vehicle as being unsafe and then determined the entire electrical wiring harness in the vehicle had completely melted. Now a month later, Hampton's determined because of the brake unit our warranty was void and are charging us $3000.00. The mechanic informed us the brake system was properly installed but other than the unit they cannot determine why the wiring harness burned. If your sensor lights on the dash are lit you need to immediately have it checked.

edrn

My 2002 Pathfinder seems to be having some issues. First of all, the power windows seem to have a mind of their own. Sometimes they all open and cannot close, other times they are fine. Also the power driver's seat has ceased to function. Would these items be fuse related?

switchfixer

Hello, I had the same problem on my 95' with the tail lights not coming on with the headlights or shutting off when driving (great no one could see me from behind). It's the turnsignal-headlight switch. I fixed this easly
in 30 minutes. Underneath the steering wheel remove the 4 screws that hold the bottom half of the steering wheel bezel. Once you have those off you can lift the top half of the bezel a bit to get to the two screws that hold the switch in place. Remove switch and take inside your home / or shop. There is a plastic plate that covers the where the
contacts are. That plate is about a 1 1/2" roughly square. I forget if it has screws or not , unscrew and or pry to pop that piece of plastic off. You will now see 4 or five contact legs. One for the headlamps 1 for taillamps and 2 turnsiganl contact legs. From turning headlights on/off alot they get unsprung a bit and will make little contact with the other mating surface. I used a small screw driver
to bend them towards the inside of the switch so they could make good contact. Take the switch in your hand and turn it on , you will see a one or two legs that have lost some off the orginal bend to make contact (thats the brake lights, use a small screw driver or you thumb to bend then inwards a bit to match the other legs. You could also use a very small pair of needle nose to bend the legs downword towards the other mating surface. My tail lights worked after this fix and i haven't had a problem in the year that i did this fix. good luck it works! Take your time to understand where and how the contact legs go to make a connection.

Those switches are too darn expensive but that is the problem
:shades: SWITCHFIXER

stever

That would make a good CarSpace Guide. Photos would be nice too. :shades:

ivette

Hi, I didnt have the window problem but I had to replace the motor in the driver's seat. Some of it worked but one part didnt and there was no way to fix other than replacing the whole thing.

ipoole1

I have a 2001 pathfinder and recently started to have electrical problems. First, I can not find the fuse box. The manual states in the passenger compartment, however, I can not find it. Second, the power doors are not working. Has anyone had the same problem?

ipoole1

I am having problems with driver seat where it does not move forward or backward however it moves up and down. Has someone come across this same problem?

newport444

Fuse box is behind the coin holder to the left of the steering wheel. Open the coin holder, then pull it down forcefully so it pops out past the retaining clips. There are also two more fuse boxes under the hood.

ipoole1

Thank you for the information. I will take a look tomorrow.

ipoole1

I am also having problems with the clock. It would work than it would stop and finally it stop working. If I get it fix I will let you know.

puertolarry

I just had the same no tail light problem on my 95 Pathfinder. After removing the cover on steering column, I used an electrical spray cleaner on the headlight switch and that immediately solved the problem. It's the same cleaner used on computer parts and works wonders.

offroadpro

the power socket on my 1997 pathfinder does not work . the manual says a internal temperature fuse coulb be the the culprit, problem is the manual does not show or say where it is at, anybody know?

voregel

did you end up fixing the problem? What did you find wrong?

thanks!

ipoole1

My friends husband works at a Nissan place he is going to take a look at it. When I find out exactly the problem and how to fix it I will let you know.

ysc75

Hi there.
I had same problem. Did you solve the problem??

russellnm79

My 95 pathfinder battery died last christmas, even though the battery was only 1 yr old & the alternator only 1.5 yrs old. I replaced the battery under warranty, and didn't have a problem until now (august), when it suddenly died on me during a trip to the supermarket. Even my brother's pickup couldn't jumpstart it. I'm thinking it's an electrical issue (my sensor already always thinks my doors are open) in that there might be a short that's draining the battery or that is causing the alternator to not charge it consistently. Any ideas?

switchfixer

Do you have access to a voltmeter. If you do check the voltage at the battery while running , it should be 13.50
to 14.50 volts. Then check when truck is of 11.50 to 12.50
.If you get a reading of 12 or below while running alternater is probably bad. If you can try another
battery. Good luck :shades:

spazz1982

I am also having the same problem as the other guy, i just put another alternator in and another new battery and yet for some reason it keeps dying still any i deas?

switchfixer

ok get a voltmeter if you can check it running and not running, like in my other post. You would be so suprised at
how many alternaters are defective. Did you have it put in by your mechanic or did you DIY? If you DIY you almost certianly got a bad one (do not buy Pep b#oy$). Let me know.
If battery and Alt positivly check out 100 % you have a bad ground to the battery or alt. keep in touch. :mad:
Switchfixer.

spazz1982

ya i did it yself and everything seem to go good for about 1 day and then it strarted actin as if was runnin on just battery power again. makes me wonder if the remanufactured alternator went thatf ast caus ei know its highly possible., thanks for the input and ill give what u say a shot.

switchfixer

yeap, No doubt about it. "running on battery power" almost everytime means defective alternator. I would advise to get refund on your Alt and buy from another parts house ( maybe a bad production run) . Regards,
SwitchFixer :mad:

kaydogs9

just bought path for 9k, driving home from dealer and gas guage,temp guage, and speedo all stand straight up(or full,high)then flutter and fall to empty,low but the speedo surges up to 80mph and stays stuck.nothing working untill i drive back to dealer.trucks off for 5 minutes works again only untill i drive away again.was raining, wander if its shorting.fuses look fine.works the next day(so far)this is not what i was expecting from the nissan i was told about.anyone know about intermit dashboard guages going nuts?

switchfixer

It really sounds like a bad speed sensor. The speed sensor goes to the gauge cluster and could cause that.

If your going to keep the Pathfinder get the shop book at pep boys for it. Then you can find and replace bad
sensors yourself. Good luck!
SwitchFixer :shades:

kaydogs9

thanks for the reply.called the repair place today (dealer sent me to) he asked if it was working.i said yes for the last 2 days works fine.said call back thur if it acts up again,if not theres nothing he can do(cant just start replacing everything he says)i wonder if this kinda thing can just go away ?or am i dreaming,and next month it wont work again. i appreciate the advice ,and will make a note of it.im no mech, but can do some minor repairs,plugs etc.thanks

switchfixer

Well my wifes car did the same thing for a while and eventully she had to have the speed sensor replaced.
I mean you can get lucky for a while and maybe
longer.

Years ago we had speedometer cables that were mechanical
nowadays its computer driven. So if your speedo jumps around that means the sensor is losing its sensing
range.

As far as lose connections to the back of the gauge cluster
and bad fuses i doubt all that.

As far as you mech saying "cant just start replacing everything" he is right because theres really only one or two things it could be - The VSS = vehicle speed sensor. or
the ABS speed sensor if your vehical has two sensors

One ? does your ABS light come on?
Switchfixer :mad:

kaydogs9

the abs light did not go on. everything seems to be working now except the gas guage seems to go quickly.what size gas tank is this 18gal? i hope so.the jeep just got rid of had 20 ,went much slower.thanks for the info

switchfixer

Probably a 15 gallon that's what they used in the 95's they could have change though. Make sure your air pressure is good with your tires and a clean air filter and oil change makes a world of difference.

The Pathfinders are known for gulping down gas, so
you have to go easy out of stop lights and drive it a
little easier and you will see more miles out
of a tank.
Swutchfixer

switchfixer

Also try not to load your Pathfinder down with all your worldly possessions - I used to have all my tools in the truck and that hurt my mileage, now I just load them when I need them.
SwitchFixer :shades:

kaydogs9

well it has atleast 17 gal cap ,i just put in 16 and some change gals.was i mislead on the 19mpg? 1998

lildavidjax

The right side headlamp fuse keeps blowing even when the bulb
is unplugged. Anyone have any idea/experience where my problem might be? No skinned wires that I can see near the plug.
HELP! :mad:

switchfixer

Hello what year, make and model?
Switchfixer

lildavidjax

LOL. Switchfixer, (DUH) it's a 93 Pathfinder, sorry!
Now for the real funny part: I had removed my center console to paint it the other day, when I put it back, I plugged the fog lamp leads back in to the switch. It's not a molded plug, just 3 loose leads.I created my own short! :P I found that the fog lights get their power from the right side headlamp wiring via a splice near the combo switch on the underside of the steering column! Go ahead and laugh! I did! Now about the idle problem I have.... :shades:
David

switchfixer

LOL, yea well the outcome was good. I'm glad you figured it out. Idle problem hmmm? Let me know.
Switchfixer :shades:

kaydogs9

98 pather 95k i noticed my right headlight out the other night,i went over to it and smacked it a couple times (lightly)and it came back on. heated seats dont work, instrument cluster needs replacing,it goes bizzurk every hundred miles or so.luckly just bought it and noticed quick enough to tell dealer.i like the suv well enough, have a feeling it has serious electrical issues(engineering flaw).
it says it has a 21 gal tank in manual.but i can only squeeze 19.99 gals in ,even after driving 30 miles in the light.i believe it does better mpg then my old 04 jeep chero(6 cyl 4.0)