1994 Nissan Pathfinder SE review from North America

REPLACED TRANSMISSION TWICE.

Expensive exhaust leak (manifold bolts broke off in head)

Alternator.

Starter.

Water pump.

Radiator.

Ignition.

Timing belt.

Power locks and windows malfunctioned.

Too many small problems to list...

I bought this car used in 1999, it had 58,000 miles on it. I drove it for 7 years and probably put 125,000 miles on it. For the most part it was a pretty good ride with normal parts needing replacement like water pumps and alternators, but replacing the transmission TWO times really chapped my hide. I got totally ripped off on the first transmission rebuild by a large and well known Nissan dealership north of Atlanta. The car was paid off and I did not feel like getting wrapped up in another car payment. I paid $3200 for a factory rebuild, with the idea in my head that the authorized service and high price would pay off in the long run by giving me a sturdy transmission that I could rely on for many years. Boy was I wrong. The transmission only lasted 16 months. I did not treat this vehicle rough at all and the thing wore out 4 months after the warranty ran out. Nissan people were not sympathetic at all. Neither the dealership (which I will refuse to name in order to get this warning out) or Nissan headquarters would cut me any slack and refused to assist me at all. I took it to a local shade tree mechanic and he did a rebuild for $1200. I drove it for about a year (until the 2nd transmission warranty almost ran out) then swapped it for a Jeep Grand Wagoneer, which I love.

Along with the transmission problems, there was an exhaust leak that I never would get repaired due to the cost of the repair. Since the bolts that attach the exhaust were broken off in the head, the entire motor was going to have to be removed in order to re-bore the holes and re-attach the exhaust system. Everywhere I took it for an estimate it was over $500, so I just never got it fixed. Every mechanic I took it to said this was a common problem with all Nissan models. A few joked "they come from the factory with an exhaust leak like that."

I never gave this thing a hard time. I do not know why she hated me so. Our relationship finally ended when the exhaust leak progressed to a point where fumes crept into the cabin - causing a gas smell. Passed out at the wheel one morning while driving to work over a mountainous Georgia Highway that crosses the Appalachian Trail. (HWY 75) Awoke just in time to lock down the brakes and come to rest teetering on a ravine so steep that if I would have continued 1 inch further, I would have surely tumbled downward to my death. Not sure if the gasoline odor had anything to do with that incident, but traded the pathfinder nonetheless.

One thing I can say about the Pathfinder however is the motor always ran good. Never leaked or burned one drop of oil the entire time I owned it. Even after I neglected to change the oil for 6 months one time it still registered full on the dipstick.