2001 Nissan Pathfinder SE review from North America

CEL, engine knocking and running horribly. Rough idle, cat knocking around. Replaced cat, exhaust. Pinging, knocking. Timing chain? Has no oil pressure, no compression. Replaced 125,000 engine with 90,000 engine. Replaced battery.

I've owned this car less than a year. I should have kept my crappy Chevy.

I'm amazed like many in finding this site, the complaints are all the same.

I purchased my Pathy in a hurry, after owning 3 Chevy S-10 Blazers in a row and facing dropping $1300 to get my 1995 (over 200k wonderful miles) on the road. The first thing I needed to replace was the exhaust, which leaked and rattled. A piece of CHEWING GUM from the previous owner had worked its way into the base of the shifter and broke the microswitch. With tow fees, parts/labor and car rental, cost me $1000.

Good thing I'm rich.

The the knocking and pinging and CEL. I was told it may be the O2, but let's change the cat because it leaks and may be causing the O2 to trip. That done, problems continued to compound, car scarcely ran. Oh, yeah the clock never worked and it had an aftermarket stereo. No oil pressure, loss of compression, timing chain rattles.

We decide to replace the 125,000 engine with a 90,000.

All's well, now the CEL light has returned with the rough running and loss of power. I changed the octane to premium. Miracle!!! Car runs like a champ, quiet acceleration and tackles hills like a new car. That was a month ago. In the last two days it's returned to the rattling, chugging headache it's always been. I'm tired of the MAF/O2 diagnosis I'm going to get. I think the car is just poorly engineered.

Good thing I'm rich, or I'd be really really worried.