I just bought the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder 1 week prior from a private seller. While driving at 30 mph I hit a very large pot hole, common in mn. I heard a extra loud bang come from the front driver side wheel and pulled over instantly, upon exiting the vehicle I noticed the tire and wheel well were almost in contact with each other I couldn't see what had broke, being that it was a pitch black night. So I decided to drive the rest of the way home. The next morning I woke up and ran directly to mechanic who looked at the vehicle and told me I needed new struts shocks and cv axles I agreed with his bid and he began work on the front passenger shocks, struts, cv axle. Next he does the driver side and notices that strut is not staying in place, finishes the job calls me and says the job is complete but he needs to talk, I get to the mechanics and he hands me a bill for $830 and shows me that the strut housing on drivers side had completely rusted away. I have parked the vehicle and need to find out if this is covered by the recall.

- Duluth, MN, USA

My car body structure was broken into two pieces, and it is not operable. The passenger front side strut tower on my 2001 Pathfinder was completely rusted through. The strut tower was disconnected from the body due to the rust. When the tower finally let go, the steering was affected causing issues steering the vehicle. The problem was not only on the passenger side. There is a significant amount of rust on the driver side under carriage of the vehicle as well as the rest of the frame body structure. It caused also damage to the suspension components. Before my car got broken, I heard a noise from its right side and I was driving it on the highway, for a second I lost the ability to steel my car, but I kept it steady until I could get the next exit. I could have suffered a fatal accident that day. There is a recall for frame/body structure corrosion for this model 2001 Pathfinder registered in New Jersey. As soon I was aware about it, I called to Nissan Consumer Affairs to explain my situation. One of the Nissan repress. Advised me to take my car to the dealership in avenel NJ. My car was not drivable, so I called to the towing truck to pick and drop it off to the dealership on Dec 26, 2013. Since then, I have not had a response from Nissan to help me with my situation. Each time I spoke to a representative, they said that my case is still in process, and I need to wait for a decision. I can not believe it, I have been in a dangerous situation driven my car in that matter. I need a car to go to work for my livelihood and also to take my children to their school. I cannot afford to pay for a car rental. And after all of these, Nissan does not have any sense of cooperation. I requested them to help me with a provisional car to keep my life style on, but they denied it. I need help from the government NHTSA to make Nissan take care about this recall.

- Edison, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, she heard a strange noise and the vehicle failed to respond to the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the strut housing had failed. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number 11V244000 (steering, suspension). The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

- Boiling Springs, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for an unrelated problem when they informed him that there were numerous holes in the strut housing. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign id number 11V244000 (steering, suspension). The vehicle was not further repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 04/30/13 the consumer stated he took the vehicle to the dealer, after receiving a recall notice. The dealer asked for two days to repair the vehicle. However they returned the vehicle two hours later. They stated the consumer should not have any problems with the strut tower. Five months later, the consumer noticed damage to the driver's side front strut tower. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again, where they stated they could perform a second recall, but the consumer would have to contact Nissan to receive permission. After having the vehicle for two weeks, the consumer received a call from Nissan customer affairs, stating they were not going to perform a second recall and cover the cost of the repair. They did not give the consumer an explanation. When the consumer returned to pick up his vehicle, he was informed, it was not safe to drive. Updated 06/06/13

- Elmwood Park, IL, USA

Excessive rust, corrosion and holes in sub frame of 2001 Nissan Pathfinder where the passenger side control arm connects to the sub frame of the vehicle. Also excessive rust in whole front end of vehicle. Did have vehicle recall id # 88860 - suspension:front addressed however Nissan did not address excessive rust and hole on right side of vehicle near area where control arm connects to sub frame.

- Boston, MA, USA

I was driving my 2001 Nissan Pathfinder on a bumpy road and hit a pothole, the right strut punched through the strut tower and I could no longer control the vehicle. I then had it towed to my local shop and found out the whole of both strut towers were corroded beyond belief. I had one repaired after I reported it to my insurance company who then charged me a point on my license for the accident. I then traded the vehicle in order to avoid paying through the nose for the other strut tower repair, I then find out Nissan did a recall on the problem. Now they refuse to pick up the phone. They even gave me a bogus E-mail account to send the paper work for the reimbursement. I feel they at least owe me the amount for the repairs and the surcharge I am still paying.

- Dedham, MA, USA

My 2001 Nissan Pathfinder SE 145,169 miles at the time. (this noise began around 120,000K miles). Now I have only 1K more out of necesity. Front right side(drivers side ) began to make a thumping sound. Soon after the sound both sides were making the same thunp. I can feel every bump and crack in road and steering feels way off. The service center told me both front struts were bad and the upper mounts were rusty and need replaced for safety issues as well as ride of truck. I have my estimate at $740. At this time I cannot afford the cost of this repair. Nissan has sent a letter hinting to a future recall, but they said they would contact me later. What am I supposed to do? drive until the struts blow!!!! unacceptable to send a recall notice to be determined. Thank you

- Indiana, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel would shake and a loud clunking noise could be heard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the front passenger side control arm needed to be replaced due to rusting. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there were no related recalls. Approximately one and a half months later the contact received the recall notice associated with NHTSA campaign id number 11V244000 (steering:column), which was not related to the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. Clunking noise heard when starting to accelerate and when slowing down (foot off accelerator) of stopping. Side control arm rusted and needed to be welded back to be reattached to underbody frame. Updated 10/13/2011

- Rodchester, NY, USA

The driverside strut tower has become unattached from the frame. There is no rust marks anywhere in this section. The strut tower wore away at the steering wheel shaft and broke it. I lost all ability to steer the car and was forced to jump a curb.

- Marlborough, CT, USA

The driver side strut tower on my 2001 Pathfinder completely rusted through. The strut tower was disconnected from the body due to the rust. When the tower finally let go, the steering was affected causing issues steering the vehicle. The problem was only on the driver side. There is a significant amount of rust on the driver side under carriage of the vehicle, whereas the passenger side is not as bad. The disconnection of the tower caused damage to the front end suspension components.

- West Caldwell, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving approximately 20 mph, the contact was making a sharp right onto a freeway when he could not control the steering. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road where the vehicle came in contact with the side rail of the emergency lane causing scratches on the front bumper. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the technicians stated the driver side strut tower was corroded and broke the steering column. The technicians replaced the strut tower, the ABS brakes sensor and the steering column. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000. Updated 03/03/11 the strut tower separated from the unibody frame because of rust on the bottom/ the steering shaft snapped when the strut tower pushed inside the engine compartment. Updated 09/01/11

- Marblehead, MA, USA

The driver owned a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. The driver was involved in a crash in which the vehicle lost control and veered off the road. The contact was not involved so the exact details of the failure were unavailable. The driver died as a result of the crash. The police appeared on the scene. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an insurance lot but they have not diagnosed the failure. The failure and current mileages were 107,000.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

The vehicle shakes at highway speeds and causes extreme wear and tear on the tires. I have had this Nissan Pathfinder (2001) for just over a year and Nissan has been unable to fix the problem. They claim it was "built to ride this way". the result is premature breaking problems. They have put new tires on, turned the rotors and spent many hours balancing the tires. This problem has been ongoing since day one.

- Austin, TX, USA

The steering pull and/or body vibration manifests itself at highway speeds of between 60 and 75 mph, regardless of road crown or imperfections of the surface. This defect impairs the steering considerably. Steering becomes even more of a channlange during wet road conditions in respect of the recent NHTSA publication, showing a two star rollover rating for this vehicle, the referenced defect indeed has a seriousnegative impact on the safety of this vehicle whilst driven on highways at the speeds indicated. The manufacturer has not responded to phonecalls and letter of notification. Arbitration was held under the BBB autoline program. Request for repurchase was denied despite the fact that both the manufacturers representative and the arbitrator recognized the defect during the test drive. The arbitrator considered it a nusance.

- Tampa, FL, USA