1999 Nissan Pathfinder problems & reliability
104 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Nissan Pathfinder, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
10 complaints report injuries (21 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles were involved in 7 fatal crashes with 5 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 35 | 34% |
| Steering | 20 | 19% |
| Structure | 18 | 17% |
| Air Bags | 11 | 11% |
| Tires | 9 | 9% |
| Power Train | 8 | 8% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 6% |
| Unknown OR Other | 6 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 130,000 miles (middle 50% between 90,294 and 159,973 miles), based on 54 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“1999 nissan pathfinder. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle fire due to mechanical malfunction. *ld the consumer stated the vehicle was fueled an hour before the fire and smelled gas. The engine compartment caught fire. Nissan declined to offer any assistance due to the vehicle being out of warranty for 19 years and…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Oct 6, 2020
“1999 nissan pathfinder. Consumer writes in regards to strut tower safety recall. *ld the consumer stated the dealer declined to perform the recall repair stating the work would be insufficient and considers it to be beyond what they are capable of doing. *js”
Suspension · filed Jul 15, 2019
“When turning left or right with steering wheel there is a quarter of a turn before the vehicle starts to turn and when traveling on the freeway this causes me to drift into other lanes . This delay when I turn the steering wheel and the car doesn't turn is very scary. It is almost like when you hit an ice patch and…”
Steering · filed Feb 21, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Frame/Body Structure Corrosion
Preliminary Evaluation PE11004 · opened Jan 28, 2011 · closed Jun 30, 2011 · led to recall 11V244000
Technical service bulletins
90 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Nissan Pathfinder. The 10 most recent:
DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB08-097L · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2023
SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical components. To avoid the risk of death or…
NTB23-053 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2023
12 VOLT BATTERY TESTING FOR IN-SERVICE VEHICLES SERVICE INFORMATION The following Service Information lists NNA procedural recommendations for establishing good connections while performing 12V battery testing. These…
NTB23-049 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2023
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-107F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 27, 2023
INTELLIGENT KEY REPLACEMENT OR SWAPPING BETWEEN VEHICLES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB16-003C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 2023
REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-028H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2023
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB09-081J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 27, 2023
WHEEL BEARING COLLISION DAMAGE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB10-126C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2023
DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB08-097K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2023
STRUT AND SHOCK ABSORBER REPLACEMENT GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB99-001F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 7, 2021
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1999 Nissan Pathfinder has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Nissan Pathfinder?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 130,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.