2000 Nissan Pathfinder problems & reliability
112 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2000 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.
7 complaints report injuries (9 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2000 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles were involved in 11 fatal crashes with 8 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 | 41 | 37% |
| Structure | 29 | 26% |
| Steering | 27 | 24% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 10 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 8% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 7% |
| Power Train | 6 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 4 | 4% |
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 125,000 miles (middle 50% between 99,000 and 150,000 miles), based on 69 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“This is in regards to a recall repair for the driver side strut tower. It has rusted out do to an improper recall repair.”
Structure · filed Jul 2, 2024
“Tl* the contact owns a 2000 nissan pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, a noise was heard emerging from the front passenger side of the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to find the passenger side strut had perforated the wheel well and damaged the brake line…”
Wheels · filed Oct 29, 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2000 nissan pathfinder. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after it was parked. The vehicle was towed to the dealer (russ darrow nissan of milwaukee, 11212 w metro auto mall, milwaukee, wi 53224, (414) 586-3050) where it was diagnosed that there was a crack in the transmission…”
Power Train · filed Jul 25, 2018
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
66 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2000 Nissan Pathfinder. The 10 most recent:
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.
NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB17-019H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
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.
NTB13-028I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB09-081K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
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
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 2000 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 2000 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 125,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.