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2004 Nissan Pathfinder Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 67 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Nissan Pathfinder, most often about the brakes (22% of complaints, typically around 5,500 miles). It is 19th of 26 Pathfinder model years by number of complaints and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2004 Nissan Pathfinder problems
Brakes
15 complaints · 22%Half of these problems showed up before 5,500 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, pedals and linkages.
Consumer stated that the brakes were soft. The front end shimmied when braking. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the rotors were warped and needed front pads. Also, the consumer was told that a sub standard brake system was installed by the manufacturer. The dealer offered to turn the…
2004 Nissan armada developed problems with the brake equipment.** answer required*** there was a shimmy when braking, the passenger seat would not adjust and the rear brakes were noisy. The front rotors and pads were replaced, the rotors were resurfaced, turned, re-machined and machined again.
Air bags
11 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 81,500 miles. Parts named most often: side/window, frontal.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the driver and passenger side air bags deployed independently. The dealer inspected the vehicle and could not provide a reason for the air bags deploying. The manufacturer was contacted but did not provide any…
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving various speeds, the air bag warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,050.
Transmission
9 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 83,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
I have antifreeze and transmission fluid leaking into each other (tranny have antifreeze and radiator have tranny fluid in it ) fluid is milky and now my transmission is starting to slip.
I am the owner of a 2004 Pathfinder with 75,000 miles. My wife was driving around march 15 when my engine began to produce a loud knock. She immediately pulled over and called a tow truck. She had the vehicle towed to Nissan dealer. The knock was still there. They investigated and stated the we needed a new engine. A…
Visibility and wipers
7 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 18,000 miles. Parts named most often: windshield wiper/washer, power window devices and controls, glass, side/rear, defroster/defogger/hvac system.
Dt: the contact stated while driving on a normal road conditions the windshield suddenly cracked in a spider web pattern, no hit was heard. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined an object impacted the windshield from outside. The contact visited another dealership for a second opinion who determined…
2004 Nissan Pathfinder windshield wipers work intermittently, Nissan refuses to repair problem. The dealer replaced several parts within the windshield wiper unit, however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. Nissan stated they were not going to keep replacing parts if the problem could not be diagnosed.
Engine
7 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 132,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to dealer for routine maintenance where the contact was advised of corrosion on the strut housing. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 11v244000 (steering: column). The contact stated that after the repair…
My vehicle was mostly in the state of ny (salt belt state) from 2004 until 2015. (11 years) it's now in va. The undercarriage is rusted beyond a normal amount. The exhaust especially holes are in piping from the catalytic converter to the tailpipe. The care is leaking fuel from the metal filler tube to the gas tank!…
Fuel system
6 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 132,000 miles.
My vehicle was mostly in the state of ny (salt belt state) from 2004 until 2015. (11 years) it's now in va. The undercarriage is rusted beyond a normal amount. The exhaust especially holes are in piping from the catalytic converter to the tailpipe. The care is leaking fuel from the metal filler tube to the gas tank!…
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Pathfinder. While adding fuel in the tank, the fuel would leak out before the tank was full. The contact stated that the failure occurred for the past two years every time the vehicle was fueled. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing.…
Speed control
4 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
While braking for a red light the consumer depressed the brake and accelerator pedal simultaneously. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. This may have occurred because the gas and brake pedal are too close.
While driving at approximately 30 miles per hour, my 2004 Pathfinder started accelerating. The brakes were not responding and the steering wheel was out of control. The car suddenly turned to the left on a 2-way street. After about 20 seconds or so, the vehicle started slowing down on its own and the brakes and…
Body and structure
4 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: body.
While making a left turn the load in the truck shifted and made a half inch dent inside the bed of the truck. The consumer noticed that the tail gate would not close properly. The cross member which supports the floor board has also shifted. The dealer was notified. Please provide any additional information.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that a rattling was heard from under the vehicle while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the vehicle and found that the spare tire was hanging from the chain, which was corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Nissan Pathfinder recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began february 12, 2020. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 888-737-9511 or infiniti customer service at 888-810-3715.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 maxima, 2002-2006 sentra, 2002-2004 pathfinder, 2007-2011 versa sedan and versa hatchback, 2001-2004 infiniti i30 and i35, 2002-2003 inifiniti qx4, 2003-2008 infiniti fx35 and fx45 and 2006-2010 m35 and m45 vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated, frontal passenger air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (psan) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on june 15, 2015. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: on december 18, 2015 nissan informed NHTSA of an amendment of this recall to remove 2004-2005 infiniti fx35 and fx45 vehicles.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain model year 2001-2003 nissan maxima, 2002-2004 pathfinder, 2002-2006 sentra, 2002-2003 infiniti qx4 and i35, 2003 fx35 and fx45, and 2001 i30 vehicles. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Suspension: front
Risk: The strut housing may crack and pull away from the inner hood ledge assembly. This may lead to grinding noises, increased steering effort, and possibly the steering column to break, resulting in the loss of steering control, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Nissan will inspect the strut housing and repair the vehicles as necessary, free of charge. An interim notification letter was sent out in may 2011. The second notice was mailed on july 25, 2011. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan is recalling certain model year 1996-2004 pathfinder and model year 1997-2003 infiniti qx4 vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, washington d.c., west virginia and wisconsin. In areas of the country in which heavy concentrations of road salt are used, a mixture of snow/water and salt may enter an assembly location hole in the upper strut housing, causing water to collect at the mating surface of the strut housing panel and the inner hood ledge assembly. Over time, this snow/water and salt intrusion may result in corrosion of the strut tower housing in some subject vehicles.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Frame/body structure corrosion
Summary
In their defect information report (dir) of april 20, 2011, nissan north america, inc. (nissan) notified NHTSA that it would conduct a safety recall of certain 1996-2004 nissan pathfinder and 1997-2003 infinity qx4 vehicles to repair corrosion damage to the driver's side front strut tower.the vehicles included in the recall are those that were originally sold, or are currently registered in salt belt states including connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia.the dir states in part, ...the st
Questions about the 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Nissan Pathfinder?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: brakes (15 complaints, typically around 5,500 miles); air bags (11 complaints, typically around 81,500 miles); transmission (9 complaints, typically around 83,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Nissan Pathfinder have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from January 9, 2020 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Nissan Pathfinder?
- It is 19th of 26 Pathfinder model years by number of complaints, with 67 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.