1998 Nissan Pathfinder Steering Problems
- Complaints
- 11about this part
- Share
- 7%of 149 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 158,101miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 11 complaints about the steering of the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder, 7% of the 149 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 158,101 miles. 3 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I made a turn and I heard a pop sound and totally lost my steering. Thank god I was going fast and didn't hit the cars parked on the side. My 1998 Nissan Pathfinder se had to be towed to my mechanic which made me aware that the steering column upper joint had broken.”
NHTSA complaint #10394313, filed 2011-04, 158,101 miles“As I was approaching the end of an exit ' I put my foot on the brakes to slow down but instead the car took off at an excessive speed while I watched in horror and fearing for my life. It kept going until it hit a free . The car was totaled. I escaped with minor injuries. The problem I have is that I had dropped collision a few months before so now I'm out of a car and about $6,000.00 for which the car was more or less worth.”
NHTSA complaint #10316351, filed 2010-03, 110 miles“Driving down the hwy and SUV started rocking back and forth side to side severely..I had to brake fast ..then when I accelerated it wobbled worse...I thought I was going to roll...could not go over 30...very dangerous and scary...I looked it up on forums to see if anyone else has had this problem....everybody that owns them has had this experience at all different mileages..they refer to it as the death wobble online...millions of vehicles have this problem from faulty bushings and trailing arms....yet they Nissan refuse to recall or pay to fix it...here is nissans bulletin I found after…”
NHTSA complaint #10712557, filed 2015-04, 150,000 miles“I cant even drive down the street over 40 without the vehcle doing a death shake from hell to top that off due to the recall for the strut placement error causing my strut tower wall directly behind my passenger side front wheel to almost be completly gone from rusting out. This is total bullshit. Something gotta give. Im calling corporate in the morning. Hopefully they dont try to beat around bush with me like they do to all there customers they do wrong.”
NHTSA complaint #11033497, filed 2017-10“This complaint is regarding morley vehicle services (hereinafter mvs ) & Nissan north america, inc. (hereinafter nnai ) improperly handling a recent recall on his 1998 nisan Pathfinder (hereinafter vehicle ). 1998 Nissan Pathfinder, we delivered the vehicle to autonation Nissan arapahoe (hereinafter an ) on march 7, 2014 for inspection due to safety recalls, at least 1 of which affects steering & breaks, & could result in a crash. Concerned about this issue we made sure an was aware of all the publicly reported recalls on the vehicle & abnormal performance related to the breaks & steering. …”
NHTSA complaint #10586846, filed 2014-05Related service bulletins
- 10243708Sep 21, 2023DIAGNOSIS 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…
- 10232652Feb 22, 2023DIAGNOSIS 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…
- 10192217Jul 23, 2013If YOU CONFIRM: A vehicle needs to have the brake rotors resurfaced (front or rear). ACTION: Use the ProCut PFM Series on-car brake lathe to perform brake rotor resurfacing and…
- 10192216Jul 23, 2013SERVICE INFORMATION - This bulletin is to assist you in responding to customer questions about brake operation, and provides diagnostic and repair information for each item…
Steering: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 13% |
| 2024 | 3 | 3% |
| 2022 | 2 | 1% |
| 2019 | 1 | 1% |
| 2018 | 6 | 8% |
| 2017 | 8 | 4% |
| 2016 | 3 | 3% |
| 2015 | 3 | 1% |
| 2014 | 9 | 2% |
| 2013 | 13 | 1% |
| 2012 | 2 | 9% |
| 2011 | 2 | 4% |
| 2010 | 5 | 13% |
| 2009 | 1 | 3% |
| 2008 | 3 | 1% |
| 2007 | 6 | 1% |
| 2006 | 41 | 5% |
| 2005 | 9 | 1% |
| 2004 | 2 | 3% |
| 2003 | 14 | 13% |
| 2002 | 17 | 11% |
| 2001 | 35 | 15% |
| 2000 | 27 | 24% |
| 1999 | 20 | 19% |
| 1998 | 11 | 7% |
| 1997 | 26 | 12% |
| 1996 | 24 | 15% |
| 1995 | 3 | 2% |
| 1993 | 1 | 2% |
| 1991 | 3 | 8% |
| 1989 | 2 | 13% |
| 1988 | 1 | 6% |
| 1987 | 2 | 11% |
Other parts of the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
47 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
20 complaintsVehicle speed control
16 complaintsBrakes
15 complaintsBody and structure
14 complaintsFuel system
12 complaintsAir bags
10 complaintsTires
9 complaintsOther or unknown
7 complaintsEngine cooling
6 complaintsElectrical system
5 complaintsSeat belts
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1998 Nissan Pathfinder
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology