2001 Nissan Pathfinder Brakes Problems
- Complaints
- 11about this part
- Share
- 5%of 230 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 20,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 11 complaints about the brakes of the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder, 5% of the 230 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 20,500 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.
“2001 Nissan Pathfinder has experienced two events where the brakes have malfunctioned. The first event involved the emergency brake activating when the vehicle was traveling about 45 MPH without the driver pulling up on the emergency handle. Immediately upon the brake locking up, the driver pulled up and down on the handle and the emergency brake thankfully released itself. The second event occurred two weeks later when all four brakes failed to activate when the driver pushed down on the brake pedal - it went to the floor without engaging any of the brakes. …”
NHTSA complaint #10292888, filed 2009-11, 55,000 miles“While parallel parking vehicle continued to roll backward and hit a brick wall while the brakes was still being applied by the consumer. Dealer was notified , and was unable to determine the cause of the problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10081490, filed 2004-07, 17,000 miles“The contact owns a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the brakes needed to be replaced multiple times. Also, the contact stated that the check engine light would continuously illuminate after being reset by a technician. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the brakes needed to be replaced. The repairs were made but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10690456, filed 2015-02, 10,000 miles“The contact owns a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. While entering a parking space approximately 5 MPH, the contact engaged the brakes and the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated. The vehicle failed to slow down and crashed into an unoccupied vehicle. The ABS warning light illuminated then immediately, the vehicle came to a stop while extensive force was applied to the brake pedal. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing and to be repaired. The vehicle exhibited severe body damage. …”
NHTSA complaint #10403879, filed 2011-05, 64,000 miles“Excessive effort needed to engage braking system. When traveling at higher than 30 MPH speeds or when vehicle load is heavy, driver has to depress brake pedal all way to floor to get the braking system to engage. The manufacturer representative inspected the brakes and indicated to be normal.”
NHTSA complaint #882894, filed 2001-03Related service bulletins
- 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…
Brakes: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 20% |
| 2025 | 11 | 19% |
| 2024 | 26 | 30% |
| 2023 | 22 | 21% |
| 2022 | 35 | 26% |
| 2020 | 8 | 15% |
| 2019 | 14 | 18% |
| 2018 | 21 | 27% |
| 2017 | 11 | 6% |
| 2016 | 14 | 13% |
| 2015 | 26 | 8% |
| 2014 | 42 | 7% |
| 2013 | 67 | 8% |
| 2012 | 2 | 9% |
| 2011 | 6 | 13% |
| 2010 | 2 | 5% |
| 2009 | 5 | 14% |
| 2008 | 9 | 3% |
| 2007 | 5 | 1% |
| 2006 | 9 | 1% |
| 2005 | 18 | 2% |
| 2004 | 15 | 22% |
| 2003 | 13 | 12% |
| 2002 | 7 | 4% |
| 2001 | 11 | 5% |
| 2000 | 11 | 10% |
| 1999 | 6 | 6% |
| 1998 | 15 | 10% |
| 1997 | 15 | 7% |
| 1996 | 15 | 9% |
| 1995 | 11 | 6% |
| 1994 | 5 | 5% |
| 1993 | 3 | 6% |
| 1992 | 1 | 3% |
| 1991 | 1 | 3% |
| 1990 | 1 | 3% |
| 1989 | 1 | 7% |
Other parts of the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
68 complaintsEquipment
39 complaintsSteering
35 complaintsBody and structure
30 complaintsFuel system
28 complaintsEngine cooling
16 complaintsVehicle speed control
11 complaintsAir bags
9 complaintsSeats
8 complaintsTires
8 complaintsElectrical system
7 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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