2001 Nissan Pathfinder Driver assistance Problems

PRESSING GAS MAKING TOO MUCH NOICE

NHTSA ID

11073298

Incident

Dec 12, 2017

TL*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. THE CONTACT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE MANUFACTURER OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,000. UPDATED 07/08/11 *BF

NHTSA ID

10403879

Incident

May 26, 2011

Mileage

64,000 mi

2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER. CONSUMER WRITES TO INFORM THAT WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL VEHICLE GRADUALLY ACCELERATED TO 91 MILES PER HOUR, WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY 25 M.P.H ABOVE THE CRUISE CONTROL SETTING *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED AN ATTEMPT TO BRAKE HAD LITTLE EFFECT. AFTER SWITCHING THE GEAR IN NEUTRAL AND APPLYING BOTH FEET HARD ON THE BRAKE, SHE WAS FINALLY ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND ULTIMATELY STOPPED THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE THROTTLE CABLE FLIPPED OVER THE TOP OF THE BUTTERFLY VALVE. HE ADJUSTED THE TENSION FOR LESS SLACK TO KEEP THE CABLE FROM BOUNDING UP INSIDE THE THROTTLE BODY. *JB

NHTSA ID

10377877

Incident

Dec 14, 2010

FUEL/THROTTLE CONTROL: I EXPERIENCED A "SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION" INCIDENT IN JULY OF 2002. I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF HEAD IN PARKING AND WAS MOVING VERY SLOWLY WHILE APPLYING BRAKES THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED OVER CURBING INTO A WALL. THE VEHICLE STOPPED, THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING, AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE IS A 2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER WITH LESS THAN 8,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE READ OF OTHER INCIDENTS LIKE THIS FOR THIS VEHICLE AND AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. NO OTHER INCIDENT HAS OCCURED. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCE THIS SITUATION BEFORE AND I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT THAT I STEPPED ON THE ACCELETATOR THE SAME TIME AS THE BRAKE. NOW I BELIEVE I DID NOT STEP ON THE ACCELERATOR BUT FOR SOME REASON THE VEHICLE MALFUNCTIONED. I HAVE NOT TAKEN THIS INTO THE DEALER BECAUSE I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITY TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AS IT APPEARS TO BE VERY INTERMITTENT. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT IS POTENTIALLY LETHAL AND CANNOT BE DETECTED BY NORMAL MAINTENANCE AND HAPPENS SO QUICKLY THAT THE DRIVER CANNOT REACT TO AVOID A SERIOUS COLLISION. THERE WERE NO INJURIES (THIS TIME) BUT VEHICLE DAMAGE WAS $500.

NHTSA ID

10000472

Incident

Jul 13, 2002

Mileage

6,500 mi

CONSUMER STATED THAT THEY WOULD SIMULTANEOUSLY PRESS ON THE GAS AND BRAKE PEDAL WITHOUT NOTICE CAUSING A DISTRACTION TO THE CONSUMER. DEALER NOTIFIED TS

NHTSA ID

8023194

Incident

Nov 7, 2002

VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATES WHILE APPLYING BRAKES AND STOPPED OR SLOWED--CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL OF CAR

NHTSA ID

566322

WHEN PARKING VEHICLE AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE SUDDENTLY TOOK OFF . HE HAD TO PUT VEHICLE IN PARK IN ORDER TO STOP. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM . INCIDENT WITH SUDDEN ACELLERATION HAPPENED THREE TIMES. *AK

NHTSA ID

892962

Incident

Jul 14, 2001

2001 PATHFINDER SAFETY ISSUE. THIS PROBLEM PERTAINS TO THE SPACING BETWEEN THE GAS AND BRAKE PEDAL ON THE 2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER. AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED WITH OUR PATHFINDER DIRECTLY RELATED TO THIS PROBLEM. BECAUSE OF THE CLOSE SPACING, THE GAS PEDAL WAS MISTAKEN FOR THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE ENTERING A PARKING LOT AND THE DRIVER PANICKED AND THE VEHICLE STRUCK A WALL. A SIMILAR PROBLEM OCCURRED WITH ME. WHILE DRIVING INTO A PARKING SPACE, I BRAKED BUT MY FOOT WAS PARTIALLY ON THE GAS PEDAL CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LURCH. FORTUNATELY, I DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM IN TIME AND PREVENTED AN ACCIDENT. THE ACCIDENT WHICH OCCURRED WAS THE DRIVER'S FIRST "AT FAULT" ACCIDENT IN 25 YEARS OF DRIVING. THE CLEAR DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDAL ON THE PATHFINDER IS 2 3/8". ON OTHER CARS, I MEASURED THE CLEAR DISTANCE AS 3". THIS EXTRA DISTANCE MAKES A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN DISTINGUISHING THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDALS. I BELIEVE THAT THIS SPACING IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE PATHFINDER AND CREATES AN UNSAFE CONDITION. I RECOMMEND THAT NISSAN RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND REPLACE THE EXISTING BRAKE PEDAL AND LEVER ARM WITH A LEVER WHICH IS OFFSET TO INCREASE THE SPACE BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDALS. AT THIS TIME, I WILL DRIVE THIS VEHICLE WITHOUT SHOES OR WEAR A SOFT SOLE SHOE SO THAT I CAN FEEL THE DIFFERENCE WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL AND GAS PEDAL. A HARD SOLE SHOE CAUSES BOTH PEDALS TO FEEL THE SAME, AND BECAUSE OF THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THE PEDALS, IS THE SOURCE OF CONFUSION AND SAFETY CONCERN.*AK

NHTSA ID

746865

Incident

Jun 13, 2001

WHILE STOPPING ENGINE WOULD IDLE HIGH. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID

886052

SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION (SUA) ON FEB 24, 2001. AFTER COMING TO A FULL STOP WITH TRANSMISSION IN "DRIVE" AND REMAINING STOPPED FOR APPROXIMATELY FIVE SECONDS, THE ENGINE SPEED SUDDENLY WENT FROM IDLE TO 5000-6000 RPM. VEHICLE REMAINED ESSENTIALLY STATIONARY DUE TO SPINNING TIRES ON WET PAVEMENT AND THE IMMEDIATE HARDER APPLICATION OF BRAKES, BUT A COLLISION WOULD HAVE RESULTED HAD THE PAVEMENT BEEN DRY. ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE FOR APPROXIMATELY FIVE SECONDS. I SET THE TRANSMISSION TO "NEUTRAL" IN REACTION TO THE SUA WHICH MAY HAVE STOPPED THE SUA OR MAY HAVE JUST BEEN COINCIDENTAL WITH THE SUA STOPPING ON ITS OWN. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE NISSAN DEALER IN ANNAPOLIS, MD ON FEB 26, 2001; DEALER FOUND NO STORED ERROR CODES AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. BOTH NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT NOTHING MORE COULD BE DONE UNTIL DEALER COULD REPEAT THE SUA. NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS HAS A RECORD OF THE INCIDENT, AS DOES THE DEALER. THIS NOT A CASE OF THROTTLE/BRAKE PEDAL MISAPPLICATION. I SUSPECT THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM IS THE CAUSE OF THE SUA BECAUSE I RARELY USE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. I WAS USING CRUISE CONTROL FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE INCIDENT  APPROXIMATELY 25 MILES/20 MINUTES UNINTERRUPTED. CRUISE CONTROL WAS MOST LIKELY SET TO ON WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED BUT I DID NOT THINK TO VERIFY THIS AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. ALSO, AND VERY NOTABLY, THERE HAVE BEEN TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS AFTER THE SUA INCIDENT WHERE THE CRUISE CONTROL ON LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STARTED (CRUISE SET LIGHT WAS OFF). THE CRUISE CONTROL ON LIGHT SHOULD BE OFF WHENEVER THE ENGINE IS INITIALLY STARTED. I WILL PROVIDE VIN UPON REQUEST. I DONT HAVE THE VIN AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. OTHER VEHICLE PARTICULARS: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, SE MODEL.*AK

NHTSA ID

742205

Incident

Feb 24, 2001

WHILE BRAKES WERE APPLIED VEHICLE ACCELERATED SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY, TWICE RESULTING IN COLLISIONS. MANUFACTURER AND DEALER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

NHTSA ID

876574

Incident

Dec 8, 2000