There are 2 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2003 Nissan Pathfinderin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I NOTICED AFTER I HAD STOPPED CAR AND TURNED IT OFF THAT I WAS NOT AS CLOSE TO CURB AS I WANTED TO BE. I RESTARTED VEHICLE AND PULLED FORWARD APPRIXIMATELY 1 - 1 1/2 CAR LENGTHS. PUT VEHICLE INTO REVERSE TO SLOWLY BACK UP WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY BEGAN TO REV AT AN EXCEEDING HIGH RPM RATE AND RAPIDLY ACCELERATED. ATTEMPT TO BREAK AND STOP THE VEHICLE WAS FUTILE RESULTING IN MY VEHICLE HITTING THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE THAT WAS PARKED BEHIND ME. OTHER VEHICLE WAS UNOCCUPIED. I DO NOT TRUST THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THIS ERRATIC BEHAVIOR. I DROVE IT HOME CAREFULLY AND THEN HAD IT TOWED TO DEALER WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED AT THE END OF APRIL 2003. ACCORDING TO SERVICE DEPT. AT DEALER, THEY CHECKED FOR TROUBLE CODES AND NO CODES ARE STORED. THEY ROAD TESTED VEHICLE AND VEHICLE IS OPERATING NORMAL. THEY CALLED NISSAN TECH LINE AND THERE IS NO RECORD OF INCIDENTS LIKE THIS. PRINTOUT OF TEST INDICATES "NO DTC DETECTED. FURTHER TESTING MAY BE REQUIRED. DEALER WILL NOT DO ADDITIONAL TESTING - THIS WILL REQUIRE NISSAN INPUT. NISSAN CUSTOMER SERVICE REP DENIES ANY KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER REPORTED INSTANCES OF RAPID ACCELERATION IN 2003 PATHFINDERS. I WANT TO GET RID OF THIS VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH IT ONLY HAS 2000 MILES ON IT. IF I GET ANOTHER VEHICLE, HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM SINCE ANOTHER OPERATOR MAY EXPERIENCE SAME SITUATION WITH THIS VEHICLE RESULTING IN INJURY OR DEATH.
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION. *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026