MajorCommonSuspension

Nissan Pathfinder: Rear trailing arm bushings worn — the R50 'death wobble'

Rear trailing arm bushings worn — the R50 'death wobble' is a common suspension fault on the Nissan Pathfinder on the 2000–2004 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $400 to $1,200 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 36 documented faults on the Nissan Pathfinder.

Vehicle: Nissan Pathfinder
Years: 2000–2004
System: Suspension

This page covers the Nissan Pathfinder as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Nissan Pathfinder faults36 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph for this fault yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of something else.

What goes wrong

R50 Pathfinders develop a well-known rear-end shimmy dubbed the death wobble, caused by worn bushings in the rear trailing links that let the rear axle move fore-aft under load. It typically appears over bumps at open-road speed and feels like the back of the truck is steering itself. It's cheap to fix relative to how alarming it feels, but a seller may have lived with it for years and worn other components (panhard bushes, shocks) in the process.

What you would notice

Rear-end shimmy or wobble over bumps at 80-100 km/h
Vague, wandering rear end
Clunks from the rear over speed humps
Uneven rear tyre wear

How to check it

Where to look. Rear suspension trailing links and panhard rod bushings, behind and above the rear axle

Test drive at open-road speed over a patchy stretch of seal and feel for the rear moving around.
At the car, look at the rear trailing arm bushings (behind the rear axle) for cracked, oily or extruded rubber.
Rock the vehicle sideways at the rear bumper and listen for clunks.

What it costs to put right

$400 to $1,200 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Have the rear trailing arm bushes ever been replaced?”
“Does it ever wobble at highway speed over bumps?”

Now check the Nissan Pathfinder you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

NPORA forums R50 death wobble threads
Expedition Portal 'R50 Pathfinder FAQ'
thenissanpath.com R50 forum suspension threads

Nissan Pathfinder buyer questions

Is rear trailing arm bushings worn — the r50 'death wobble' serious on a Nissan Pathfinder?

We rate it major and common on the Nissan Pathfinder. R50 Pathfinders develop a well-known rear-end shimmy dubbed the death wobble, caused by worn bushings in the rear trailing links that let the rear axle move fore-aft under load. It typically appears over bumps at open-road speed and feels like the back of the truck is steering itself. It's cheap to fix relative to how alarming it feels, but a seller may have lived with it for years and worn other components (panhard bushes, shocks) in the process.

How much does it cost to fix on a Nissan Pathfinder?

$400 to $1,200 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Nissan Pathfinder years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2000–2004 Nissan Pathfinder. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Test drive at open-road speed over a patchy stretch of seal and feel for the rear moving around. At the car, look at the rear trailing arm bushings (behind the rear axle) for cracked, oily or extruded rubber. Rock the vehicle sideways at the rear bumper and listen for clunks. Look here: Rear suspension trailing links and panhard rod bushings, behind and above the rear axle