Let me just start by saying I HATE all things Nissan. I am extremely biased; my sister Cindy was killed in a crash of a 1994 Nissan Pathfinder. Because of this, I will never, ever own a Nissan, no matter how many times they redesign it, no matter how well it drives.

I debated writing this Epinion, but in the long run decided that it is worth it. If only one family can be spared the pain we have gone through, it will be worth it. My sister's husband dubbed it the "Deathfinder", which has stuck with us, and we as a family have gone to some pains to educate the general public on the incredible risk of this car.

I am referring to 1995 and earlier Pathfinders in this review. Nissan re-designed the Pathfinder in 1996 (a little too late for my sister, unfortunately) and one of their major improvements was a reinforcement of the roof to prevent crushing. To be fair, this new, re-designed Pathfinder has passed several safety tests since. Nonetheless, the older (pre-1996) Pathfinders are unsafe, and if you are looking for a used SUV, steer way clear of this one!

My sister and her husband bought a 1994 Pathfinder shortly before her second baby was due, in 1994. They had a convertible Jeep, which, ironically, she traded in to get a "safe" family car. They did NOT do their homework on the safety record of the Pathfinder. Instead, they fell in love with the performance and sporty appeal of this truck, got what they felt was a good deal, and took it home.

Three days before my niece's first birthday, my sister was driving to the store to order a birthday cake and buy decorations. She got the cake ordered, but never made it to the party store. She swerved to avoid a tire in the road, and her car flipped over, rolling until it came to a stop on the other side of the freeway. Her daughter, in a car seat in the back, was uninjured, but my sister sustained major injuries to her head, neck and chest and did not survive, despite the valiant efforts of the EMT team.

I had to clean out the car. I was shocked how the roof of this car had totally punched in, to within inches of the frame (the low spot was only a few inches above the bottom of the window). There is no way any individual, seatbelted into the driver's side, could have survived the roof of their car crushing down on their head like that. I then went on a mission to research the Pathfinder, and found out some disturbing information:

1) The Nissan Pathfinder has one of the highest rollover ratings of all minivans, full-sized vans, sports utility vehicles, and pickups. (*)
Rollover rating: -14, Very High

2) In crash tests, the Nissan Pathfinder failed to meet the minimum safety criteria. Overall rating = Poor (means "Impact would most likely seriously injure or kill occupants"). (*)
Crash Test Performance: Overall: Poor
Driver Head: Poor

* From "The Minivan, Pickup and 4x4 Book: The Definitive Buyer's Guide to Safety, Economy, Maintenance and More", by Jack Gillis, Published Harper Perennial, 1993.

Cindy died of massive head injuries and a broken neck. She was 35, and the mother of 2. Nissan paid her husband a small amount, which will never compensate him for the loss of her life, or her children for the loss of their mother.

I was the one who cleaned out her car the next day. I saw the blood, the bodily fluids, the damage. I was the one who read the police report, the autopsy report, and who dealt with the lawyers and insurance agents. I pray that none of you will ever have to go through this.

As a sidenote, I met a Nissan Dealer at the carwash one day. We were talking, and he had a brand-new 1996 Pathfinder. He was telling me all of the features that Nissan had improved, and I asked about its roof stability and roll hazard. His words to me were “Oh yeah, Nissan really fixed that, the old ones were totally unsafe but they took care of that.” I said, “Gee, it seems like they wouldn’t have sold them if they were really unsafe…” to which he just shrugged and said, “Well, people love ‘em”. I might have ripped him a new orifice, had my car not been finished just then…which saved me from getting into the entire story in the midst of a public carwash.

I urge you -- if you are buying a used OR new car, please DO NOT even consider taking it home until you have done some basic safety research on that particular car. Don’t count on someone else, especially the car manufacturers and dealers, to tell you how safe it actually is (or isn’t). Do your own research. And if you are considering a pre-1996 Pathfinder, choose something else. Your life may depend on it.

One good research site: http://www.caranddriver.com/

Rest in peace, Cindy. We love you.




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Update:
As of June 2000 90% of the readers of this review have been NON-MEMBERS. If the folks at Nissan decide to come after me for this, I'll have my husband keep you updated! If you are a non-member and found this useful, I urge you to join Epinions and rate it as such! Thanks.