# 05 pathfinder shaking when braking



## Dnipro Max (Jul 26, 2005)

i have problem that happened first time i have about 8-9000 miles on my 05 pathy, when i went down to carolinas and going down hill alot that make my pathy shake like crazy when i was applying brakes, steering wheel and front end was shaking like it going to fall apart, any one has any idea or knowledge of this problem please help, going to take it in with in few days


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## wildbillz (Sep 19, 2005)

Warped disk rotor


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## Animal (Mar 25, 2005)

Caliper or slide pin binding/sticking.


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## architectdave (Aug 29, 2005)

Animal said:


> Caliper or slide pin binding/sticking.



what they said my honda does that every 60k miles passneger side

:loser:


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## Animal (Mar 25, 2005)

architectdave said:


> what they said my honda does that every 60k miles passneger side


And what I fixed last night on my wife's Xterra! Though it only vibrated and pulled to one side a small bit and only hard brake above 40mph, symptoms can vary. 
I was considering using the silver anti-seize, but I'd rather do the experiments on my vehicle.


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## deanthompson (Jul 28, 2005)

Dnipro Max said:


> i have problem that happened first time i have about 8-9000 miles on my 05 pathy, when i went down to carolinas and going down hill alot that make my pathy shake like crazy when i was applying brakes, steering wheel and front end was shaking like it going to fall apart, any one has any idea or knowledge of this problem please help, going to take it in with in few days


If its under warranty take it back, they can turn down the rotors, Mineke can also do this for about $45 a rotor I beleive......

Mine did it, had both rotors replaced and had ceramic pads installed! now got sweet breaks with a lifetime on the pads


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## Dnipro Max (Jul 26, 2005)

thanks guys, took the pathy to dealer today, they sad that my pads are worn to the sensors completely gonnnne, and my rotors need resurface, but warranty do not cover that, and my car only 4 month old, with 9,000 miles, most of them are highway miles too, so i called Nissan 1 and file a complain agenst this for them to install me new brakes, will see what happens, any one know what alls i can do for them to cover this, thanks


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## Dnipro Max (Jul 26, 2005)

where can u get pads for this car, no one have them yet, every sad the it too new,


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## cachacopr (Oct 14, 2005)

Dnipro Max said:


> thanks guys, took the pathy to dealer today, they sad that my pads are worn to the sensors completely gonnnne, and my rotors need resurface, but warranty do not cover that, and my car only 4 month old, with 9,000 miles, most of them are highway miles too, so i called Nissan 1 and file a complain agenst this for them to install me new brakes, will see what happens, any one know what alls i can do for them to cover this, thanks


Really, not under warranty even with such little use? Well, back in 2000 when I bought mine, I had a brake problem and they replaced the whole enchilada, I don't know if it is depending on the problem. But anyhow, if you don't have a sticking caliper, seems to me the same problem I have right now: Warped Rotors! (see my 2 threads about the problem, many guys have replied with helpful information). I'm expecting a new set of cross-drilled & slotted rotors, pads and caliper seals any day know...let's see how it goes...I'm also cleaning the caliper inside out, giving the braking system a complete and thorough service. I have noticed that most of the places/shops where I used to take it, have been doing a less-than-stellar brake job, usually I mark things to see if indeed they were checked, dismounted or worked on, and most of the time they write and tell you one thing, and do another. (I even think this was shown when "60 minutes" ran a show a few years back, about most of the known shops, only to find out that they were being billed for things not done, I don't remember the details, but most well-known shops were caught.) Anyhow, back on topic, have someone you trust check on it to see, on my pathy I could see the rotors wobbling a little from side to side, maybe 1-2 mm, but enough to cause the whole thing to shake after 40 MPH... It's amazing what a little deviation can do to the driving experience!!!


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## mfullmer (Oct 27, 2005)

*My warranty repair*



Dnipro Max said:


> i have problem that happened first time i have about 8-9000 miles on my 05 pathy, when i went down to carolinas and going down hill alot that make my pathy shake like crazy when i was applying brakes, steering wheel and front end was shaking like it going to fall apart, any one has any idea or knowledge of this problem please help, going to take it in with in few days


I have an '05 Pathfinder LE that I purcahsed on 4/30/05. I have had my tires balanced and my rotors turned TWICE in the 6,400 miles I've had my Pathy, all under warranty. This last time (last week) they also had to replace some kind of valve assembly because I had a loud noise coming from the engine when it was cold and I was accelerating.

It should be covered under warranty.


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## Dnipro Max (Jul 26, 2005)

thats what i told them, it should be warranty work, but the shop sad no, so i called nissan1 and they also sad no its wear issue, so there is only one solution never buy nissan again, anyway i change the pads and turn rotors only cost my $50 with my doing all the work, but when I went to turn the rotors guy told me the its rusting from inside out, on the rotors did that, imagen it never been through winter yet and all ready rusting out, also he sad the they use the cheapest steel out there and its recomposed, that all


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## ak47m203 (Apr 24, 2005)

omg it's an armada problem now still not yet solve up to pathy. they should just use a brembo rotor etc.


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## smartswap (Jun 14, 2005)

This vehicle is really so poor - check out my posting '05 Pathfinder - Disappointing Machine' GOOD LUCK! Im selling mine assoon as possible then getting a GM Tahoe next year! I love that SUV, nevr gave me the same bad feeling I got with this one.


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## Dnipro Max (Jul 26, 2005)

ak47m203 said:


> omg it's an armada problem now still not yet solve up to pathy. they should just use a brembo rotor etc.


you wish they the chepes stuff they can get, even after they learned from armada/titan


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## abmobil (Nov 22, 2004)

I would try a different dealer. Being so new with little miles most dealers should cover it but they dont neccesarily have to.
The armada titan problem is not on the new frontiers and pathfinders or we would have heard much more about it.
This is just probably a rare case.


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## architectdave (Aug 29, 2005)

smartswap said:



> This vehicle is really so poor - check out my posting '05 Pathfinder - Disappointing Machine' GOOD LUCK! Im selling mine assoon as possible then getting a GM Tahoe next year! I love that SUV, nevr gave me the same bad feeling I got with this one.



Any bad feeling on GM's latest recall:

"GM launches huge pickup, SUV recall

Automaker moves to fix brake problems in 804,000 vehicles across seven models."

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0509/02/E01-298706.htm


you were saying?


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## architectdave (Aug 29, 2005)

smarty one more thing check out the last line of the article....

"The recall comes amid a spate of costly repair campaigns over the last two years. Through July, before the brake recall was announced, GM had conducted 24 recalls affecting 3 million vehicles. Over the same stretch in 2004, GM did 30 recalls affecting 9 million vehicles. "

:loser:


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## thrbek (Oct 27, 2005)

*Ceramic Pads*



deanthompson said:


> If its under warranty take it back, they can turn down the rotors, Mineke can also do this for about $45 a rotor I beleive......
> 
> Mine did it, had both rotors replaced and had ceramic pads installed! now got sweet breaks with a lifetime on the pads


Need to be careful with Ceramic Pads. The dealer told me that's it's kind of a compromise...Ceramic Pads last a long time and run cooler than regular pads, but they also take a toll on your rotors. They have a tendency to score your rotors under normal driving unless you upgrade your rotors.

It's kind of a toss up...get lifetime brake pads and end up having to replace your rotors more often, (or at least get them turned more often), or get softer pads and replace them when they wear out.


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## thrbek (Oct 27, 2005)

*Dealer Issue...*



abmobil said:


> I would try a different dealer. Being so new with little miles most dealers should cover it but they dont neccesarily have to.
> The armada titan problem is not on the new frontiers and pathfinders or we would have heard much more about it.
> This is just probably a rare case.


I agree...any dealer worth a crap should have taken care of this for you. Are you getting the vehicle serviced from the dealer you bought it from? Do they hate you for some reason?


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## Dnipro Max (Jul 26, 2005)

thrbek said:


> I agree...any dealer worth a crap should have taken care of this for you. Are you getting the vehicle serviced from the dealer you bought it from? Do they hate you for some reason?


I don't even go where i bough my car from because all they been doing is damage the car more than they fix, or fix totally normal working item and never fix the broken one so i had to file complain agains them, and i went to different nissan dealer it's the biggest one here and they sad its a wear issue not a warranty, so i called and file complain with nissan1 and after investigating they sad it a wear issue not a warranty issue, so the hell with them i did it my self with $20 to turn rotors and $30 for pads, and now i got normal brakes,


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## Egupta (Nov 1, 2005)

Dnipro Max said:


> thanks guys, took the pathy to dealer today, they sad that my pads are worn to the sensors completely gonnnne, and my rotors need resurface, but warranty do not cover that, and my car only 4 month old, with 9,000 miles, most of them are highway miles too, so i called Nissan 1 and file a complain agenst this for them to install me new brakes, will see what happens, any one know what alls i can do for them to cover this, thanks



My 2003 pathfinder is shaking also. I am having cross drilled rotor installed next week. I had a BMW a few years back and i was changing the rotors all the time. Once i put cross drilled rotors on it completley solved the issue once and for all. Im definitley looking forward to them. www.raceshopper.com is the site where i bought them from. For my truck they run about $280 with performance pads. I have a friend who will install them but otherwise the dealer charges about $150.00. So for around $450 the problem will most likley be resolved for a long long time.


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## thrbek (Oct 27, 2005)

*Vroom Vroom!*



Egupta said:


> My 2003 pathfinder is shaking also. I am having cross drilled rotor installed next week. I had a BMW a few years back and i was changing the rotors all the time. Once i put cross drilled rotors on it completley solved the issue once and for all. Im definitley looking forward to them. www.raceshopper.com is the site where i bought them from. For my truck they run about $280 with performance pads. I have a friend who will install them but otherwise the dealer charges about $150.00. So for around $450 the problem will most likley be resolved for a long long time.


You guys must drive pretty hard!  My brakes usually last me more than 40K miles.

GRIN


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## maherndon (Nov 22, 2005)

*Covert Recall*

A friend of mine and I experienced the same problem. Apparently, Nissan has quietly recalled (though they don't list it as a recall) the brake system. They will replace it for free. You should have received a letter only about two months ago. It doesn't explain the problem but states that they will add a new brake kit to enhance the vehicle's performance. However, a mechanic (friend) explained that the brake kit currently on the 04/05 models were too small for the vehicle. Take it to a dealer and they will fix the problem for free. You may have already learned about this but, in case you haven't.


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## Dnipro Max (Jul 26, 2005)

maherndon said:


> A friend of mine and I experienced the same problem. Apparently, Nissan has quietly recalled (though they don't list it as a recall) the brake system. They will replace it for free. You should have received a letter only about two months ago. It doesn't explain the problem but states that they will add a new brake kit to enhance the vehicle's performance. However, a mechanic (friend) explained that the brake kit currently on the 04/05 models were too small for the vehicle. Take it to a dealer and they will fix the problem for free. You may have already learned about this but, in case you haven't.


I did not hear about this or receive a letter, did talk to 800-nissan1 and they did not mension this nor the dealer, do you have the letter? it may help me, but i all ready did the brakes,


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## spat (Oct 15, 2005)

Dnipro Max said:


> I did not hear about this or receive a letter, did talk to 800-nissan1 and they did not mension this nor the dealer, do you have the letter? it may help me, but i all ready did the brakes,


Ok this is a bit of a troublesome reply for me but I want to try to show both sides of the issue. Generally when a vehicle comes in with brake pads needing replacement at a premature interval a very detailed inspection has to be conducted. First are the pads worn evenly? If they are worn evenly then you check to see if the master cylinder is properly releiving pressure. A vehicle with properly sized brakes, master cylinder releiving pressure correctly and pads worn evenly indicates a properly functioning brake system. If they are worn prematurly it is a result of excessive brake use and is the owners cost. This is how the dealer makes the decision as to who pays. Now if the pads wher worn uneven then it would point to a malfunction in the brake system and the dealer should cover this type under warranty.

Now "maherndon" mentioned something about a possible recall due to undersized brakes. Manufacturers have several types of recalls. Those with the major safty issues are anounced on TV, radio, news papers, etc... If the manufacturer finds the problem wide spread but not a life threatening issue they usualy just send out a letter. Often the owner will not recieve the letter if his/her adress has changed since he purchased the vehicle or he/she is not the origional owner. Now one more reason someone might not get the letter is of a grave issue, I do not condone this activity but I have seen it happen a few times. If a customer and a daelership get into a argument of sorts the dealer may go into the system and change the customers adress to prevent the customer from recieving any surveys from the manufacturer thus resulting in the customer never getting any recall notices. Other recalls may be on a limitted bases such as when you see it replace it for free (these are covered in TSB's). A a technician I mad the act of reviewing the TSB's a weekly ritual and always checked for any related TSB's when given a work order for a repair, I tried to encourage the other techs to do the same, but many of them would not do so. If the brakes on your vehicle are undersized it is not the job of the dealer to make that call unless instructed to do so by either a recall notice or a TSB.

Another thing I want to point out is the dealer does not make the decision as to what is warranty, the manufacturer does. The dealer pays for all costs up front and then files a claim with the manufacturer. Unless the dealer can provide information why the brakes are faulty then the claim will be denied. The posters that mentioned they had their brakes done under warranty may have gotten that because of sticking slide pins, faulty calipers or master cylinder, who knows.

you mentioned you traveled thru the montaines and this is when you noticed shaking in the wheel. It is likely you overheated the brakes while going thru the montaines and this is easy to see when inspecting brakes. If the brake inspection reveiled overheating it will be owners cost. Personaly I agree many of nissans trucks and SUV's do have undersized brakes but that is not an issue you can deal with by the dealer. You will need to deal with nissan on that. If you do much towing or mountain driving I would consider upgrading the brakes. Yes it is unfortunat but what can you do?


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## Dnipro Max (Jul 26, 2005)

spat said:


> Ok this is a bit of a troublesome reply for me but I want to try to show both sides of the issue. Generally when a vehicle comes in with brake pads needing replacement at a premature interval a very detailed inspection has to be conducted. First are the pads worn evenly? If they are worn evenly then you check to see if the master cylinder is properly releiving pressure. A vehicle with properly sized brakes, master cylinder releiving pressure correctly and pads worn evenly indicates a properly functioning brake system. If they are worn prematurly it is a result of excessive brake use and is the owners cost. This is how the dealer makes the decision as to who pays. Now if the pads wher worn uneven then it would point to a malfunction in the brake system and the dealer should cover this type under warranty.
> 
> Now "maherndon" mentioned something about a possible recall due to undersized brakes. Manufacturers have several types of recalls. Those with the major safty issues are anounced on TV, radio, news papers, etc... If the manufacturer finds the problem wide spread but not a life threatening issue they usualy just send out a letter. Often the owner will not recieve the letter if his/her adress has changed since he purchased the vehicle or he/she is not the origional owner. Now one more reason someone might not get the letter is of a grave issue, I do not condone this activity but I have seen it happen a few times. If a customer and a daelership get into a argument of sorts the dealer may go into the system and change the customers adress to prevent the customer from recieving any surveys from the manufacturer thus resulting in the customer never getting any recall notices. Other recalls may be on a limitted bases such as when you see it replace it for free (these are covered in TSB's). A a technician I mad the act of reviewing the TSB's a weekly ritual and always checked for any related TSB's when given a work order for a repair, I tried to encourage the other techs to do the same, but many of them would not do so. If the brakes on your vehicle are undersized it is not the job of the dealer to make that call unless instructed to do so by either a recall notice or a TSB.
> 
> ...


Good explenation, but when the Monroe mufler guy my rotors cuts, he said they are rusting from inside(truck havent seen winter or salt yet) and second my brake pads where worn not even, the inside ones where gone and in slight angle, but the outside ones are fine still have alot left on them. so what can i say but this what nissan brake are they are cheap and suck. me personaly wont get nissan again just of so much problems i have with this one, that i never had with any other car, truck or suv i had before


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## supraholic (Nov 21, 2005)

My 01 PF did that after 20000 miles. I took it to the dealer (fairfax VA), they said, the rotor was warped.. they resurfaced it. work was done under warrenty. I didnt pay any.


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## Breeze (Nov 22, 2005)

I have the same problem with my 04 Pathfinder. Dealer says its a warped rotor and i only have 22,000 miles on it. Dealer says brakes and rotors warranty are covered only for 12,000 miles. So i am looking at a $350 charge. -sigh-


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## dvdswanson (Nov 6, 2005)

wear items, such as brake pads/shoes are 12/12 only, 12 months or 12,000 miles which ever comes 1st. stop and go traffic puts alot of wear on front brakes (where most braking is done).


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## Dnipro Max (Jul 26, 2005)

dvdswanson said:


> wear items, such as brake pads/shoes are 12/12 only, 12 months or 12,000 miles which ever comes 1st. stop and go traffic puts alot of wear on front brakes (where most braking is done).


That good to know, scince my truck only had 9,000 and it was 5 mounth old


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## spat (Oct 15, 2005)

Dnipro Max said:


> Good explenation, but when the Monroe mufler guy my rotors cuts, he said they are rusting from inside(truck havent seen winter or salt yet) and second my brake pads where worn not even, the inside ones where gone and in slight angle, but the outside ones are fine still have alot left on them. so what can i say but this what nissan brake are they are cheap and suck. me personaly wont get nissan again just of so much problems i have with this one, that i never had with any other car, truck or suv i had before


Sounds to me they should have been covered, sticking slid pins mostlikely. The center of the rotors always have rust, this is normal. The friction surface of the rotors stay clean only because of use. To prove my point just take an old rotor and have it resurfaced, wet it down and leave it in the back yard, with in a few weeks it will be rusted all over.


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## Dnipro Max (Jul 26, 2005)

spat said:


> Sounds to me they should have been covered, sticking slid pins mostlikely. The center of the rotors always have rust, this is normal. The friction surface of the rotors stay clean only because of use. To prove my point just take an old rotor and have it resurfaced, wet it down and leave it in the back yard, with in a few weeks it will be rusted all over.


I know it shoud be cover, but the rust on the rotor was on the friction surface and it was ruff. when i tolk the rotors to Pepbys they sad its junk and they cant even resurface because it all rusted on the friction side. So I tolk it to Monroe Mufler/Brake and they did it there but sad next time just junks it. Because of Nissan cheap stell it rust, and car been driven 5 mounth all the time, and No winter or salt.


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