Hey guys, new member. I figured this was the best place to ask and get a good response. I was looking at a 05 Pathy at a local lot, and when starting it up, the gauges do a crazy jumping-stuttering. It eventually went away after a bit of time, but was curious if anyone else has experienced it. The battery was low (barely turned over) so I wasnt sure if that was it. Also, what are potential problem areas for the 05 models? Its a LE if that matters. Thanks a bunch!

sounds like a battery unercharged.

im on my 4th battery, and all three previous ones made those symptoms when they died.
the gauges seem to shiver and jump a bit.


oh, and welcome to the club !

My friend....RUN away from a 2005 Pathfinder! I made that blunder myself.

2006 - Present is another story. And to avoid the major design flaw of the transmission cooler / radiator integration fluid mixing, you'll need to look at 2009 - Present.

Trogdor wrote:Hey guys, new member. I figured this was the best place to ask and get a good response. I was looking at a 05 Pathy at a local lot, and when starting it up, the gauges do a crazy jumping-stuttering. It eventually went away after a bit of time, but was curious if anyone else has experienced it. The battery was low (barely turned over) so I wasnt sure if that was it. Also, what are potential problem areas for the 05 models? Its a LE if that matters. Thanks a bunch!

You can read through this forum and dig as much as you want and i'm sure you'll find plenty wrong with an 05 but I'll give you some sure fire things to look for as I've run into these issues with mine.

1. U-joint for the front drive shaft(4x4 models only I think) goes bad and causes serious vibration at highway speeds. Depending on mileage it maybe covered under the manufacturer's drive train warranty.
2. Crap paint! Check around the front fenders, the A pillars next to the windshield and especially the drip rails on the roof, mine are rusted out from front to back but you can't tell unless your looking.
3. Driver power window controller (controls all 4), its one unit so if one window doesn't work from that controller you stuck replacing the whole thing.
4. Check the transmission fluid!

Other than that its a great truck, but don't expect to get more than 17-19 mpg.






P.S. Trogdor, Glad to see there is another Homestarrunner fan out there besides myself!!!

Hmm. I had been reading about the radiator/tranny fluid issue. That alone seems scary. Its a 2WD so the U joint would not be of any concern, but still seems to be some hatred on the 05. The g/f seems to be liking Muranos, maybe its time to scamper over that way. Thanks guys.