The Nissan Path

Had the Pathfinder out in snow and icy conditions up north. On slick, icy roads, the rear end wants to get squirly at moderate speeds (2wd & 4wd). Pretty much anything over 30-40 mph. It's bad and to the point where it just starts to fish tail uncontrollably. My buddies X-Terra doesn't do it when on the same roads in same conditions. So I know it's something with the Pathfinder. Any thoughts on the issue or what to look at? I'm thinking rear sway bar, but not 100% sure what to look for.

Be careful with this my sister had a similar problem with her Ford Explorer and it was a rear end issue that was serious. They wound up replacing the entire rear end. I hope your situation is not the same. I'm sure someone will chime in here with more knowledge on the subject then myself.

Tires would be the first thing to check out. What kind are you running and how's the tread? What's your buddy running?

Is traction control kicking in when it does that? It should help keep things straight if it's working, but tires are by far the biggest component to this situation.

Tires were BFG All Terrains with 1/3 of tread left. Am going in for new tires soon to see if this resolves the issue. Traction control was not kicking in when this happened. In fact, it would happen even when foot was off the gas pedal and just coasting.

The OEM BFG's on my truck were awful and would slide out on anything slicker than slightly wet pavement. Michelin LTX's fixed that...

Comparing the Xterra and Pathfinder is like apples to oranges as far as the rear suspension. Xterra has a straight axle with a mechanical LSD. Pathfinder has an independent suspension with open diff and electronic LSD. The electronic LSD actually works pretty good in snow and most weather conditions, assuming yours is working. The electronic LSD uses the ABS to lock the brakes on the free-spinning wheels, which allows power to the wheel with the traction. Tires would be the first thing I would check, as well.

Rider wrote:Tires were BFG All Terrains with 1/3 of tread left. Am going in for new tires soon to see if this resolves the issue. Traction control was not kicking in when this happened. In fact, it would happen even when foot was off the gas pedal and just coasting.

1/3 of tread is pretty much worn out in my book. That's around 4/32nds and 2/32nds is the legal limit. I won't usually go into winter on any tire with less than 7-8/32. Also, most A/T's do not perform well on ice even when new. Just not the ideal tread pattern and many aren't siped. New tires will make a huge difference if you buy the right ones.