The Nissan Path

Hey guys,

I'm having an issue with my 2004 Pathfinder that is driving me crazy!

Symptom: every time you're in gear (Reverse, D, 2 or 1) and you come to a complete stop, as soon that car stops completely you feel like a "bump" coming from behind.. is like if somebody crashes against the rear of your car... you feel it and hear it..

I've noticed that if I do the same stop but just before I start applying the brake I put the car in neutral and just let it roll and then stop, you won't feel or hear anything...

It is definitely coming from the back... we've replace absolutely all bushings, secure everything, make sure the spare tire is tight and not moving... the mechanic and I have gone through everything in our minds, but so far, the issue remains...

Any ideas? Maybe somebody has had the same issue?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Regards!

Luis.

2wd or 4wd?

Pathfindork wrote:2wd or 4wd?

It is 4wd...

Can you get the wheels off the ground to listen for where the sound is coming from? I posted on one of the R50 FB groups, will post any responses.

Pathfindork wrote:Can you get the wheels off the ground to listen for where the sound is coming from? I posted on one of the R50 FB groups, will post any responses.

Already did that as well... and nothing appears to sound... not sure if the weight of the car on rear end is needed to reproduce the issue

Thanks for posting in FB!

Check the color of your transmission fluid. Do a change.

Did this issue come on all of a sudden?

Hooligan wrote:Did this issue come on all of a sudden?

Not sure.. I recently bought the car and noticed it since the very beginning... I initially thought that maybe the spare tire was not properly secured.. but I already checked that as well..

I noticed that I also hear the same noice when passing over a street bump.. so I think it is definitely related to something in the suspension system...

There's quite a few moving parts in the rear suspension. You mention that all the bushings were changed. A few years back I changed all the suspension bushings and still had a thump noise when doing a 3 point turn. Turns out that I didn't have one of the bolts tight enough and there was still a little bit of movement. The bolts are a somewhat loose fit inside the inner metal sleeve of the bushings. Make sure they're all tight. I had another noise but, it was more metallic. I was under the car a half a dozen times looking for something loose and never could find it. Turns out one of the coil springs was broken about two inches from the end of the coil. It was not noticeable because there's a plastic sleeve for the first few inches on each end of the coil that held the broken piece in place. There was also no noticeable sag in the suspension because the break was so close to the end.