1998 Nissan Pathfinder Rear End Bounces When Braking

Reader Question I have a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder with approximately 218,000 miles. What are some of the causes of a nose diving vehicle?

When I apply my breaks (even gently) and the vehicle comes to a complete halt, the rear end of my vehicle shifts toward the front and causes a loud thump.

It appears as though I have been rear-ended by another vehicle. What could this be? Thank you for your attention and assistance. I look forward to your reply.

Hi there

My first thought would be to inspect the shocks and struts for wear. You can do a “bounce test” yourself to check them. Push down on the front bumper a few times to get the vehicle bouncing up and down about 6+ inches…then stop pushing on the bumper and see how many times the vehicle bounces before it stops.

If the vehicle continues to bounce a few times after you have stopped pushing on the bumper, you probably need to replace the struts. Normally I would expect to see maybe just one bounce after I stopped pushing on the bumper. Do the same thing to the rear bumper to check the rear shocks.

Blessings,

Austin Davis