Yes, they do need fixing, because almost no one uses them. (Destiny)

by CruelLEGACEY , Toronto, Wednesday, February 04, 2015, 18:52 (3825 days ago) @ Ragashingo

Back in the early days of Destiny, I actually used Pulse Rifles almost exclusively (PvE & PvP). However, once I got into the mid-game grind (20-26) I found Pulse Rifles increasingly ineffective for higher level PvE combat. I started focusing on other weapon classes as I built up my arsenal. I know that some weapons are much stronger in PvP than they are in PvE (and vice versa) but I do like to stick with weapons I am familiar and comfortable with. Since I never used PRs for PvE I stopped upgrading them. Just yesterday I sharded 5 legendary PRs that have been collecting dust in my vault.

Long story short, I agree that they are effective in PvP, but they are clearly the least effective primary for PvE. I suspect that's the reason you don't see them more often in PvP; people assume they'll suck there, too.