Home/Car Problems/Nissan Pathfinder
Known Problems

Nissan Pathfinder Problems by Year

Which Nissan Pathfinder years have the most owner complaints, what goes wrong, and how many recalls each year has.

Nissan Pathfinder, 2022 to 2024 model years
Photo: Cutlass, CC0

Owners have filed 2,637 complaints with NHTSA about the Nissan Pathfinder from 2012 to 2024. Across every year, the most reported problem areas are the transmission and drivetrain, the engine and cooling and the air bags. The years with the most complaints are 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Years to avoid

201320142015

The most complaints compared with other Pathfinder years.

Safer bets

20122020

Clearly fewer complaints than a typical Pathfinder year. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate.

Own one?

Get recall alerts for your Pathfinder

Add it to My Garage, free. We email you when a new recall is issued for it, plus service reminders and what it is worth each month.

Add it to My Garage
Shopping for one?

Start a free car search

Tell us which years you are looking at and your budget. We review every request and help you find a good one and skip the bad years.

Start my car search

Complaints by year

Tap a year to see its most reported problems, its recalls and what to check before you buy. Newer years have had less time on the road, so they always look better here. Red marks the worst years, orange years worse than most, and green the better ones.

20122320138912014576201532120161052017188201878201976202048
20210
20221372023107202487

Every year at a glance

YearVs. other yearsComplaintsRecallsMost reported
2012 PathfinderOne of the better years232Engine and cooling
2013 PathfinderAmong the worst years89111Transmission and drivetrain
2014 PathfinderAmong the worst years57611Transmission and drivetrain
2015 PathfinderAmong the worst years3215Transmission and drivetrain
2016 PathfinderAbout average1052Engine and cooling
2017 PathfinderWorse than most years1882Engine and cooling
2018 PathfinderAbout average783Brakes and stability control
2019 PathfinderAbout average762Driver assist systems
2020 PathfinderOne of the better years480Engine and cooling
2021 PathfinderNot enough data00None on file
2022 PathfinderWorse than most years1375Brakes and stability control
2023 PathfinderToo new to judge1071Electrical system
2024 PathfinderToo new to judge872Brakes and stability control

Similar midsize SUVs

Toyota HighlanderHonda PilotKia TellurideSubaru AscentFord ExplorerChevrolet Traverse
Compare the Pathfinder with these side by side

Other Nissan models

Nissan RogueNissan AltimaNissan Sentra

Nissan Pathfinder questions

What are the worst Nissan Pathfinder years?

Compared with its other years, the Pathfinder years with the most owner complaints to NHTSA are 2013, 2014 and 2015. The most reported problem area across all years is the transmission and drivetrain.

What are the best Nissan Pathfinder years?

The Pathfinder years with clearly fewer complaints than a typical year are 2012 and 2020. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate fairly, since complaints keep coming in as cars age.

What are the most common Nissan Pathfinder problems?

Across 2012 to 2024, owners report problems with the transmission and drivetrain, the engine and cooling and the air bags most often. Each model year has its own pattern, so check the year you are looking at.

How many recalls does the Nissan Pathfinder have?

NHTSA lists 46 recalls across the 2012 to 2024 Pathfinder, counted per model year. A recall can cover several years.

Check the exact car

These problems are for the model year as a whole. Here is how to find out about the one you are looking at.

Decode its VINConfirm the year, trim and engine, and see recalls and safety ratings.Walk around and test drive itA step-by-step checklist you can use on your phone at the car.Read the history reportThe red flags in a Carfax or AutoCheck report, in plain English.

Looking at a Nissan Pathfinder?

We inspect the car with a scan tool and paint gauge, read the history report and tell you whether it is worth the asking price, before you hand over any money.

See Our Services
Where these numbers come from. Complaints are reports that owners filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), counted from NHTSA’s complaint database as of November 5, 2026. Owners do not have to prove a problem to file one, so a complaint is a report, not a confirmed defect. Models that sell in big numbers get more complaints, and newer model years have had less time on the road, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Recalls come from NHTSA’s recall database and cover every vehicle of that model year, not one particular car. Quotes are trimmed, and anything that looks like a VIN is hidden.