Nissan
Nissan Pathfinder years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2014. Best years: 2018, 2019 and 2020.
The 2014 Nissan Pathfinder draws the most owner complaints for its age: 522, or 40 for each year on the road, against a median of 22 a year across the 10 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is transmission shudder (95 reports).
- 1,382complaints
- 19recall campaigns
- 7model years with a page
Newest report Sep 21, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2014
Most reported: transmission shudder (95 reports, median 45,700 miles) and airbag (83 reports, median 18,000 miles).
Best years
2018
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2019
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2020
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid. Too new to judge: 2025 and 2026.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2014 has the most complaints of any Nissan Pathfinder year here: 522 of 1,382 (38%).
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Airbag leads in 2 of the 6 model years and has the most reports overall, 168. Pooled across the years, half of the 83 owners who gave a mileage for airbag were under about 18,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 5% of Nissan Pathfinder complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2016, 10 of its 105 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- 3 of the 5 model years where owners report airbag have a recall on the same system. The 2017 and 2022 have none. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2019 at 213 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 113. So far in 2026, 78 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: EurovisionNim, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Fourth generation (R52)
Photo: Cutlass, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2018 (77), 2019 (76), 2020 (53), 2024 (81), 2025 (51).
Year by year
2026 Nissan Pathfinder
10 owner complaints so far; too new to call. 1 report involved a crash. No recalls.
2023 Nissan Pathfinder
104 owner complaints, 26 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (21 reports, median 20,000 miles), stalling (20 reports) and infotainment (13 reports). 4 reports involved a crash and 1 person was hurt. 1 recall: 23V-268 on the seats.
2022 Nissan Pathfinder
135 owner complaints, 27 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (34 reports, median 24,000 miles), seat belt (20 reports) and infotainment (11 reports). 3 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 5 recalls, including 22V-527 on the backup camera and 22V-111 on the seats.
2017 Nissan Pathfinder
186 owner complaints, 19 for each year on the road (0.8 times the model median). Most reported: overheating (29 reports, median 44,625 miles), A/C failure (25 reports, median 47,000 miles) and stalling (20 reports, median 52,131 miles). 8 reports involved a crash and 8 people were hurt. 2 recalls, including 19V-807 on the brakes and 18V-601 on the brakes.
2016 Nissan Pathfinder
105 owner complaints, 10 for each year on the road (0.4 times the model median). Most reported: airbag (18 reports), brake wear (14 reports, median 50,000 miles) and overheating (13 reports, median 50,000 miles). 10 reports involved a crash and 5 people were hurt. 2 recalls, including 16V-244 on the airbags and 22V-420 on the latches and locks.
2015 Nissan Pathfinder
320 owner complaints, 27 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: airbag (55 reports, median 15,000 miles), stalling (31 reports, median 56,500 miles) and A/C failure (28 reports, median 50,000 miles). 11 reports involved a crash and 7 people were hurt. 5 recalls, including 16V-244 on the airbags and 15V-681 on the airbags.
2014 Nissan Pathfinder avoid
522 owner complaints, 40 for each year on the road (1.8 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (95 reports, median 45,700 miles), airbag (83 reports, median 18,000 miles) and stalling (39 reports, median 50,000 miles). 14 reports involved a crash and 28 people were hurt. 11 recalls, including 22V-420 on the latches and locks and 21V-020 on the exterior lighting.
Recalls that cover several model years
On certain Pathfinder vehicles, the secondary hood latch may malfunction and remain in the unlatched, unsecured, position when the hood is closed.
In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied.
The location of the brake light switch may cause the brake light switch relay to repeatedly open and close.
The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
During the assembly process, the front wheel hub assembly fasteners may not have been properly torqued.
Compare the Pathfinder with its rivals
Side by side over the model years both have on file: what owners complain about, the mileage problems start at, recalls, investigations and crash reports.
- Pathfinder vs Toyota Highlander2014 to 2023
- Pathfinder vs Honda Pilot2014 to 2026
- Pathfinder vs Kia Telluride2022 to 2023
- Pathfinder vs Nissan Murano2014 to 2017
Questions
What Nissan Pathfinder years should you avoid?
The 2014 Nissan Pathfinder draws the most owner complaints for its age: 522, or 40 for each year on the road, against a median of 22 a year across the 10 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is transmission shudder (95 reports).
What are the best years for the Nissan Pathfinder?
The 2018, 2019 and 2020 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2018 has 77 (9 a year), 2019 has 76 (10 a year) and 2020 has 53 (8 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Nissan Pathfinder?
Airbag, with 168 reports across the 7 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2015 and 2016.
How many recalls does the Nissan Pathfinder have?
19 recall campaigns cover the Nissan Pathfinder model years 2014 to 2026 on this site. The widest, 16V-244 on the airbags, covers 3 model years.
How many Nissan Pathfinder complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
5% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2016 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for airbag on the Nissan Pathfinder?
On 3 of the 5 model years where owners report it: 2014, 2015 and 2016.