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2015 Nissan Pathfinder

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Pathfinder years

Owner complaints for the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder are substantially higher than the model-year median of 97.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

221 reports with mileage · 99 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 76 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 74 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 55 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

11 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports

Engine complaints

74 reports
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50,000 miles · Mar 22, 2019
EngineService BrakesVehicle Speed Control

ENGINE RATTLING, TURNED OUT TO BE A FAULTY RADIATOR COOLING FAN. NEEDED TO REPLACE WHOLE FAN ASSEMBLY AFTER 50,000 MILES. INTERMITTENTLY BRAKE LIGHTS WILL STAY ON WHEN CAR IS PARKED, DRAINING THE BATTERY. PERHAPS A BRAKE RELAY SWITCH. ALSO INTERMITTENTLY, THE VEHICLE HAS SEVERE ISSUES ACCELERATING. IF GOING 40 MPH, AND AT…

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ENGINE RATTLING, TURNED OUT TO BE A FAULTY RADIATOR COOLING FAN. NEEDED TO REPLACE WHOLE FAN ASSEMBLY AFTER 50,000 MILES. INTERMITTENTLY BRAKE LIGHTS WILL STAY ON WHEN CAR IS PARKED, DRAINING THE BATTERY. PERHAPS A BRAKE RELAY SWITCH. ALSO INTERMITTENTLY, THE VEHICLE HAS SEVERE ISSUES ACCELERATING. IF GOING 40 MPH, AND ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE, THERE IS LITTLE TO NO RESPONSE. FROM FULL STOP, THERE IS OCCASIONALLY NO RESPONSE AT ALL UNTIL RELEASING AND REAPPLYING THE GAS PEDAL. THIS IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS!

NHTSA ODI #11190871

15,000 miles · Mar 15, 2019
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

BREAK LIGHTS WILL STAY ON EVEN IF THE CAR IS PARKED. IT WILL STAY ON WHILE DRIVING. WHEN THIS HAPPENS I HAVE TO DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL TWICE. THE OTHER ISSUE IS LOSS OF POWER. WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE CAR WILL NOT GO WHEN I PUSH THE GAS. EVEN IF THE ACCELERATOR IS FULLY DEPRESSED THE CAR WILL NOT MOVE. THIS ALSO …

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BREAK LIGHTS WILL STAY ON EVEN IF THE CAR IS PARKED. IT WILL STAY ON WHILE DRIVING. WHEN THIS HAPPENS I HAVE TO DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL TWICE. THE OTHER ISSUE IS LOSS OF POWER. WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE CAR WILL NOT GO WHEN I PUSH THE GAS. EVEN IF THE ACCELERATOR IS FULLY DEPRESSED THE CAR WILL NOT MOVE. THIS ALSO OCCURS WHILE IN MOTION. IT HAS HAPPENED WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND THERE WAS LOSS OF POWER.

NHTSA ODI #11187173

42,000 miles · Mar 15, 2019
Electrical SystemEngineService Brakes

THREE TIMES THIS WEEK WE HAVE TRIED TO ACCELERATE OUR VEHICLE WITH NO RESPONSE. IN ADDITION, THREE TIMES THIS WEEK THE BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE STAYED ON AFTER SHUTTING THE VEHICLE OFF. THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL STAY ON UNTIL YOU OPERATE THE VEHICLE AGAIN. THE ONE DAY WE DIDNT NOTICE FOR ABOUT 40 MINUTES. I HAVE READ THERE HAVE BEEN RECALL…

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THREE TIMES THIS WEEK WE HAVE TRIED TO ACCELERATE OUR VEHICLE WITH NO RESPONSE. IN ADDITION, THREE TIMES THIS WEEK THE BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE STAYED ON AFTER SHUTTING THE VEHICLE OFF. THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL STAY ON UNTIL YOU OPERATE THE VEHICLE AGAIN. THE ONE DAY WE DIDNT NOTICE FOR ABOUT 40 MINUTES. I HAVE READ THERE HAVE BEEN RECALLS FOR THE 2013 AND 2014 BRAKE RELAY SWITCH SO I'M THINKING THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI #11187002

40,500 miles · Mar 4, 2019
Engine

AT LESS THAN 41,000 MILES, THE BEARINGS IN THE DUAL RADIATOR AND CONDENSER FAN ASSEMBLY ARE WORN AND THE FAN ASSEMBLY SHAKES WHEN THE FANS TURN ON. IF THE FANS BREAK WHILE DRIVING, IT MAY DAMAGE THE ENGINE OR CAUSE THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT. MANY OWNERS OF THIS NISSAN MODEL HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME ISSUE OCCURRING AT 30,000 - 60,…

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AT LESS THAN 41,000 MILES, THE BEARINGS IN THE DUAL RADIATOR AND CONDENSER FAN ASSEMBLY ARE WORN AND THE FAN ASSEMBLY SHAKES WHEN THE FANS TURN ON. IF THE FANS BREAK WHILE DRIVING, IT MAY DAMAGE THE ENGINE OR CAUSE THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT. MANY OWNERS OF THIS NISSAN MODEL HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME ISSUE OCCURRING AT 30,000 - 60,000 MILES. THE FAN ASSEMBLY APPEARS TO BE UNRELIABLE.

NHTSA ODI #11183963

30,000 miles · Feb 25, 2019
Engine

DURING NORMAL OPERATION, RADIATOR COOLING FAN MAKES A BUZZING NOISE WHEN HVAC SYSTEM IS TURNED ON TO ANY SETTING. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, PASSENGER SIDE RADIATOR FAN IS OFF BALANCE, CAUSING VIBRATION AND BUZZING SOUND. WITH VEHICLE TURNED OFF, FAN BLADE WAS VERIFIED LOSS. THE VEHICLE HAS 30,200 MILES. DURING MY RESEARCH, I HAVE…

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DURING NORMAL OPERATION, RADIATOR COOLING FAN MAKES A BUZZING NOISE WHEN HVAC SYSTEM IS TURNED ON TO ANY SETTING. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, PASSENGER SIDE RADIATOR FAN IS OFF BALANCE, CAUSING VIBRATION AND BUZZING SOUND. WITH VEHICLE TURNED OFF, FAN BLADE WAS VERIFIED LOSS. THE VEHICLE HAS 30,200 MILES. DURING MY RESEARCH, I HAVE NOTICED MANY SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THE SAME VEHICLE BETWEEN 30,000 AND 50,000 MILES. WITH A BACKGROUND IN AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE AND QUALITY ENGINEERING, IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE AMOUNT OF VIBRATION IS SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO EVENTUALLY CONTACT THE RADIATOR OR BREAK LOOSE, POSSIBLY CAUSING A COOLANT LEAK OR OTHER UNDERHOOD DAMAGE.

NHTSA ODI #11182455

Mileage unknown · Feb 21, 2019
Engine

COOLING FAN BEARINGS HAVE GONE BAD TWICE IN 75000 MILES. THE FIRST TIME IT WAS STILL IN WARRANTY. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME AND IT IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM AND NISSAN NEEDS TO BE RESPONSIBLE. THANKS

NHTSA ODI #11181743

45,000 miles · Feb 19, 2019
Engine

COOLING FAN FAILURE

NHTSA ODI #11181054

Mileage unknown · Feb 14, 2019
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemVehicle Speed Control

WHEN TURNING THE VEHICLE STALLS. UNABLE TO ACCELERATE. BREAK LIGHT SWITCH RELAY.ALREADY A PREVIOUS RECALL.

NHTSA ODI #11180140

42,500 miles · Feb 9, 2019
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING MY PATHFINDER ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS AND ROADS, I WOULD BE MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, TURNING ONTO A ROAD AND JUST TRYING TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE OFTEN LOSES ALL POWER AND DECELERATES. I HAVE PLACED THE GAS PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, AND YET HAVE NO POWER. IT TAKES AT LEAST 10-15 SECONDS TO REGAIN POWER AND BE ABLE T…

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WHILE DRIVING MY PATHFINDER ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS AND ROADS, I WOULD BE MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, TURNING ONTO A ROAD AND JUST TRYING TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE OFTEN LOSES ALL POWER AND DECELERATES. I HAVE PLACED THE GAS PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, AND YET HAVE NO POWER. IT TAKES AT LEAST 10-15 SECONDS TO REGAIN POWER AND BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE AGAIN. OFTEN TIMES I'VE BEEN CLOSE TO BEING REAR ENDED, ESPECIALLY ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS, WITH MY 2 MONTH OLD NIECE IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME BY TRACTOR TRAILERS. I FEAR FOR THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND ANYONE IN THE CAR WITH ME, AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS WHO HAVE POTENTIAL TO REAR END ME AS I LOSE POWER. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON ROUTE 70 IN NEW STANTON, PA, ROUTE 119 (SEVERAL PARTS) IN GREENSBURG, PA, VARIOUS LOCATIONS ON ROUTE 30 IN GREENSBURG, PA, CAMEO LANE, GREENSBURG, PA, TWIN LAKES PARK, AND GEORGE'S STATION ROAD IN GREENSBURG, PA, AS WELL AS ROUTE 217 IN DERRY, PA AND INDIANA, PA. THIS WAS TAKEN TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP IN GREENSBURG, PA TWINCE FOR THE SAME ISSUE, AND THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE, BUT CLAIMED THE FIRST TIME IT WAS IN, THAT IT WAS A FAULTY BRAKE SWITCH, AND REPLACED IT FOR $217.00. THAT DID NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE AND IT WAS BACK INTO THE DEALERSHIP A WEEK LATER. I HAVE FOUND SEVERAL WEBSITES, INCLUDING A NEWS STATION THAT COVERED THIS ISSUE (WITH A FATAL ACCIDENT) AND NISSAN HAS NEVER CORRECTED THE PROBLEM IN ANY OF THE CASES.

NHTSA ODI #11175871

85,000 miles · Jan 23, 2019
EngineUnknown Or Other

THE CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY, ROAR AND MAKE A VERY LOUD KNOCKING NOISE. I HAD JUST STARTED THE ENGINE AND IT WAS IN MY GARAGE AND STATIONARY. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE CAR OFF. LATER THAT DAY, MY HUSBAND STARTED THE CAR AGAIN WITHOUT ISSUE. HE PULLED OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY AND PROCEEDED LESS THAN 100 YARDS DOWN THE ROAD WHEN…

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THE CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY, ROAR AND MAKE A VERY LOUD KNOCKING NOISE. I HAD JUST STARTED THE ENGINE AND IT WAS IN MY GARAGE AND STATIONARY. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE CAR OFF. LATER THAT DAY, MY HUSBAND STARTED THE CAR AGAIN WITHOUT ISSUE. HE PULLED OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY AND PROCEEDED LESS THAN 100 YARDS DOWN THE ROAD WHEN THE NOISE AND SHAKING STARTED AGAIN. I CALLED THE DEALER WHO STATED IT WAS MOST LIKELY THE COOLING FAN (CONFIRMED BY DIAGNOSIS AT SAME DEALER) THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

NHTSA ODI #11171602

Official recalls

5

22V420000 · Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch

Jun 13, 2022

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Pathfinder vehicles. On certain Pathfinder vehicles, the secondary hood latch may malfunction and remain in the unlatched, unsecured, position when the hood is closed.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An unsecured hood could unexpectedly open while driving, obstructing the driver's view, and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the bell crank assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 26, 2025. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are R22A2 R22A3 and R24B7.

21V020000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Jan 20, 2021

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles. The location of the brake light switch may cause the brake light switch relay to repeatedly open and close. Overtime, this can cause the relay to stick in the "ON" position, with the brake lights remaining illuminated even when the brakes are not applied. Additionally, this may interfere with the brake-shift interlock, allowing the driver to shift the vehicle out of the "Park" position, without depressing the brake pedal.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Continual illumination of the brake lights can prevent other drivers from realizing the vehicle is actually slowing down, increasing the risk of a crash. With the brake override activated, the driver will not be able to accelerate normally, increasing the risk of a crash. The driver can shift the vehicle out of the "PARK" position without depressing the brake, allowing the vehicle to rollaway, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, either re-install the brake light switch or swap positions with the Automatic Speed Control Device (ASCD) switch; depending on the model year vehicle. In addition, the brake light relay will be replaced with a new one. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall PC786. Note: this recall supersedes 16V-380.

16V244000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Apr 26, 2016

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. 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. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

15V681000 · Air Bags:frontal; Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Oct 20, 2015

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. 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.

Consequence: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Air Bags:frontal

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. 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.

Consequence: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

15V012000 · Service Brakes

Jan 14, 2015

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles manufactured August 14, 2014, to November 5, 2014, and 2014-2015 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured August 12, 2014, to November 15, 2014. During the assembly process, the front wheel hub assembly fasteners may not have been properly torqued.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The under-torqued fasteners may result in a brake caliper separating from the wheel assembly causing a reduction in braking performance or reduced steering control. These conditions increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and tighten any loose bolts to the proper specification, free of charge. The recall began February 2, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE21022 · Hood Latch/bell Crank Assembly

Opened Dec 9, 2021 · Closed Jul 8, 2022

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate consumer complaints alleging hood latch failures occurring on certain model year (MY) 2013-2016 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles. Complaints received indicated a sudden and unexpected opening of the hood while the vehicle was in motion, blocking the driver's visibility.During this investigation Nissan collected parts from the field to analyze for root cause of the alleged failures. On June 13, 2022, Nissan submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA regarding a hood bell crank assembly defect in certain MY2013-2016 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles produced at the Smyrna, TN plant. According to Nissan's DIR, an accumulation of dust and dirt contamination on and around the bell crank lever pivot joint, which actuates the secondary hood latch, can create a condition that can cause the lever to remain in the open position after it has been disengaged. In this condition, the secondary hood latch may not hold the hood closed as designed while the vehicle is in motion obstructing the driver's forward view and increasing the risk of a crash.A remedy plan for all affected vehicles is currently under development. See recall action 22V-420 for further details. Nissan's action resolves the issues raised by this investigation, and therefore, this investigation is closed.The VOQs cited above can be found with ID numbers: 11456378, 11448298, 11436637, 11431131, 11427702, 11423321, 11406574, 11398825, 11389741, 11387952, 11375938, 11349105,11306735, 11302647, 11190468, 11166607.