Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
560–25K
6825–50K
5550–75K
2275–100K
14100–150K
6150K+
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
What owners actually said
320 reports
Mileage unknown · Dec 28, 2021
Engine
cvt transmission is the worse my vehicle stopped on me on the highway coming from miami to orlando no warning nothing just stopped, the vehicle goes faster than it actually says with my children the only direction it could go into is reverse late at night it was so scary. I know if I could change my vehicle I would for a vehic…
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cvt transmission is the worse my vehicle stopped on me on the highway coming from miami to orlando no warning nothing just stopped, the vehicle goes faster than it actually says with my children the only direction it could go into is reverse late at night it was so scary. I know if I could change my vehicle I would for a vehicle without CVT Transmission it doesn't shift like normal which is shifting at each short line it races to 3 to 4 then goes down putting more where and tear than norm
NHTSA ODI #11445241
Mileage unknown · Dec 23, 2021
Unknown Or Other
I bought my 2015 Pathfinder new in 2016. Love the vehicle but I am disappointed in how quickly it started to "fall apart". I had a Altima with over 200 000 miles without a single part breaking on it. I bought my Pathfinder based on the premise that all Nissan products are as good as my Altima. I have only 52000 miles on my Pathf…
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I bought my 2015 Pathfinder new in 2016. Love the vehicle but I am disappointed in how quickly it started to "fall apart". I had a Altima with over 200 000 miles without a single part breaking on it. I bought my Pathfinder based on the premise that all Nissan products are as good as my Altima. I have only 52000 miles on my Pathfinder now and I have a defective cooling fan making a terrible noise. There is no support for my Pathfinder any longer from Nissan and the cost of replacing the fan is well over $1400. I expected more from Nissan and my new vehicle for next year will be based on my experience with Nissan. I am not sure I will be driving a Nissan next year. Nissan is cheeping out on product that they use for their vehicles now, it's too bad, they used to have very well built products.
NHTSA ODI #11444836
Mileage unknown · Dec 5, 2021
Power Train
We bought this Nissan Pathfinder SV model with 4-wheel drive brand new in 2015. This model supposed to have had an upgraded Continuously Variable transmission (CVT). It is meticulously maintained. In 2020 at 70,000 miles the CVT oil was changed by the Nissan dealer. The dealer said that there was nothing abnormal with the car a…
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We bought this Nissan Pathfinder SV model with 4-wheel drive brand new in 2015. This model supposed to have had an upgraded Continuously Variable transmission (CVT). It is meticulously maintained. In 2020 at 70,000 miles the CVT oil was changed by the Nissan dealer. The dealer said that there was nothing abnormal with the car and it was doing well. About year later at around 80,000 miles, car started to sporadically shudder and loose power when cruising at a low speed and when trying to accelerate or go up a hill with slow speeds. There was no check engine light, or any other indicators that there was a problem. We took it to the Nissan dealer and the dealer ran diagnostics. They charged us $129.95 for an hour of troubleshooting and give us a report that the car has a code P17F1 - the CVT Judder. This indicates that there is a problem with the CVT steel belt or the CVT valve body. According to Nissan these problems can not be repaired. The only fix is transmission replacement at the cost of $6,042.76. This car is few months after the warranty expired. We are another family victimized by Nissan who knows that they have problems with their CVT and they keep selling bad vehicles.
NHTSA ODI #11442756
Mileage unknown · Nov 12, 2021
Power TrainUnknown Or Other
CVT Transmission Internal Failure Judder Code P17FO Cost to replace $5000 Broken Radiator Fan cost to replace $938 Total repairs required $6281. Car located at Canon Nissan Dealer. Another repair shop indicated they are seeing failed CVT transmissions on many 2015 Pathfinders and Nissan models which appears to be a manufactu…
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CVT Transmission Internal Failure Judder Code P17FO Cost to replace $5000 Broken Radiator Fan cost to replace $938 Total repairs required $6281. Car located at Canon Nissan Dealer. Another repair shop indicated they are seeing failed CVT transmissions on many 2015 Pathfinders and Nissan models which appears to be a manufacturers defect. No warning lights. started naking noises week or two ago. indicated the fan was dangerous.
NHTSA ODI #11440263
Mileage unknown · Nov 2, 2021
Power Train
Vehicle started hesitation between 20 and 30 mph. Took to Nissan of Wood River and paid for diagnostic test and came back with code to replace transmission. Vehicle could have broke down on highway. Took to transmission shop, they verified and replaced transmission at 127k miles. There were never any warning lights or messag…
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Vehicle started hesitation between 20 and 30 mph. Took to Nissan of Wood River and paid for diagnostic test and came back with code to replace transmission. Vehicle could have broke down on highway. Took to transmission shop, they verified and replaced transmission at 127k miles. There were never any warning lights or messages that appeared.. cost over $4500.00 for replacement. Nissan is aware of the CVT transmission problems and should recall.
NHTSA ODI #11439126
Mileage unknown · Sep 9, 2021
Unknown Or Other
We bought our car from Newton Nissan south in 2019 it’s a 2015 and has a CTV transmission well now the CTV transmission will not switch into any other gears it jerks and shakes bucks etc I have read that this is a on going issues with this type of transmission well because the in-service date being 2015 the warranty does not cov…
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We bought our car from Newton Nissan south in 2019 it’s a 2015 and has a CTV transmission well now the CTV transmission will not switch into any other gears it jerks and shakes bucks etc I have read that this is a on going issues with this type of transmission well because the in-service date being 2015 the warranty does not cover the car even thought we didn’t purchase it will 2019 I’m trying to see what can be done about this because it’s not a uncommon issue for this type of transmission
NHTSA ODI #11432287
Mileage unknown · Aug 17, 2021
Unknown Or Other
On 8-16-21, while driving at highway speed, the sunroof over the driver/passenger area in the vehicle spontaneously exploded. No evidence of any item hitting it was located. No vehicles or underpasses were near the vehicle when this occurred. From attached photographs, it is clear the glass pushed up from the explosion, not down…
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On 8-16-21, while driving at highway speed, the sunroof over the driver/passenger area in the vehicle spontaneously exploded. No evidence of any item hitting it was located. No vehicles or underpasses were near the vehicle when this occurred. From attached photographs, it is clear the glass pushed up from the explosion, not downward as if something impacted it.
NHTSA ODI #11429427
Mileage unknown · Aug 1, 2021
Power Train
Car stuffers at low speeds and looses power when shifting from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 at times.
NHTSA ODI #11427328
80,000 miles · May 1, 2021
Power Train
AS YOU ARE DRIVING THE CAR LOOSES POWER, IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY WHEN DRIVING, TURNING CORNERS , GOING UP HILLS HAVE TO PUMP THE GAS TO MAKE IT GO ALSO HAVE TO PUT THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR GOING UP HILL AND AT TIMES ON STRAIGHT ROAD.THE DEALER SCANNED IT WAS THE CVT TRANSMISSION. WE REPLACED IT AND STILL HAVING THE PROBLEM, NISSAN…
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AS YOU ARE DRIVING THE CAR LOOSES POWER, IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY WHEN DRIVING, TURNING CORNERS , GOING UP HILLS HAVE TO PUMP THE GAS TO MAKE IT GO ALSO HAVE TO PUT THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR GOING UP HILL AND AT TIMES ON STRAIGHT ROAD.THE DEALER SCANNED IT WAS THE CVT TRANSMISSION. WE REPLACED IT AND STILL HAVING THE PROBLEM, NISSAN IS AWARE THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH NISSAN TRANSMISSIONS HOPEFULLY YOU CAN LOOK INTO THIS IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD ON THE ROAD, HOPEFULLY SOMEONE ISN'T HURT OR KILLED OVER THIS PROBLEM. THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION $5000 COST TO US AND THE PROBLEM STILL IS NOT FIXED, I HAVE DOCUMENTS TO SHOW WHAT THEY REPLACED BUT DO NOT HAVE ANYWAY TO GET THESE TO YOU,IF YOU HAVE A FAX NUMBER WE CAN FAX THEM TO YOU. WOULD APPRECIATE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP, THANK YOU. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA ODI #11414695
88,000 miles · Apr 22, 2021
Steering
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PARKING THE VEHICLE, SHE HEARD AN ABNORMAL SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. T…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PARKING THE VEHICLE, SHE HEARD AN ABNORMAL SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT CALLED JEFF WYLER NISSAN OF CINCINNATI (8680 COLERAIN AVE, CINCINNATI, OH 45251, (513)385-1400) AND MADE THE DEALER AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 88,000.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2015 Nissan Pathfinder Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year