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2016 Nissan Pathfinder

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Nissan Pathfinder do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 97.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

65 reports with mileage · 40 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.

  • Engine. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

10 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

What owners actually said

105 reports
Mileage unknown · Nov 9, 2024
Electrical SystemPower Train

Car was functioning fine and then suddenly stopped one day as I was entering expressway, car just stopped and had to tow to Nissan dealer. I was told alternator is not functioning and when doing systems check CVT/transmission alert was noted and said I need new transmission. In my search I see 2016 Pathfinders were included in a…

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Car was functioning fine and then suddenly stopped one day as I was entering expressway, car just stopped and had to tow to Nissan dealer. I was told alternator is not functioning and when doing systems check CVT/transmission alert was noted and said I need new transmission. In my search I see 2016 Pathfinders were included in a lawsuit. This was not brought to my attention and I am wondering if my CVT should be replaced by Nissan at no cost to me. My care has less than 120k miles and is less than 10yrs old. Link to Nissan dealers report: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11624350

Mileage unknown · Sep 21, 2024
Seat Belts

The middle passenger and middle seat seatbelt latch came disconnected from the vehicle. My son who is 9 was sitting behind the passenger seat when his entire seatbelt came off from where it connects to the car. I had him switch to the middle seat and when I got home i investigated it and the middle seat was about to come discon…

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The middle passenger and middle seat seatbelt latch came disconnected from the vehicle. My son who is 9 was sitting behind the passenger seat when his entire seatbelt came off from where it connects to the car. I had him switch to the middle seat and when I got home i investigated it and the middle seat was about to come disconnected also.

NHTSA ODI #11615764

Mileage unknown · Aug 18, 2024
Power Train

This vehicle had a cvt transmission recall but I was never notified even though I have own this car for the past 7years please help

NHTSA ODI #11609175

Mileage unknown · Jun 15, 2024
Structure

After taking my Nissan Pathfinder to Nissan 112 for a safety recall on February 10, 2024, they improperly completed the recall, leaving the hood stuck closed. Despite multiple appointments and 23 calls with consumer affairs, the issue remains unresolved. The recall I brought my vehicle in for was R22A3, a safety recall having t…

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After taking my Nissan Pathfinder to Nissan 112 for a safety recall on February 10, 2024, they improperly completed the recall, leaving the hood stuck closed. Despite multiple appointments and 23 calls with consumer affairs, the issue remains unresolved. The recall I brought my vehicle in for was R22A3, a safety recall having to do with the hood opening during vehicle operation. The procedures state to inspect the lock assembly and secondary latch. If all is well, then clean and lubricate it and your done. If it fails inspection, then replace the Hood Lock Assembly, the Secondary Latch, and the Hood Lock Release Cable. Even in the parts section it states “All three listed parts should be replaced together.” The key here is that it states to replace all three, neither the repair overview or service procedure give you leeway to replace the parts individually. But, that’s what was done. As verified on my receipt from February 10, 2024, and when talking to the service manager on April 4, 2024, they only replaced the hood lock assembly. According to the service manager, this is how they always do it and what he’s always done. Even when reading the recall beside me, he fails to recognize that he has improperly followed the procedures to complete a safety recall. This complaint is less about a new safety issue, and is more related to Nissan 112's improper completion of an existing safety recall. Based on the information I have, this seems like normal business to them, so who knows how often they sign-off recalls without properly executing them.

NHTSA ODI #11594545

Mileage unknown · Apr 13, 2024
Air Bags

Occupant Air bag sensor is on constantly and Air bag light on dashboard. My vehicle has never been in an accident. There was a recall issued for my vehicle in 2016. I purchased my car in 2017 new and it was overstock vehicle. The recall was cleared in August 2016 by dealer and I just found this out when vehicle was taken to Niss…

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Occupant Air bag sensor is on constantly and Air bag light on dashboard. My vehicle has never been in an accident. There was a recall issued for my vehicle in 2016. I purchased my car in 2017 new and it was overstock vehicle. The recall was cleared in August 2016 by dealer and I just found this out when vehicle was taken to Nissan dealership for different recall on 4/6/24. Since the vehicle is out of warranty now dealership will not clear recall again but state it is the exact same code. Advised me to contact Nissan USA but they denied my claim for repair. This is an extreme safety hazard and Nissan should honor there safety recall repairs in and out of warranty. Please review my claim because I have seen more complaints online.

NHTSA ODI #11582778

Mileage unknown · Mar 20, 2024
Electrical SystemEngine

The engine in this vehicle has shut off two times while we were driving it. We were forced to make emergency exits off of the roadway in order to prevent injury to ourselves and others. This is a life-threatening situation when the vehicle loses engine power while it is being driven. Additionally, we have experienced multiple i…

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The engine in this vehicle has shut off two times while we were driving it. We were forced to make emergency exits off of the roadway in order to prevent injury to ourselves and others. This is a life-threatening situation when the vehicle loses engine power while it is being driven. Additionally, we have experienced multiple instances of the vehicle not starting after it had been parked. We have researched this on the internet and have found that other Nissan owners are experiencing this same issue. When the vehicle stops running while driving or when it will not start after being parked, we get these symptoms: everything lit up on the dash TPMS light, I-Key error, no speedometer, no tachometer the engine cooling fan is running vehicle will not start back up When you push the start button the dash lights come back on the cooling fan would kick on engine will not start

NHTSA ODI #11578577

88,000 miles · Nov 14, 2023
Latches/locks/linkages

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the trunk latch was inoperable and not closing securely. The contact stated the failure had been recurring for approximately two years. The contact stated had received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The vehicle was taken t…

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The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the trunk latch was inoperable and not closing securely. The contact stated the failure had been recurring for approximately two years. The contact stated had received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under the recall repair. The contact stated the dealer verbally informed her that the recall repair was completed however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

NHTSA ODI #11555027

Mileage unknown · May 2, 2023
Service Brakes

Every year when it warms up, the brakes fade. I've had new pads, rotors, new fluid. Still have brake fade. Took it to mechanic, he tried a new master cylinder. Still have brake fade. This is a known issue for these vehicles. Something needs to be done. Nissan needs to be held liable for their faulty brake systems. Someone can ge…

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Every year when it warms up, the brakes fade. I've had new pads, rotors, new fluid. Still have brake fade. Took it to mechanic, he tried a new master cylinder. Still have brake fade. This is a known issue for these vehicles. Something needs to be done. Nissan needs to be held liable for their faulty brake systems. Someone can get hurt or killed. Nissan should be forced to open a safety recall! Sitting at red light or stop signs, pedal sinks to floor and vehicle starts moving. How many complaints is it going to take???? I've seen a lot of owners complaining about this exact issue!

NHTSA ODI #11519943

64,175 miles · Apr 21, 2023
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 45 MPH and coming to a stop light, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the brake pedal went to the floorboard. The contact pumped the brake pedal and the vehicl…

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The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 45 MPH and coming to a stop light, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the brake pedal went to the floorboard. The contact pumped the brake pedal and the vehicle stopped; however, the braking distance was extended. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled into the nearest gas station where the vehicle started jerking for a minute after coming to a stop. The contact stated that the brake pedal was making an abnormal suction sound while depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the abnormal suction sound was most likely due to the brake booster and brake master cylinder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case regarding the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,175.

NHTSA ODI #11518210

Mileage unknown · Mar 11, 2023
Air Bags

Passenger Airbag sensor not showing that airbag is on for front passenger seat even though passenger sitting there. Recall issued in 2016 and Nissan still does not have a fix for this yet.

NHTSA ODI #11511363

Official recalls

2

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.

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.

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.