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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.

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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 11, 2021
Air Bags

Passenger side air bag indicator is off all the time even with an adult in the seat. The red blinking indicator light flashes for the air bag on the control panel. The air bag cannot be manually turned on or off. If in a crash I do not know if the air bag will deploy. Your site shows 0 recalls other sites show a sensor recall. W…

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Passenger side air bag indicator is off all the time even with an adult in the seat. The red blinking indicator light flashes for the air bag on the control panel. The air bag cannot be manually turned on or off. If in a crash I do not know if the air bag will deploy. Your site shows 0 recalls other sites show a sensor recall. What do I do?

NHTSA ODI #11440170

Mileage unknown · Aug 30, 2021
Unknown Or Other

While driving 70 mph on the turnpike, the hood of my vehicle came up and shattered my windshield, bent my hood and roof, amongst other damage. Despite the hood covering my windshield, I was able to safely navigate to a pull-off on the road. My passenger and I were shook up, but not injured. It had been weeks since I had last ope…

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While driving 70 mph on the turnpike, the hood of my vehicle came up and shattered my windshield, bent my hood and roof, amongst other damage. Despite the hood covering my windshield, I was able to safely navigate to a pull-off on the road. My passenger and I were shook up, but not injured. It had been weeks since I had last opened my hood. I have the vehicle at the collision center now. I should hear from the claims adjuster tomorrow.

NHTSA ODI #11431131

44,000 miles · Aug 4, 2021
Latches/locks/linkages

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the hood of the vehicle would not properly secure and latch when closed. After having the oil changed, the mechanic was unable to secure the hood. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The…

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The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the hood of the vehicle would not properly secure and latch when closed. After having the oil changed, the mechanic was unable to secure the hood. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,000.

NHTSA ODI #11427702

Mileage unknown · Jul 14, 2021
EnginePower Train

My car hit 62,000 miles, it started having transmission issues. It shakes, makes large noises, the car tries to stall, having issues accelerating, and loss power. I am concerned that the car will turn off or broke down while driving

NHTSA ODI #11424875

64,000 miles · Mar 12, 2021
Unknown Or Other

THE VEHICLE STARTED MAKING A CLICKING LIKE SOUND WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ON. THE SOUND WAS NOTICED WHILE PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO NISSAN DEALERSHIP WHICH STATED IT WAS THE FAN ASSEMBLY THAT NEEDED REPLACING AT $1000.00 THE VEHICLE DON'T HAVE 65000 MILES.

NHTSA ODI #11402619

Mileage unknown · Feb 27, 2021
Engine

FAN BEARINGS IN THE TWIN FAN SHROUD HAVE FAILED AND ARE CREATING A LOUD NOISE AND HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO LEAD TO ENGINE OVERHEATING AND POTENTIAL ENGINE TROUBLE. THE NHTSA AND NISSAN HAVE PUT OUT A TSB (NTB17-100) IN OCT 2017. ALTHOUGH MY VEHICLE IS PAST WARRANTY SEARCHING THE WEB IT APPEARS THIS HAS BEEN A VERY BIG PROBLEM FOR NI…

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FAN BEARINGS IN THE TWIN FAN SHROUD HAVE FAILED AND ARE CREATING A LOUD NOISE AND HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO LEAD TO ENGINE OVERHEATING AND POTENTIAL ENGINE TROUBLE. THE NHTSA AND NISSAN HAVE PUT OUT A TSB (NTB17-100) IN OCT 2017. ALTHOUGH MY VEHICLE IS PAST WARRANTY SEARCHING THE WEB IT APPEARS THIS HAS BEEN A VERY BIG PROBLEM FOR NISSAN PATHFINDERS. BECAUSE THE COMPLETE FAN SHROUD (2 FANS-RADIATOR AND COOLING FANS) ALONG WITH A COMPUTER MODULE ARE PART OF THE FINAL ASSEMBLY THE COST TO REPAIR IS SIGNIFICANT ($800). A FAN REPLACEMENT ALONE WOULD BE MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE BUT NISSAN ONLY PROVIDES A FULL ASSEMBLY VS COMPONENT FIX.

NHTSA ODI #11398173

981,971 miles · Dec 23, 2020
Air BagsCrash

ON 21 DEC 2020 WE WERE IN A ACCIDENT WITH A DEER WE WEAR GOING ABOUT 80MPH WHEN THE DEAR CAME OUT OF NO WEAR AND WE HIT IT HEAD ON AND NEITHER ONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED MY HUSBAND HIT HIS HEAD ON STEERING WHEEL AND NEITHER ONE THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED I WAS SITTING IN PASSENGER SEAT AND NOTHING EITHER THIS WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AT …

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ON 21 DEC 2020 WE WERE IN A ACCIDENT WITH A DEER WE WEAR GOING ABOUT 80MPH WHEN THE DEAR CAME OUT OF NO WEAR AND WE HIT IT HEAD ON AND NEITHER ONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED MY HUSBAND HIT HIS HEAD ON STEERING WHEEL AND NEITHER ONE THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED I WAS SITTING IN PASSENGER SEAT AND NOTHING EITHER THIS WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT TIME

NHTSA ODI #11384700

Mileage unknown · Nov 14, 2020
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

MY CAR WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW, NO ACCIDENTS, AND ONLY HAS LESS THAN 53 MILES TO BE A 2016 PATHFINDER. SO TELL ME WHY THE CHEAP MOTOR FAN THAT NISSAN PUT IT IN STARED MAKING A CLANG NOISE EVERYTHING I WOULD TURN THE AIR OR HEATER ON. LIKE NISSAN WHAT IS THIS. WITH ALL THIS COMPLAINS ABOUT THE SAME ITEM, YOU GUYS SHOULD PUT A RECALL…

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MY CAR WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW, NO ACCIDENTS, AND ONLY HAS LESS THAN 53 MILES TO BE A 2016 PATHFINDER. SO TELL ME WHY THE CHEAP MOTOR FAN THAT NISSAN PUT IT IN STARED MAKING A CLANG NOISE EVERYTHING I WOULD TURN THE AIR OR HEATER ON. LIKE NISSAN WHAT IS THIS. WITH ALL THIS COMPLAINS ABOUT THE SAME ITEM, YOU GUYS SHOULD PUT A RECALL ONTHIS ITEM. IT'S ASHAMED SO FAR BAD EXPERIENCE WITH TO VEHICLES FROM YOU GUYS. EVEN ON THE NISSAN TITAN THAT WE BOUGHT BRAND NEW AT 3 MONTHS SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE AND GAS TANK AND YOU GUYS DID NOT WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE VEHICLE. KNOWING THAT YOU GUYS COULD NOT EVEN DETERMINE WHY THE TRUCK WAS NOT WORKING. YOU GUYS EVEN BROUGHT IN AN EXPERT FROM THE NISSAN FACTORY AND STILL DID NOT FIND WHY IT WAS NOT WORKING. KNOWING WHAT WAS HAPPENING YOU GUYS WOULD NOT EVEN TRADE IN THE TRUCK FOR ANOTHER ONE. WE ENDED UP FIGHTING WITH NISSAN AND RETURNED THE TRUCK BACK. TO TOP THAT OFF I RECEIVED A BILL FOR HALF THE TRUCK PRICE. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND NISSAN.

NHTSA ODI #11374662

72,780 miles · Oct 4, 2020
Service BrakesCrash

VEHICLE WAS ENTERING THE DRIVE WAY WHEN THE BRAKE PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE WENT OVER A PATIO AND STRUCK AN ABOVE GROUND POOL. THE POOL WAS DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE STOPPED AFTER HITTING THE POOL AND CAME TO REST WITH THE FRONT TIRES OFF THE WALL OF THE PATIO.THE FRONT RIGHT OF THE VEHICLE…

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VEHICLE WAS ENTERING THE DRIVE WAY WHEN THE BRAKE PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE WENT OVER A PATIO AND STRUCK AN ABOVE GROUND POOL. THE POOL WAS DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE STOPPED AFTER HITTING THE POOL AND CAME TO REST WITH THE FRONT TIRES OFF THE WALL OF THE PATIO.THE FRONT RIGHT OF THE VEHICLE WAS RESTING ON THE UNI-BODY FRAME JUST BEHIND THE FRONT TIRES.

NHTSA ODI #11362670

59,000 miles · Oct 3, 2020
Service BrakesCrash

BRAKE FADE. COMING TO A STOP BRAKE PEDAL WILL FADE CAUSING THE PEDAL TO TOUCH FLOOR FORCING YOU TO LET OFF AND REAPPLY THE BRAKES. WHEN STOPPED AT INTERSECTION BRAKE PEDAL SLOWLY GOES TO FLOOR CAUSING VEHICLE TO START MOVING RESULTING IN COLLISION WITH VEHICLE IN FRONT

NHTSA ODI #11362566

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.