IllustrationThere was built up sludge in my engine that caused it to fail, and I was charged to replace it
2019 Nissan Pathfinder
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2019 Nissan Pathfinder do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 97.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Pathfinder years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
130–25K
525–50K
450–75K
475–100K
5100–150K
0150K+
31 reports with mileage · 45 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 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports
Engine complaints
15 reportsCheck engine light came in. Took into repair shop to change oil and diagnose issue. It was about 7,000 miles since previous oil change with full synthetic oil. Drained oil was full of metal shavings. Refilled oil and ran engine. Metal shavings was again observed in oil immediately. Mechanic stated vehicle needed a new engine. No…
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Check engine light came in. Took into repair shop to change oil and diagnose issue. It was about 7,000 miles since previous oil change with full synthetic oil. Drained oil was full of metal shavings. Refilled oil and ran engine. Metal shavings was again observed in oil immediately. Mechanic stated vehicle needed a new engine. Noticed another complaint (#11674909) built around same time with exact same issue. Vehicle has ~160k miles with regular maintenace and only synthetic oil. There should not be engine damage at this point that would lead to a failure as this. Cost of repair is currently being worked up by repair shop but likely in $3-7k range.
Car started jerking multiple times and then RPM went down to zero and stopped driving while in traffic.
Upon a tune up request, mechanic discovered metal shavings in the engine. I got a second opinion, and was told that I needed a new engine. Vehicle is still under 100,000 miles.
Complete engine failure. I did regular oil changes about every 4000 miles and the last one I did early at around 3200 miles the oil was sludge and after the engine knocked and low oil pressure light came on and the engine blew all within 2 miles of the light coming on and me trying to find a safe place to pull over. These engi…
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Complete engine failure. I did regular oil changes about every 4000 miles and the last one I did early at around 3200 miles the oil was sludge and after the engine knocked and low oil pressure light came on and the engine blew all within 2 miles of the light coming on and me trying to find a safe place to pull over. These engines have a defect somewhere and I know it didn't happen from improper maintenance.
Idle needle jumping when turning the car on. Delay in shifting gears and throttle response. Forward collision warning goes off at random times even when no cars are present.
Fast burning oil White smoke Regular oil changes 3000k After 2k oil is extremely low 88k miles Sludge oil after 2 oil changes
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the ABS, traction control, and check engine warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the instrument cluster had gone black. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had been a reoccurring f…
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The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the ABS, traction control, and check engine warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the instrument cluster had gone black. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had been a reoccurring failure for several months. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that brake fluid was leaking onto the circuit board and causing a short circuit. The dealer advised the contact that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V807000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
I was driving my Pathfinder and I experienced engine failure. It is a four year old engine with 170000 miles on it that has been properly maintained. The engine was knocking and would not accelerate on the highway past 40 mph. When I finally stopped the car, it would not restart. I read an article where this type of engine …
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I was driving my Pathfinder and I experienced engine failure. It is a four year old engine with 170000 miles on it that has been properly maintained. The engine was knocking and would not accelerate on the highway past 40 mph. When I finally stopped the car, it would not restart. I read an article where this type of engine failure was consistent with the Rogue and Altimas that you were already investigating and I was wondering if the Pathfinder had a related investigation going on.
While driving the car on country road at speed around 40 miles per hour the car engine shutdown and the car slowly came to a stop. The battery light came on. I put the car in park and restarted the engine. A similar action occurred about a month ago while driving in a federal park and only moving about 20 mph.
Official recalls
219V807000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip
Nov 8, 2019
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Nissan Murano, 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima, and 2017-2019 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and unrepaired, or inspected and determined to not need a repair, under recall number 18V-601. In addition, this recall expands the previous population. The Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) actuator pumps may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal circuit board.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A brake fluid leak on the circuit board may result in an electrical short, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ABS actuator, free of charge. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available, currently expected to be during summer 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: If the ABS warning light remains illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.
19V654000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera
Sep 12, 2019
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.