What breaks most · 1990 to 2026 model years
Nissan Pathfinder problems by year
Owners have filed 7,286 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Nissan Pathfinder across model years 1990 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2005 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2013 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2006 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2012, 1992 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 2005, 2013, 2006
- Fewest complaints: 2012, 1992, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 72861990 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 20051050 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 28748 fires · 267 injuries · 15 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 84kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 133Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 1 | 2 | Engine and cooling (14) | |
| 39 | 3 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (14) | |
| 30 | 2 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (9) | |
| 49 | 2 | 0 | Engine and cooling (25) | |
| 91 | 8 | 2 | Engine and cooling (35) | |
| 170 | 11 | 0 | Body and structure (58) | |
| 159 | 20 | 5 | Suspension (64) | |
| 217 | 18 | 4 | Suspension (105) | |
| 149 | 21 | 4 | Suspension (47) | |
| 104 | 15 | 5 | Suspension (35) | |
| 112 | 9 | 6 | Suspension (41) | |
| 230 | 18 | 7 | Suspension (68) | |
| 156 | 15 | 9 | Suspension (43) | |
| 110 | 11 | 7 | Engine and cooling (25) | |
| 67 | 3 | 7 | Brakes (hydraulic) (12) | |
| 1050 | 14 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (585) | |
| 837 | 10 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (450) | |
| 561 | 11 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (337) | |
| 328 | 9 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (155) | |
| 37 | 1 | 4 | Air bags (11) | |
| 40 | 2 | 5 | Air bags (11) | |
| 45 | 0 | 2 | Air bags (12) | |
| 23 | 2 | 2 | Unknown or other (5) | |
| 890 | 16 | 11 | Powertrain and transmission (370) | |
| 574 | 19 | 11 | Powertrain and transmission (214) | |
| 320 | 11 | 5 | Unknown or other (79) | |
| 105 | 10 | 2 | Engine (27) | |
| 185 | 7 | 2 | Engine (83) | |
| 77 | 3 | 3 | Brakes (19) | |
| 75 | 4 | 2 | Unknown or other (20) | |
| 47 | 1 | 0 | Engine (16) | |
| 135 | 3 | 5 | Brakes (32) | |
| 103 | 4 | 1 | Unknown or other (28) | |
| 75 | 1 | 2 | Brakes (20) | |
| 49 | 2 | 1 | Unknown or other (14) | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (2) |
What fails on the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 56% |
585 | 5 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 28% |
290 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 18% |
186 | 2 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 14% |
144 | 2 | Shop engine parts for the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 6% |
66 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder |
| Fuel System, Other | 6% |
61 | 0 | — |
| Unknown or other | 4% |
40 | 0 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 3% |
31 | 0 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
In the last 4 years i've replaced emissions system brakes rotors air conditioning system exhaust system radiator and transmission. Car was vibrating shaking cutting out leaking exhaust fumes and emissions system failed.
-
The transmission shudders. Causes jerking and hard shifts that makes the car move in unwanted ways. Car may shut off if shutter gets too hard. It’s pretty bad , even the repairs do not fix the issue. This definitely needs to be a recall for Nissan to take a look at
-
Transmission oil cooler line in radiator broke causing coolant and transmission oil to mix and car is not driveable and needs $3,000 repairs
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Nissan Pathfinder years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2005, 2013, 2006 carry the most filings on the Nissan Pathfinder. The 2005 alone has 1050 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Nissan Pathfinder problem?
On the 2005 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 585 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Nissan Pathfinder problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Nissan Pathfinder complaints that include mileage is about 84,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.