FaultScore

FaultScore report

2019 Nissan Pathfinder problems

Owners have filed 122 complaints about the 2019 Nissan Pathfinder with NHTSA between 2019 and 2026. The largest single group is the driver assist & collision avoidance. Across this model's run it ranks 18 of 33 worst.

C

FaultScore 43/100

Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the Nissan Pathfinder.

How this is worked out

The numbers

122

Complaints

6

Crashes reported

3

Fires reported

4

Injuries reported

40,000 mi

Median mileage at failure

Half of reported failures happened before this

47%

Failed under 36,000 miles

Inside a typical bumper-to-bumper warranty

What kind of bad

The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.

Complaint volume 20 vs 50 Severity 55 vs 50 Early failure 80 vs 50
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 20
Against the median year of the Nissan Pathfinder. 50 means typical for this model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 55
10.7% of these complaints involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of 9.7%.
Early failure — 80
47% of failures with a mileage on record happened under 36,000 miles, against a national rate of 29%.

How 2019 compares with every other Nissan Pathfinder

Click any bar to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Median failure at 6,000 miles

Median failure at 55,000 miles

Engine & Cooling 16 13.1%

0 crashes, 1 fires · median 21,749 mi

Brakes 13 10.7%

2 crashes, 0 fires · median 70,000 mi

0 crashes, 1 fires · median 72,500 mi

Transmission & Drivetrain 9 7.4%

Median failure at 82,994 miles

Body & Structure 6 4.9%

0 crashes, 1 fires · median 6,000 mi

Acceleration & Cruise Control 5 4.1%

1 crashes, 0 fires · median 55,000 mi

Fuel & Propulsion 4 3.3%

Median failure at 28,000 miles

Airbags 4 3.3%

1 crashes, 0 fires · median 86,497 mi

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 3 2.5%

Median failure at 49,700 miles

Lights 3 2.5%

Median failure at 70,300 miles

Doors, Latches & Locks 2 1.6%
Stability & Traction Control 2 1.6%

1 crashes, 0 fires · median 2,300 mi

Seat Belts 2 1.6%

1 crashes, 0 fires · median 40,900 mi

Wheels 1 0.8%
Tires 1 0.8%
Steering 1 0.8%

Exactly what failed

NHTSA files every complaint against a named sub-assembly, not just a system. This is the difference between knowing it was "the engine" and knowing which part of it — the list to hand a mechanic.

Body 6 25.0%
Automatic Emergency Braking 5 20.8%
Warnings 5 20.8%
Rearview System Braking 2 8.3%
Warnings 2 8.3%
Adaptive Cruise Control 2 8.3%
Seals/Gaskets 1 4.2%
Software 1 4.2%

When it fails

Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all complaints include one.

Under 1,000 miles 3 6.1%
1,000 – 9,999 miles 9 18.4%
10,000 – 24,999 miles 9 18.4%
25,000 – 49,999 miles 8 16.3%
50,000 – 74,999 miles 6 12.2%
75,000 – 99,999 miles 7 14.3%
100,000 – 149,999 miles 7 14.3%

When owners complained

A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.

Jun 2019 peak 7 Aug 2026

Recalls on the 2019 Nissan Pathfinder

A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous enough to fix for free — however old the car is.

United States — NHTSA

19V807000

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

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.

Risk: A brake fluid leak on the circuit board may result in an electrical short, increasing the risk of a fire.

19V654000

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

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."

Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

Canada — Transport Canada

Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not always mirror the American ones.

Recall 2019567 42,447 units in Canada

Brakes

Issue: On certain vehicles, the antilock brake system (ABS) actuator pump may leak brake fluid and malfunction. This would cause the ABS warning lamp to turn on. If this problem is not fixed, damage to the ABS actuator could result in a short circuit. Note: This is a replacement and expansion of Transport Canada recall 2018-486. All vehicles that did not have the ABS actuator pump replaced under that recall require this repair. Safety Risk: A short circuit could increase the risk of a fire, even while parked. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail with an interim notice. A final repair is not yet available. If the ABS warning light stays on for 10 seconds or longer, you should park your vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures. You should also call Nissan or Infiniti Roadside assistance to have your vehicle towed to a dealer for repair. A second notice will be sent to you once the final repair parts are available. This letter will advise you to take their vehicle to a dealer to replace the ABS actuator.

Recall 2019459 126,195 units in Canada

Visual System

Issue: On certain vehicles, the rear view camera system does not return to the default setting when the transmission is shifted to reverse. This could cause a reduction in rear visibility if a driver had previously adjusted the camera display. Canadian regulations require that the rear view image returns to its original setting each time the camera is turned on. Safety Risk: Reduced rear visibility could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to update the software for the rear view camera.

Recalls cover specific build ranges, so check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or, in Canada, Transport Canada.

Complaints that involved harm

Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.

at 90,000 miles Brooklyn, NY Crash

AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH and attempting to come to a stop, the vehicle failed to decelerate sufficiently, resulting in a rear-end collision. Upon impact, the frontal air bags failed to fully deploy, as they only partially emerged from the housing. The vehicle's front bumper was a bit scratched. The failure experienced was a malfunction of the braking system that failed to stop the vehicle during deceleration, followed by a failure where the frontal air bags only partially deployed upon impact. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

NHTSA complaint #11715958 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 90,000 miles Brooklyn, NY Crash

SERVICE BRAKES

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH and attempting to come to a stop, the vehicle failed to decelerate sufficiently, resulting in a rear-end collision. Upon impact, the frontal air bags failed to fully deploy, as they only partially emerged from the housing. The vehicle's front bumper was a bit scratched. The failure experienced was a malfunction of the braking system that failed to stop the vehicle during deceleration, followed by a failure where the frontal air bags only partially deployed upon impact. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

NHTSA complaint #11715958 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 70,000 miles Bakersfield, CA Crash

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while in a parking lot and reversing with the accelerator pedal depressed, the contact crashed into a vehicle. The contact mentioned that the accelerator pedal felt stiff and there there was no warning alert of the crash. The vehicle that was crashed into was unoccupied. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries reported. The failure continued to occur intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA complaint #11469040 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

West Chester, PA 1 injured

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Initial item includes power tailgate not operating properly and on at least one occassion it began to close while operator was loading groceries into the back of the vehicle - hitting operator on back. Another item is now occassional screen glitch when using back-up camera/display Lastly - power windows not operating well Vehicle has less than 36,000 miles.

NHTSA complaint #11443357 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

West Chester, PA 1 injured

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Initial item includes power tailgate not operating properly and on at least one occassion it began to close while operator was loading groceries into the back of the vehicle - hitting operator on back. Another item is now occassional screen glitch when using back-up camera/display Lastly - power windows not operating well Vehicle has less than 36,000 miles.

NHTSA complaint #11443357 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

West Chester, PA 1 injured

BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

Initial item includes power tailgate not operating properly and on at least one occassion it began to close while operator was loading groceries into the back of the vehicle - hitting operator on back. Another item is now occassional screen glitch when using back-up camera/display Lastly - power windows not operating well Vehicle has less than 36,000 miles.

NHTSA complaint #11443357 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

Yeadon, PA

ENGINE

There was built up sludge in my engine that caused it to fail, and I was charged to replace it

NHTSA complaint #11757320 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 82,994 miles North Yarmouth, ME

POWER TRAIN

Driving at 75 miles per hour on highway. We Heard an explosion, and airbags deployed. There was no collision or front end hit, there was no warning lights or sounds, no deceleration. My husband was somehow able to pull to the side, we were not injured, except for the airbag hitting me in the head, egg noted. No EMS treatment. Police report confirms this, when towed, the tow guy noticed loud clanging when driving onto flat bed. He looked underneath and noticed the axel shaft was broken. I think this could have been tragic for many reasons- high speed with air bags open unable to see and driver disoriented momentarily. This could have killed us or someone else had there been heavy traffic or cars near us, the fumes were bad. We have a police report with Maine state police, we have had the vehicle towed to a Nissan dealer in Bangor Maine to have the “ black box” evaluated, we have filed an insurance claim and spoken to national Nissan customer service and a report has been generated.

NHTSA complaint #11752442 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 82,994 miles North Yarmouth, ME

AIR BAGS

Driving at 75 miles per hour on highway. We Heard an explosion, and airbags deployed. There was no collision or front end hit, there was no warning lights or sounds, no deceleration. My husband was somehow able to pull to the side, we were not injured, except for the airbag hitting me in the head, egg noted. No EMS treatment. Police report confirms this, when towed, the tow guy noticed loud clanging when driving onto flat bed. He looked underneath and noticed the axel shaft was broken. I think this could have been tragic for many reasons- high speed with air bags open unable to see and driver disoriented momentarily. This could have killed us or someone else had there been heavy traffic or cars near us, the fumes were bad. We have a police report with Maine state police, we have had the vehicle towed to a Nissan dealer in Bangor Maine to have the “ black box” evaluated, we have filed an insurance claim and spoken to national Nissan customer service and a report has been generated.

NHTSA complaint #11752442 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Poughkeepsie, NY

POWER TRAIN

The car broke on the highway (possibly drive train? Waiting for mechanic). Despite no impact, the steering wheel airbag deployed.

NHTSA complaint #11733471 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Poughkeepsie, NY

AIR BAGS

The car broke on the highway (possibly drive train? Waiting for mechanic). Despite no impact, the steering wheel airbag deployed.

NHTSA complaint #11733471 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 122,236 miles Mesquite, TX

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the contact was losing control of the vehicle. The Forward Collision Avoidance warning light was illuminated, with a rattling and beeping sound coming from the vehicle. An independent mechanic was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was an issue with the contact’s information. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11730738 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Port Chester, NY

AIR BAGS

I am driving the car in the highway when I tray to exit ,I see the RED light semaforo in the end of the exit. Well I tray to stop the car and the brakes does' not work, and the air bag coming out before I hit the other car.My car in the front not have any damage. the other car don't have any , big damage only litere rash in the bumper. I don't now way the brakes does 'not work and the air bag coming up before the hithing.

NHTSA complaint #11716590 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Port Chester, NY

SERVICE BRAKES

I am driving the car in the highway when I tray to exit ,I see the RED light semaforo in the end of the exit. Well I tray to stop the car and the brakes does' not work, and the air bag coming out before I hit the other car.My car in the front not have any damage. the other car don't have any , big damage only litere rash in the bumper. I don't now way the brakes does 'not work and the air bag coming up before the hithing.

NHTSA complaint #11716590 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 90,000 miles Brooklyn, NY Crash

AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH and attempting to come to a stop, the vehicle failed to decelerate sufficiently, resulting in a rear-end collision. Upon impact, the frontal air bags failed to fully deploy, as they only partially emerged from the housing. The vehicle's front bumper was a bit scratched. The failure experienced was a malfunction of the braking system that failed to stop the vehicle during deceleration, followed by a failure where the frontal air bags only partially deployed upon impact. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

NHTSA complaint #11715958 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 90,000 miles Brooklyn, NY Crash

SERVICE BRAKES

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH and attempting to come to a stop, the vehicle failed to decelerate sufficiently, resulting in a rear-end collision. Upon impact, the frontal air bags failed to fully deploy, as they only partially emerged from the housing. The vehicle's front bumper was a bit scratched. The failure experienced was a malfunction of the braking system that failed to stop the vehicle during deceleration, followed by a failure where the frontal air bags only partially deployed upon impact. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

NHTSA complaint #11715958 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 115,000 miles Salina, KS

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at 82 MPH, the vehicle suddenly started to lose motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle eventually resumed normal operation before the hesitation returned. The contact stated that while driving to the mechanic, both the check engine and ABS warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that after arriving to the independent mechanic, the mechanic retrieved DTCs: P0087 (Fuel Rail System Pressure too low) and P0090(Fuel Pump). The contact called a dealer, and the contact was provided with an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA complaint #11703256 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Silverdale, WA

SERVICE BRAKES

On three separate incidents my brakes have totally failed. I went to apply the brakes and the pedal went to the floor with no braking action at all. The most recent occurrence we were exiting a freeway and coming to a traffic signal. Our speed was approximately 45 MPH and upon applying the brakes they completely failed. The pedal went to the floor. Thankfully we were able to cross the intersection without a collision and slow down on an uphill on ramp..

NHTSA complaint #11702999 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Shepherdsville, KY

ENGINE

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.

NHTSA complaint #11702032 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Kindred, FL

ENGINE

Car started jerking multiple times and then RPM went down to zero and stopped driving while in traffic.

NHTSA complaint #11689533 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Kindred, FL

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Car started jerking multiple times and then RPM went down to zero and stopped driving while in traffic.

NHTSA complaint #11689533 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 70,300 miles Simi Valley, CA

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact observed a melted spot and soot on the bottom of the front passenger’s side headlight assembly. The vehicle was taken to an auto body shop, where it was determined that the front passenger’s side headlight assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,300.

NHTSA complaint #11682079 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Trenton, NJ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Left side passenger lock mechanism just stopped working. Conducted research online and discovered it’s a rather huge issue with some Nissan vehicles. (I also saw a lawsuit currently in pending status related to this matter) The actuator needs to be repaired. All other locks in the vehicle work fine. Safety issue because door remains locked.

NHTSA complaint #11679737 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 102,000 miles Columbus, OH

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that various electrical sensors alerted that there were objects nearby; however, there were no objects nearby. Due to the failure, the cruise control feature was inoperable. The contact also stated that the back over prevention camera screen intermittently displayed a blank image while the vehicle was shifted to reverse(R). The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA complaint #11676971 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 102,000 miles Columbus, OH

BACK OVER PREVENTION

The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that various electrical sensors alerted that there were objects nearby; however, there were no objects nearby. Due to the failure, the cruise control feature was inoperable. The contact also stated that the back over prevention camera screen intermittently displayed a blank image while the vehicle was shifted to reverse(R). The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA complaint #11676971 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Blue Gap, AZ

ENGINE

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.

NHTSA complaint #11674909 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Coloma, WI

ENGINE

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.

NHTSA complaint #11674247 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Columbia, SC

POWER TRAIN

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.

NHTSA complaint #11673929 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Columbia, SC

ENGINE

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.

NHTSA complaint #11673929 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Columbia, SC

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

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.

NHTSA complaint #11673929 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Athens, GA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My driver side door will not lock or unlock. I have changed the battery in the key fob and I am still having the same problem. I believe the lock actuator is malfunctioning. I have taken it to a mechanic and they have confirmed, however, I have not taken it into the dealership. There were no warning labels or messages that appeared.

NHTSA complaint #11660557 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.