2005 Nissan Pathfinder problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (413) · Fuel System, Gasoline (144) · Power Train:automatic Transmission (133)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Pathfinder model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
954 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Engine And Engine Cooling 2010-10-28 · campaign 10V517000 · 747,480 vehicles
Defect: NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 ARMADA, TITAN, INFINITI QX56 AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 FRONTIER, PATHFINDER AND XTERRA VEHICLES. THE INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE (IPDM) ASSEMBLY CONTAINS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) RELAY THAT HAS A DIODE FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT NOISE REDUCTION. THE ECM RELAY MAY ALLOW SILICON VAPOR TO FORM AND, OVER TIME, THE SILICON EVAPORATES FROM THE DIODE MOLDING WHICH CAUSES SILICON OXIDE TO DEVELOP ON THE ECM RELAY CONTACT DUE TO ARCING.
Risk: THIS COULD CAUSE ENGINE STALLING INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ECM RELAY INSIDE THE IPDM ASSEMBLY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm 2010-05-20 · campaign 10E019000 · 1,873 vehicles
Defect: NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN FRONT AND REAR LOWER LINKS, P/NOS. 54501ZQ00A, 54500ZQ00A, 551A1ZQ00A, 551A0ZQ00A , 54501EA00A, 54500EA00A, 551A1EA500, 551A0EA500, 54501ZR00A, AND 54500ZR00A, SOLD BETWEEN NOVEMBER 25, 2009 AND MAY 14, 2010 AS REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR MODEL YEAR 2004 THROUGH 2010 TITAN, ARMADA, AND QX56, AND MODEL YEARS 2005 THROUGH 2010 FRONTIER, XTERRA, AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE LOWER CONTROL LINK ASSEMBLY HAS TWO CYLINDRICAL COLLARS FORMING THE INBOARD ATTACHMENT POINTS TO THE CH
Risk: IF THE COLLAR WELD SEPARATES, THE VEHICLE HANDLING WILL DETERIORATE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY AFFECTED LOWER LINK FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Service bulletins (91)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2026-08-24 · NTB05-086A · Service Campaign
voluntary service campaign body control module sub-harness voluntary service campaign id # p5234 is no longer active. · repair orders opened after this bulletin’s published date are no longer eligible for reimbursement under campaign id # p5234. · discard all previous versions of ntb05-086.
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · ITB09-063C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Air Bags 2024-07-08 · NTB23-081C · Service Campaign
voluntary safety recall campaign 2005-2013 frontier, pathfinder, and xterra; driver air bag cover campaign id #: pc945 and pc948 applied vehicles: 2005-2013 frontier (d40) 2005-2012 pathfinder (r51) 2005-2013 xterra (n50) check service comm or dealer business systems (dbs) national service history t
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 91 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-07-15 · Electrical System“i am reporting a serious safety defect with my 2005 nissan pathfinder (vin: [xxx] ). my vehicle has an open recall for the airbag emblem (nhtsa #23e-012 / pc948), which is scheduled for inspection. however, i am writing today because i am also experiencing a repeated and dangerous malfunction that is unrelated to that recall: total loss of dashboa…”
2024-02-07 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module · 175,000 mi“the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed the front passenger’s side air bag was defective and needed to be replaced. the air bag was not replaced due to the cost. the manufacturer was not mad…”
2024-01-30 · Power Train · 170,000 mi“the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. the contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to immediately restart. after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failu…”
2023-05-22 · Air Bags“the component that is malfunctioning is the emblem on the airbags. nissan has known of this issue for a while. in the event of a crash, when the airbags deploy, the emblem will also explode with the airbags and send shrapnel from it flying towards the driver and nearby passengers. if the crash wouldn't kill the driver, then this issue could as it c…”
2023-04-11 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact received recall notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23e012000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer …”
2023-03-20 · Engine · 180,000 mi“the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. the check engine warning light was illuminated along with other several unknown warning lights. additionally, the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. t…”
2022-12-08 · Engine“car stalled out and won't restart.…”
2022-11-10 · Air Bags“air bag front impact sensor has failed due to road salt. not covered under recall because someone doesn't think virginia uses road salt.…”
2021-08-08 · Unknown Or Other“i got this vehicle from my parents which they bought brand new . so no other owners . when i got it was acting up and took to repair . they said my radiator was bad and had leaked radiator fluid . they thought could replace radiator and flush the system . i started looking at issues online . i found so many people with the same problems . i also fo…”
2021-07-24 · Power Train“while driving on us 95 in dc, md and nj, when the traffic became stop and go, my suv could not get into 1st gear to go. the engine revved, the car shook and made noises. several times i came close to being rear-ended. this problem also occurs when starting after a red light, when accelerating on a highway (usually 3rd or 4th gear), and when turning…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.