2008 Nissan Pathfinder problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (144) · Fuel/Propulsion System (42) · Air Bags (25)
🧭 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
277 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Air Bags:frontal 2023-02-10 · campaign 23V067000 · 404,690 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2008-2011 Titan, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Armada, and 2008-2009 Quest vehicles. The resin emblem on the driver's air bag cover may develop cracks and detach during air bag deployment.
Risk: A detached emblem can become a projectile during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Fix: Dealers will replace the drivers airbag cover. Owner letters were mailed December 8, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are PC944, PC945, and PC946.
Equipment:electrical:navigational System(Global Positioning System) 2010-09-10 · campaign 10V401000 · 7,948 vehicles
Defect: NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES THAT WERE EQUIPPED WITH A GARMIN NUVI MODEL 750 NAVIGATION SYSTEM. THE BATTERIES CONTAINED IN THE AFFECTED GPS UNITS CAN OVERHEAT.
Risk: OVERHEATED BATTERIES COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY GARMIN TECHNICIANS BY REPLACING THE BATTERY AND INSERTING A SPACER ON TOP OF THE BATTERY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GARMIN DIRECTLY AT 1-866-957-1981 OR 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:auxillary Tank 2010-03-03 · campaign 10V075000 · 80,689 vehicles
Defect: NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 AND MODEL YEAR 2008 FRONTIER, XTERRA AND PATHFINDER VEHICLES. THE MOLDED FUEL TANK SHELLS CAN DEFORM, CAUSING THE FUEL SENDER FLOAT ARM TO CONTACT AN EMBOSSMENT MOLDED INTO THE TANK SHELL CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FUEL GAUGE TO SHOW THAT THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER TANK WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS EMPTY.
Risk: THIS COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO RUN OUT OF GAS AND STALL IN TRAFFIC, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT INSIDE THE FUEL TANK WITH A NEW ONE THAT HAS A MODIFIED FLOAT ARM. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 22, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Service bulletins (96)
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.
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.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-027D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication – network diagnostic flow chart 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 96 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-01-15 · Fuel/Propulsion System“there was a recall concerning the fuel gauge not working correctly. the sensor in the tank needed replaced. well my car had that recall fixed or so it says, but it is doing the same thing again. so are you gonna replace it again for no cost?…”
2024-06-01 · Suspension“the rear suspension subframe is completely corroded and causes vehicle suspension parts to break off unannounced and causes vehicle to swerve severely and most likely is going to cause and accident or death, nissan has been informed of this issue and refuses to address a proper repair …”
2023-10-28 · Power Train“a coolant hose leaked in transmission and shorted tcm causing total transmission failure and totaling out vehicle…”
2023-10-06 · Air Bags · 175,610 mi“the contact owns a 2008 nissan pathfinder. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v067000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed…”
2023-08-22 · Air Bags“ the passenger air bag warning light is flashing and the passenger air bag button that tells you that it is on and working when somebody gets in the car is off. therefore the air bag will not deploy in a crash. the light just started flashing about 2 weeks ago approximately. there is also a recall on my vehicle for a component that could become…”
2023-06-26 · Unknown Or Other“vehicle suddenly started having problems while driving. loud whining noise and shaking and scrubbing sound while driving. was driving fine before sudden issues. quotes by three different mechanics stated possible issues that incuded wheel bearing, ball joints, water pump, fan clutch, and brakes. was told that all parts under vehicle were loose and …”
2023-04-10 · Air Bags“front airbag sensor is bad. i checked it to see if this vehicle had its recall done for this known problem looks like it did because it don’t have a open recall for it.…”
2023-01-13 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Clockspring/Spiral Cassette · 150,785 mi“the contact owns a 2008 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. additionally, the vehicle lost horn functionality. the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the clockspring had failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notif…”
2022-11-02 · Power Train“crack in defective radiator allowed coolant to mix in with transmission fluid. coolant caused transmission to fail while driving it. transmission changed gears on its own and would not shift properly and engine just shut down…”
2022-09-23 · Unknown Or Other“bought vehicle i’m second owner it was sold as is from a dealership with airbag lights on after a certain amount miles check engine light came on said i had e -regular voltage to fuel injectors 1 gear started slipping then loss of power when accelerating next revolutionary trans-sensor went and now when i start the vehicle the …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.