2012 Nissan Pathfinder problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Suspension (4) · Air Bags (3) · Steering (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Pathfinder model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Suspension:front:hub 2012-09-20 · campaign 12V462000 · 2,417 vehicles
Defect: Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra two-wheel drive vehicles manufactured from June 19, 2012, through July 12, 2012. These vehicles may have been equipped with front wheel hubs that may not meet the design hardness specifications. A wheel hub that was manufactured below hardness specification may wear prematurely and eventually crack.
Risk: If the vehicle is driven in this condition, the wheel hub may break, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replaced the left and right side front wheel hub assemblies free of charge. The safety recall began on October 22, 2012. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.
Engine And Engine Cooling 2011-12-19 · campaign 11V592000 · 14,718 vehicles
Defect: NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 INFINITI FX, MODEL YEAR 2012 INFINITI M, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN FRONTIER, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN XTERRA, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN PATHFINDER, AND MODEL YEAR 2012 NISSAN NV VEHICLES. SOME OF THE BOLTS THAT CONNECT THE ENGINE OIL COOLER AND THE ENGINE OIL FILTER TO THE ENGINE IN THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED TO BELOW SPECIFICATION STRENGTH. AS A RESULT, THE BOLT MAY BREAK AT THE OIL FILTER ATTACHMENT POINT AND CAN CAUSE AN ENGI
Risk: IF THERE IS AN ENGINE OIL LEAK, THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE WOULD DROP AND THE ENGINE COULD SEIZE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CONNECTOR BOLTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 30, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Service bulletins (106)
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 106 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-11-20 · Suspension“right lower control arm snapped while driving at highway speed (65mph) causing vehicle into a 360 spin. vehicle spun, was hard to control and tire blew out at speed. others behind me or in front may have gotten involved if traffic was heavier at the time. vehicle wasnt inspected, no police involved. no warning before incident. incident happened wit…”
2025-05-24 · Suspension“rear subframe sagging and unsafe due to rust and corrosion. …”
2024-04-10 · Suspension · 133,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he noticed that the rear tires were abnormally damaged. the contact stated that upon further inspection, he noticed that the subframe was severely corroded and fractured. the dealer was notified of the failure and provided an estimate for the repair. th…”
2024-02-28 · Suspension“rear lower control arm broke while driving. vehicle had to be moved on a rollback. upon replacing control arm, cracks have been found at several points on the crossmember subframe. as it stands, the vehicle is a danger to have on the road.…”
2023-04-19 · Suspension:rear · 156,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle started to wobble as if the steering wheel was being turned to the left and to the right repeatedly. the contact stated the vehicle wobbled more violently after driving over bumps in the road. the contact stated no warning light was illumin…”
2023-03-04 · Steering“there was no incident but now i’m scared to drive my vehicle that i’m still paying for and my insurance telling me if i don’t get the recall resolve it’s going to be an issue. …”
2022-05-28 · Unknown Or Other“check engine light comes on and vehicle will not cycle through gears. will go into drive, reverse, neutral but not 1st, second, third. vehicle will go back to normal after i disconnect the battery for a few minutes but the same issue will happen a few days later…”
2021-11-16 · Electrical System · 111,000 mi · 🔥 fire“the contact owns a 2012 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked on the road outside his friend's residence. the contact stated that as he approached the vehicle, he saw smoke coming from the windows. the contact stated that when he opened the vehicle, he saw that the headliner of the vehicle and the seats had burned. the …”
2021-06-16 · Unknown Or Other“we purchased the truck in 2018. starting last year the truck starting losing power, not cutting on. replaced the battery and have had 5 mechanics check it. not one mechanic has been able to find the issue. today my truck cut off in a tunnel with my children in the car. this could have and felt like an extremely dangerous situation. upon further r…”
2021-02-11 · Unknown Or Other“the gear shift will not engage allowing me to shift from p to d and put the car in gear without manually overriding and sticking a screw driver down in the shifter assembly.*jb*jb…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.