2016 Nissan Pathfinder problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (21) · Air Bags (15) · Service Brakes (9)
🧭 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
64 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Latches/Locks/Linkages:hood:latch 2022-06-13 · campaign 22V420000 · 322,671 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Pathfinder vehicles. On certain Pathfinder vehicles, the secondary hood latch may malfunction and remain in the unlatched, unsecured, position when the hood is closed.
Risk: An unsecured hood could unexpectedly open while driving, obstructing the driver's view, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the bell crank assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 26, 2025. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are R22A2 R22A3 and R24B7.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2016-04-26 · campaign 16V244000 · 3,296,947 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrec
Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy par
Service bulletins (202)
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 2024-09-19 · NTB19-071D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dtc b00a0-00 stored this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin. if you confirm dtc b00a0-00 (occupant detection sensor unit) is stored, and ocs zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page)
Power Train 2024-06-07 · NTB12-103I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
cvt/tcm calibration data “write” procedure this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · 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 202 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-10 · Power Train“driving along and it felt as if i were driving over a rumble strip. it stopped after a while, but later that evening i felt it again, but this time the shudder was stronger and it sounded almost like a loud bird chirping. i slowed and the noise stopped, but drove home slowly through the neighborhood in case something happened. i took it to the m…”
2026-08-03 · Suspension“the crossmember aka- k frame, mfc part #55400-3ja2c. it completely rotted away where the suspension trailing arm connects from the wheel causing uneven and excessive wheel wear and poor handling while driving yes it is available for inspection. reproduced unknown not inspected by authorities no warning lights …”
2026-04-24 · Exterior Lighting“ my 2024 nissan frontier has experienced repeated complete power loss more than three times. the vehicle shuts off unexpectedly while on the street and cannot be restarted. during some incidents, even the emergency hazard lights did not work. i had to use jump cables to restart the vehicle. i first reported this issue to nissan in january 2025. the…”
2025-12-12 · Power Train · 76,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and sputtered while depressing the accelerator pedal. there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where dtc: p17f1 (internal cvt failure was retrieved). the contact was informed that the cvt transmission…”
2025-12-01 · Power Train“around 160,000 miles my cvt transmission went out. i almost got into a wreck no warning lights just stopped on me. when i took it to my local dealership in waco, texas they told me i'll be good to wait over the weekend that they first opening wasn't until tuesday. i came by on a thursday. the car was making noises i was concerned and it wasn't ac…”
2025-07-31 · Suspension“the rear subframe has completely rusted out from the inside, and is broke off on the right side and almost broken off on the left side. the car is now unsafe to drive. there were no warning lights, messages or problems before this. the car is only 9 years old and is always kept in a garage.…”
2025-05-30 · Wheels“vibration and noise when making low speed turns abnormal noise, vibration and binding feeling from rear differential…”
2025-03-08 · Unknown Or Other“there is a recall for replacement of the hood latch. the recall id is r24b7. i have taken my car to the dealer twice. all they do is inspect and clean the part. they do not replace the part. it was my understanding the hood latch should be replaced. however gunn nissan refuses to replace the latch. can you help me. the hood still vibrates …”
2025-02-10 · Latches/Locks/Linkages · 173,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that while receiving an oil change, the mechanic was unable to securely close the hood of the vehicle. the mechanic lubricated the hood latch and was able to close the hood. the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 22v420000 (latches/locks/linkages) and the recall repair was pe…”
2025-01-06 · Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System:fan · 29,400 mi“the contact owns a 2016 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the cooling fan became inoperable. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the cooling fan system needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but of…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.