2015 Nissan Pathfinder
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 320 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 7th highest complaint count among 25 Pathfinder model years with reports.
Of the 2015 reports, 11 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 7 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchJun 13, 2022
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.
An unsecured hood could unexpectedly open while driving, obstructing the driver's view, and increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 22V420000 on NHTSA.gov
Exterior lighting, brake lights, switchJan 20, 2021
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles. The location of the brake light switch may cause the brake light switch relay to repeatedly open and close. Overtime, this can cause the relay to stick in the "ON" position, with the brake lights remaining illuminated even when the brakes are not applied. Additionally, this may interfere with the brake-shift interlock, allowing the driver to shift the vehicle out of the "Park" position, without depressing the brake pedal.
Continual illumination of the brake lights can prevent other drivers from realizing the vehicle is actually slowing down, increasing the risk of a crash. With the brake override activated, the driver will not be able to accelerate normally, increasing the risk of a crash. The driver can shift the vehicle out of the "PARK" position without depressing the brake, allowing the vehicle to rollaway, increasing the risk of injury.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, either re-install the brake light switch or swap positions with the Automatic Speed Control Device (ASCD) switch; depending on the model year vehicle. In addition, the brake light relay will be replaced with a new one. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall PC786. Note: this recall supersedes 16V-380.
Campaign 21V020000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationApr 26, 2016
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 incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
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.
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 parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Campaign 16V244000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontalOct 20, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 15V681000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakesJan 14, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles manufactured August 14, 2014, to November 5, 2014, and 2014-2015 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured August 12, 2014, to November 15, 2014. During the assembly process, the front wheel hub assembly fasteners may not have been properly torqued.
The under-torqued fasteners may result in a brake caliper separating from the wheel assembly causing a reduction in braking performance or reduced steering control. These conditions increase the risk of a crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and tighten any loose bolts to the proper specification, free of charge. The recall began February 2, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 15V012000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
320 reports, newest first.
Air bags, Jan 23, 2023
The vehicle had no issues after being stopped for three days the airbag light on the dashboard started to flash and the passenger airbag-off light is on even with a passenger seated on.
Power train, Nov 7, 2022
On my way to the emissions test site, I was approaching an intersection that was controlled by a stop sign. As I approached this stop sign, I applied the brakes. My vehicle kept traveling into the intersection. The brakes did not stop the car I went out into the middle of the intersection, crossing one lane of oncoming traffic and into the 2nd lane of traffic and stopped about one foot from an oncoming vehicle. Upon this incident, I drove the vehicle home and tried to figure out what happened. The car drove home okay. Reviewed Recent service visits: December 2021 we had the car in the shop for a bearing was bad in the cooling fan and causing it to hit the shroud; March of 2022 service visit, brakes were flushed; September 2022 in for service found out a rear brake job was needed. As a result of the incident I drove the vehicle to the dealer again - they put it through the diagnostic tool - and the code came up for that the transmission was gone and to drive it any further it would be a death trap. The vehicle needed a brand new transmission. Researching the Nissan Pathfinder year 2015-there is a known defect in the transmission. As a result of a class action suit the warranty was increased to 7 yrs or 84,000 miles. This Nissan Pathfinder has 75,000 miles and was 46 days past the 7 year mark. The dealer could do nothing for me - charged thousands to replace the transmission. And now, all those identified Nissan Pathfinders, Nissan Rogues and certain model Infinitis are still on the road. It was fate that this did not end in a horrific incident for me or those I could have come in contact with. #1 - these vehicles need to be removed from the road and in my case the transmission should have been replaced by a recall. Why wasn't this a recall, who settled a class action suit and left the "death trap vehicles" on the road? (I do not have the invoice for the repair yet, will pick up vehicle tomorrow and forward the invoice to you.
Other or unspecified, Oct 6, 2022
The rear hatch door goes up when the lift button is pushed on the tailgate door, it reaches the top, beeps, then immediately comes back down. The hatch door hit my wife on the head. If you push up hard against the tailgate when it starts to immediately come down it is possible to keep it up. But someone not strong enough can be seriously injured by the door. It’s the same situation every time we lift the hatch to open—up, beep, and back down it immediately comes We talked to dealer. They said contact Nissan consumer affairs. So we did. They said our vehicle is out of warranty: nothing we can do. Go back to dealer and pay to have it fixed. Not helpful at all. This isn’t a lightbulb burnt out or physical wear issue— it’s a safety issue and the manufacturer should do a recall and fix it ASAP.
Latches/locks/linkages, Sep 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that after opening the hood, the hood failed to close as needed. The contact had to slam the hood repeatedly for the hood to close properly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Latches/locks/linkages, Sep 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the hood inadvertently opened. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and was able to close the hood using excessive force. The fender was damaged while closing the hood. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and failure. The approximate failure mileage was 77,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 22, 2022
When driving, many times while going uphill, the car starts to jerk if I press the gas it jerks more. I have to let go of the gas and then press to go fast for it to stop. At times, it has caused for other cars to rear end or for me to go into another car. The jerkin is becoming a safety hazard for me and I’ve only had the car since July. This is my first Nissan ever and would have never imagined to experience such issues.
Structure, Aug 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the liftgate failed to latch correctly due to the release button being fractured inwardly. Due to the failure, the release button failed to respond appropriately whenever activated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the release button needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 11, 2022
A component is draining my battery. 7/21 New battery installed by Dealer. I'm told that the alternator is good. 7/28 adjustment on brake/starter switch??? Dealer wasn't clear. Said problem was fixed. 8/4 returned the SUV back to local dealer . Now I'm told that the Tow Bar was pulling 4 amps of energy and draining the battery, and that I should return the vehicle back to the place of purchased to have repaired. Our 2015 was purchase brand new with the Tow Bar as part of the accessary package. I have a Nissan Security Plus Extended Warranty. The Tech suggested that the Tow Bar may not have been Factory Installed. In the interim, I have been without transportation for 8 days.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Aug 6, 2022
Brake lights will stay on even when car is parked and not occupied.Skid control coms on when driving and engine power is reduced or in lymph node. Car can be put in drive without depressing the brake switch . Ok Nissan says this is not on recall by vin # but there is an active recall on this model now. Sounds like a good lawsuit to me.Thanks and hope you can help.
Seats, Aug 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the front driver’s side seat warmer stopped functioning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing and the contact was informed that the harness connector on the climate-controlled seat control unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty and that the contact had to pay out of pocket for the repair. The failure mileage was 104,000.
Latches/locks/linkages, Jul 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches, Locks, Linkages) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the hood became unlatched. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Power train, Jul 16, 2022
Transmisson is stuttering. Check engine light was on when i had it read came back as CVT leak. Vehicle only has 107,000 miles on it.
Power train, Jul 13, 2022
When driving for any period of time over a half hour the vehicle will cut power and stop the vehicle. I was turning left at a busy intersection, hit the gas to go and the vehicle lost power and I rolled into the intersection. I could not go forward because the transmission was dead. Nissans solution is a transmission software update. They said it was repaired and after I left the dealership, 40 mins into the drive the vehicle quit at 55mph. This is incredibly dangerous and Nissan is fully aware of the defective CVT transmission they've engineered. Someone needs to stop them before people start dying.
Other or unspecified, Jun 29, 2022
I just got a recall for the hood latch. Although ours hasnt popped open yet, it bounces around like crazy when driving on the highway or if its windy out. We just returned from a 10 hour trip and going down the highway we pulled off to check because it was bouncing so much. Was very nervous going down the highway that it was going to pop open. This def is a safety issue.
Power train, Jun 14, 2022
Purchased my vehicle new not long after (less than 200 miles) I started having a jerking (which felt to be in the transmission) at the speed of 20-25 mph. I literally would have to let up off the fuel to make it stop. Give it fuel again making sure I go past the 20-25 mph (which isn't good in school zones) I have had it to the Nissan Dealer 3x for this problem and was told that "Nothing" showed up on the Diagnostic Test. I haven't taken it back since. I was approached by an individual who owned a 2012 Pathfinder and he asked me if I had any problem with my car at the speed of 20-25mph? I said yes and what a conversation we had. My car currently has 27,775 actual miles, I'm to nervous to drive it on a long distance from home! With the jerking and I know it has something to do with the transmission (overhauled motors back in the day) there's No Way I'm going to be left stranded. It's quite a shame really I spent all that money (paid in full) and I'm unable to use my car for a long trip due to fear of becoming stranded because of a Manu. BooBoo
Other or unspecified, Jun 4, 2022
Car will not recognize key. It says key ID incorrect therefore I can not start it by the push to start button
Air bags, Service brakes, Jun 2, 2022, crash
There was a vehicle at a complete stop doing an illegal left turn, the car behind him was able to swerve around him but I was not able to I hit the brakes twice all the way down and the car did not stop. At the impact the air bags did not deploy. There were not skid marks on the road either, making me believe that the brakes did not do its job. The vehicle is now at the shop waiting for my insurance adjuster to let me know what the next step is. I just spent $5,000 on the transmission just to have this issue arise, luckily my family and I were not seriously injured but it left my kids traumatized. No warnings were issued before the crash.
Power train, May 4, 2022
Shuttering occurs upon acceleration from a stop and loss of power. Intermittent stalling an extreme loss of power.
Exterior lighting, Mar 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V020000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Jan 22, 2022
PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN FEBRUARY 2019. TWO YEARS LATER IN MAY 2021, I WAS SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN AND WHEN IT WAS TIME TO ACCELERATE OUT OF THE TURN, THE CAR FELT LIKE IT LOST POWER AND EVEN THOUGH I WAS PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR SEEMED TO BE STUCK AND HESITATING. IT WOULDN'T GO OVER 5MPH. BROUGHT INTO CARMAX WHERE I PURCHASED IT FROM, BUT BECAUSE THERE WERE NO LIGHTS ON THEY COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM AND THE DIAGNOSTIC DIDN'T PICK UP ANY CODES. TWO DAYS LATER THE CAR DID THIS AGAIN AND THIS TIME IT LITERALLY DIED AS WELL IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY STREET. THIS TIME IS RATTLED AND SHOOK WHEN IT DIED. CARMAX SAID TO BRING IT IN TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP. NISSAN TRIED TO GET ME TO PAY FOR A NEW ENGINE!! SAID THERE WAS SLUDGE ON THE OIL CAP AND THAT WAS AN INDICATION THAT WE NEVER CHANGED THE OIL. WE CHANGE THE OIL EVERY 5,000MILES! CARMAX WARRANTY WOULDN'T APPROVE A NEW ENGINE BASED ON 1 MECHANICS OPINIONS. I KEPT INSISTING IT FELT LIKE A TRANSMISSION ISSUE, BUT THEY CAN ONLY INVESTIGATE IF THEY HAVE A DIRECTION VIA IDIOT LITE OR CODE FROM THE DIAGNOSTIC. SO IF THEY DID THE INSPECTION AND THERE WAS AN ISSUE, THEN IT WOULD BE COVERED BY THE EXT. WARRANTY. BUT IF THEY DIDN'T FIND AN ISSUE, I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR INSPECTION AND LABOR $300+. THEY REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR. CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING GREAT FOR THE LAST 9 MONTHS UNTIL THIS WEEK! THE CAR IS DOING IT AGAIN. SEVERAL TIMES IN A MATTER OF 3 DAYS THE CAR HAS LITERALLY FELT LIKE IT LOSES ITS POWER AND WONT GO OVER 20MPH NO MATTER HOW FAR YOU PUSH ON THE GAS PEDAL. SEEMS TO HAPPEN WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A SLOW DOWN, STOP, TURN OR AN INCLINE. YOU CAN LITERALLY FEEL THE LOSS IN POWER. BROUGHT IT TO A DIFFERENT NISSAN DEALER, WHO SAID RIGHT AWAY IT SOUNDS LIKE THE CVT TRANSMISSION ISSUE. I AM DEVASTATED. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS VEHICLE. I AM PRAYING THAT CARMAX'S EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERS THIS AND THAT IT FIXES THE PROBLEM. CONCERNED WHEN I READ OTHERS HAD IT FIXED BUT STILL HAVING THE ISSUE!
Engine, Dec 28, 2021
cvt transmission is the worse my vehicle stopped on me on the highway coming from miami to orlando no warning nothing just stopped, the vehicle goes faster than it actually says with my children the only direction it could go into is reverse late at night it was so scary. I know if I could change my vehicle I would for a vehicle without CVT Transmission it doesn't shift like normal which is shifting at each short line it races to 3 to 4 then goes down putting more where and tear than norm
Other or unspecified, Dec 23, 2021
I bought my 2015 Pathfinder new in 2016. Love the vehicle but I am disappointed in how quickly it started to "fall apart". I had a Altima with over 200 000 miles without a single part breaking on it. I bought my Pathfinder based on the premise that all Nissan products are as good as my Altima. I have only 52000 miles on my Pathfinder now and I have a defective cooling fan making a terrible noise. There is no support for my Pathfinder any longer from Nissan and the cost of replacing the fan is well over $1400. I expected more from Nissan and my new vehicle for next year will be based on my experience with Nissan. I am not sure I will be driving a Nissan next year. Nissan is cheeping out on product that they use for their vehicles now, it's too bad, they used to have very well built products.
Power train, Dec 5, 2021
We bought this Nissan Pathfinder SV model with 4-wheel drive brand new in 2015. This model supposed to have had an upgraded Continuously Variable transmission (CVT). It is meticulously maintained. In 2020 at 70,000 miles the CVT oil was changed by the Nissan dealer. The dealer said that there was nothing abnormal with the car and it was doing well. About year later at around 80,000 miles, car started to sporadically shudder and loose power when cruising at a low speed and when trying to accelerate or go up a hill with slow speeds. There was no check engine light, or any other indicators that there was a problem. We took it to the Nissan dealer and the dealer ran diagnostics. They charged us $129.95 for an hour of troubleshooting and give us a report that the car has a code P17F1 - the CVT Judder. This indicates that there is a problem with the CVT steel belt or the CVT valve body. According to Nissan these problems can not be repaired. The only fix is transmission replacement at the cost of $6,042.76. This car is few months after the warranty expired. We are another family victimized by Nissan who knows that they have problems with their CVT and they keep selling bad vehicles.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Nov 12, 2021
CVT Transmission Internal Failure Judder Code P17FO Cost to replace $5000 Broken Radiator Fan cost to replace $938 Total repairs required $6281. Car located at Canon Nissan Dealer. Another repair shop indicated they are seeing failed CVT transmissions on many 2015 Pathfinders and Nissan models which appears to be a manufacturers defect. No warning lights. started naking noises week or two ago. indicated the fan was dangerous.
Power train, Nov 2, 2021
Vehicle started hesitation between 20 and 30 mph. Took to Nissan of Wood River and paid for diagnostic test and came back with code to replace transmission. Vehicle could have broke down on highway. Took to transmission shop, they verified and replaced transmission at 127k miles. There were never any warning lights or messages that appeared.. cost over $4500.00 for replacement. Nissan is aware of the CVT transmission problems and should recall.