2023 Nissan Pathfinder
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 104 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 15th highest complaint count among 25 Pathfinder model years with reports.
Of the 2023 reports, 4 involved a crash. 1 person was injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Seats, critical fastenersApr 13, 2023
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2023 Rogue, Pathfinder, and Infiniti QX60 vehicles. The driver's powered seat may not be fully secured to the seat frame, causing the seat frame welds to detach from the rear inboard seat bracket.
An unsecured seat with broken welds may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will inspect the driver's seat rail clearance, and if necessary, replace the driver's seat cushion frame, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 10, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC966, PC967.
Campaign 23V268000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
104 reports, newest first.
Power train, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Sep 11, 2024, crash
I engage the Parking Botton on shifter, & the vehicle still rolled away from me after I got out of Vehicle
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 16, 2024
Follow up to my prior complaint (NHTSA ID Number: 11568968). Sandy Sansing Nissan in Pensacola, Florida replaced the fuel pump and the front forward detection sensor. We also had to have the middle row, middle seatbelt replaced due the sensor not working. We have had the vehicle back for a week and the problems have continued, if not gotten worse. The vehicle has stalled out multiple times, 3 days in a row, nearly causing my wife and children to be rear-ended by a semi truck on 2 occasions. The issue is the vehicle gets to about 27 mph, revs up to 6K rpms, stops moving forward and begins to slow down (at 6K rpms), warning lights like the oil light kick on along with several other lights, and the vehicle stalls, forcing the driver to glide off the roadway. My wife took a photo of the dash as she was gliding off the road and it shows the vehicle still in D (drive) at 0 mph and 1k rpms, whatever that means since the car was still rolling. Once off the road, she has to turn the car off to get it to reset so she can move forward. She stated that at least 2 times, the car restarts with the shifter still in D. On one occasion, she could not get the car to restart for several minutes. Nissan, of course, says they haven't gotten any complaints and no error codes. My wife also states the info center and radio always fail right before the vehicle starts stalling. I going to have to have the car towed to Nissan due to us living over a hour from the dealership and the car not being safe to drive.
Service brakes, Jul 18, 2024
On only 12K miles, rear breaks is generating squeaky sound and dealership informed that break pads need to be changed as it has only 2mm left which is very low for break pads to last.
Other or unspecified, Jun 15, 2024
REAR VIEW TILT DOWN MIRRORS MIRRORS NOT WORKING CAN NOT SEE TO BACK UP I HAVE HAD THE CAR TO 5 DEALERS MANUFATURER HAS REFUSED TO LOOK AT IT THEY KEEP SAYING EVERYTHING IS WORKING CORRECTLY THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNALS THE DEALERS ALL HAVE SAID THE MIRRORS ARE WORKING PROPERLY. MY PROBLEM IS WHEN THE CAR GOES INTO REVERSE YOU CANN OT SEE BECAUSE ONE MIRROR DOES NOT TIP DOWN SO YOU CAN SEE THE ROAD.. I HAVE OWNED 4 NISSAN CARS AND ALL 4 CARS THE MIRRORS ALL TILTED
Other or unspecified, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 12, 2024
On 6/9/24 I was traveling South on Interstate 77. I had intelligent cruise control set. I heard a little chime noise go off and looked at my dash to see what it could be. I noticed the intelligent cruise control was turned off. So I gave my car gas to get it back up to speed. The engine just reved and that is when I noticed that my car was in neutral. This was not operator error. I had both of my hands on the steering wheel and nothing hit the shifter to put it in Neutral. I have an appointment with Nissan on Monday 6/17. Back in Feb 2023 this same car put itself in neutral at a stop light. I could not get it to go into drive. I shut it off and turned it back on and it was able to go into drive. I took it to the Nissan dealer on 2/14/23. They said it gave a code that they never saw and would look into it. They did nothing to the car at this time. They never got back to me and I never inquired about it because it never went into neutral again by itself until 6/9/14 while driving down a busy interstate. This time I was very scared and felt like this was a dangerous situation and a safety concern.
Seat belts, Jun 4, 2024
The driver's seat belt chime randomly goes off even when the seat belt is buckled. This has happened more than 15 times already. Every time I take it to the car dealer, they inspect it and cannot find what is wrong with it because it is not happening at the moment of my arrival. Today it started to chime at me again, and I decided to bring the car to the dealer without turning it off so that the code, if any, would be available. They checked it again and drove it around, but it did not go off, so there was nothing they could do to fix the problem. However, the problem is still happening, and I have shown them videos I captured with my cell phone when it happens to prove that it is not just me saying so. I don't know what else to do to get this fixed because they tell me that if there is no code or part broken they cannot replace it.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, May 28, 2024
Issue is related to insufficient starting and propulsion of the vehicle after the idle stop feature has stopped the engine. After the idle stop feature turns off the engine [upon stopping of the vehicle], the engine does not start quickly and efficiently. You take your foot off the brake, the vehicle begins to start, then you push on the gas, the engine/vehicle then hesitates and stutters, and then the engine finally fully engages and moves the vehicle. Engine doesn't seem to be getting sufficient fuel. NOTE: THE MOST CONCERNING ISSUE is that upon pushing on the gas after idle stop, the vehicle has automatically slipped into Neutral [two recent incidents], basically stalling the vehicle in traffic (until the RPMs reduced and it could be put back in Drive). This is a safety concern if I am beginning to take a left-hand turn or pulling out into oncoming traffic. I have to now turn off the idle stop feature each trip to avoid this safety concern (unless I forget). I will be bringing vehicle into the dealer for service soon - but I am not confident this is going to effectively diagnosed or resolved.
Service brakes, May 28, 2024
Was told today that my rear brakes need to be replaced by the dealer. The vehicle has only 18,000 miles and most of that is highway. They said it seems the rear brakes are wearing out faster than normal on these due to the small size of the pad and electronic parking brake. This is not safe and unfair.
Power train, Service brakes, May 27, 2024
This is a new car with 30,000 miles on it. There are two issues, the brakes apparently do not distribute the braking workload evenly or the parts were counterfeit from manufacture. The rear brakes had to be replaced, pads and rotors resurfaced. The front brakes were unaffected and good. Back brakes should not need replacing before front brakes, yet the rotors were scarred with grooves. I have a photo of one of the rotors. Additionally, the (Auto-start & stop) at a halt does not kick in quickly enough to avoid a collision when moving and merging into traffic from a standstill.
Service brakes, May 21, 2024
At 18,000 miles I was told that I would need to replace the rear brakes as well as the rotors. I only drive in the city and I am not a hard driver. I have never had to replace brakes and rotors within a year of driving.
Other or unspecified, Apr 21, 2024
While driving, car shifts into neutral on its own. It happened as I was driving on the highway at 75 mph and out of nowhere i realized my car was in neutral causing me to redline and slowed down while trying to change lane and almost causing an accident. Thank god I was driving and was able to respond in time by shifting back into drive. Happened twice in one hour on a road trip
Service brakes, Apr 10, 2024
Rear brakes are worn to require replacement of brakes and rotors at 12,500 miles. No off road driving. Just normal highway and city. Took vehicle in for oil change and dealer service technician noted the wearing of the brakes pads and rotors.
Electrical system, Mar 26, 2024
When we purchased this vehicle in June 2023, one of the first things I noticed, was an unusual switch on the steering wheel to allow, selecting and viewing all of the vehicle display information. This switch is located on the left side of the steering wheel. It is labeled OK meaning OK to display the selected menu item when you depress the OK button. The switch consists of a thumb wheel to go up or down on the menu selection, and then you depress the thumb wheel to engage the item selected. We’ve had the vehicle nine months and we were driving and my wife attempted to select something by rotating the thumb wheel and pushing OK button. The OK button got stuck in the down position disabling the ok button and preventing her from changing anything on the vehicle info screen. We consider being unable to access vehicle information a safety issue. The switch was promptly replaced by Nissan under warranty. I am an electronics person and I consider this particular style switch too delicate for long term use, a bad design and one that will probably continue to fail. The issue with this switch is the “thumb wheel selector” for menu items instead of an up or down button like on our other three vehicles that do the same functions on those vehicles. Nissan made a very bad choice on using this type of switch.
Engine, Mar 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle shut off. The driver was able to restart the vehicle after several hours. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact received an email informing him there was a possible failure with the emission, a control malfunction, a misfire, or a malfunction. The message also stated do not drive vehicle. The contact called the manufacturer, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 5,931.
Other or unspecified, Mar 15, 2024
Nothing happened
Visibility/wiper, Mar 11, 2024
Windshield cracked on passenger side 2 weeks after purchase. Then a few months later a star formed behind rearview mirror in middle of glass. The windshield is pitted in spots. Then last week the driver window cracked and has ran all the way up the window in a day. I feel like the glass in my car if bad. I reported it to my dealership and was given a run around about the extended warranty doesn’t cover glass that’s already cracked. It cracked and was hit all at the same time. In all 3 instances! I feel it’s a safety hazard, to drive around and something hit your windshield and just cause it to crack completely through! It’s also a HUGE EXPENSE for a new vehicle to have these issues.
Electrical system, Feb 18, 2024
While traveling to California my battery in my 2023 Nissan Pathfinder was faulty and I had to be towed to Albuquerque, NM from Gallup, NM for it to be replaced. I have never been Reembursed $682.00
Forward collision avoidance, Feb 15, 2024
In the past week or so I’ve experienced a blinking front collision light blinking as I’m driving. In the past two days the blinking light is now an actual audible alert with a collision warning system malfunction warning light saying it is disabled. Sometimes however, the adaptive cruise control still appear to work, sometimes it doesn’t. The light and system malfunction appears and then turns off on its own with no apparent reason. This is a serious safety concern because if the system does malfunction can lead to a collision when driving and/or parking if the light is blinking. When I took it to the dealer they were quick to dismiss the issue saying it can be caused by an obstruction to the windshield camera by dirt, frost, ice, etc. They cleared the codes (C2582-97, C2506-49 and C1F05-49) and sent me on my way. Sure enough on my way home the same thing happened. Please investigate this matter before someone is seriously injured or worse.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 13, 2024
My car has been flipping into manual mode from a stopped position. It’s happened about a dozen times at this point. I’ve taken it to the dealership multiple times. The first time I took it in they said they did some software updates. A few weeks later it happened again. Took it back in… they said they couldn’t find anything wrong. They tried to tell me it was “user error”. Since then it’s happened multiple times. It’s always from a stopped or slowed position such as a red light, stop sign or yield/merge. I’ve almost been rear ended on 2 occasions because I try to accelerate and the car will not go and once you realize it’s in neutral someone is already slamming on their brakes behind you! The most recent time it happened with my children in the car! This is unacceptable. I driven Nissans for over 20 years and never had an issue. I currently lease this vehicle. I have 5 months left and I’ve been begging the dealership to get me out of this car… I told them I’d drive anything but this. And they won’t. I’ve been dealing with Nissan consumer affairs which is a joke! I’m at my wits end.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 13, 2024
I found my new 2023 Pathfinder at Kraft Nissan in Tallahassee, Fl but since I live in Ga I wanted to avoid paying taxes to transfer to Ga. I contacted Woody Folsom dealership in Vidalia, Ga who contacted Kraft and did a dealership trade. Woody Folsom dealership sales rep delivered to my home on [XXX]. On the same day as delivery, I drove the car to for about 30 mins and stopped at a red light. The auto stop feature was on - My car went from Drive to Neutral then OFF! I could not restart the car. I was in traffic with other vehicles who were blowing their horns at me. I did put on my flashers. I waited several minutes after attempting to start the car when it finally started again. The car went back to Vidalia to be serviced and I was told it was fixed and a battery had to be replaced. Again, this same scenario occurred multiple other times. [XXX] I was pulling out of Zaxby's and my car stalled on me, the turning lane for the cars on the opposite of rode was available so I pulled into it with my flashers as my car completely turned off. I had difficulty again starting the car back up. After several minutes of being turned off I was able to start it again. ** other issues [XXX] I was idling at a red light and car went from D to Neutral then completely shut off. [XXX] I was idling in a parking lot waiting on a friend. A light on the dashboard came on indicating the car would be shutting down as to save battery. The car turned off. When I went to start the car again, it would not properly start. It sputtered. I gave it gas and no change. I put car in reverse and tried to go forward which it continued to sputter then turned off. I attempted to start the car but it would not. After letting the car stay off for several minutes it finally started. [XXX] After driving the car for about 30 mins with no issues then shutting off - I tried to start car again and it started the sputtering again. Same deal - let it sit then try again with it starting. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Seats, Engine, Jan 31, 2024
Vehicle was traveling at 55 mph. Vehicle shifted itself into neutral, engine began to rev, vehicle began to slow to approximately 50 mph, engine shut off at 50 mph, vehicle immediately locked brakes up and skidded to a stop in middle of highway. Vehicle would not turn back on initially. After a minute or so, vehicle restarted but showed that it was still in drive, had to be placed into park before being shifted back to drive. Second issue, the second row rear seat has a electronics issue. The rear seatbelt alarm chimes consistently with a warning saying the seat belt is not bucked when the seat is empty. Only resolution to temporally fix the problem is to keep the rear middle seatbelt buckled at all times.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Jan 31, 2024
AEB light will come on, telling me that the automatic braking system is not working. Error codes were C2501-4B and C1F05-4B
Service brakes, Jan 30, 2024
During routine maintenance, it was noted that the rear brakes needed replacement. The vehicle is only over a year old and had less than 20,000 miles when this was recorded. In speaking with the dealership maintenance team, they stated that this is a known issue and that Nissan refuses to take any responsibility for faulty systems within their vehicles. The potential for brakes to go out randomly looks pretty likely, increasing the safety risk to the driver and others.
Power train, Dec 27, 2023
The second issue that I have with my 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum edition involves the ten-speed transmission, which desperately needs a software update. I pulled out at an intersection and gave the Pathfinder some gas. I did not come to a complete stop prior. Nothing happened because the transmission was busy searching for a gear. Thankfully no driver came up on me from behind, but if they had I would have been in trouble. I did not know what was going on, so I gave it a lot of gas, which forced the transmission into a gear and allowed me to move forward rapidly. When coming to a stop and giving it gas, the transmission always has difficulty quickly finding and selecting a gear.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 27, 2023
I would like to submit a safety concern for a new vehicle that I purchased in April. The Nissan Pathfinder Platinum edition is indeed a very nice vehicle, but there are two issues that need to be addressed immediately. The first is that the windshield washer probe is located one- and one-half inches inside the hood near the windshield. This translates into a low stream of washer fluid that hits the 40-inch-tall windshield at the seven-inch mark from the bottom of it. This means that the wiper blades cannot and do not “catch and move the washer fluid” up to clean the entire windshield. I drove in a snowstorm recently, this proved to be extremely problematic for me and I had poor visibility looking out of the windshield.