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.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Engine, Dec 13, 2023
I bought my 2023 Pathfinder FWD brand new in September, 2023. First few days I bought it it would switch to neutral or cut off while sitting at a light. It is now December and the ac/heater when on full blast reduces to mild on it own, the remote start no longer sets car temp based on outside time, the light in car doesn't come on when open doors, if key is in car and car is own it will lock by itself, the radio will play 5 seconds then turn off and go to a different screen, at times the screen will go from screen to screen on its on and will randomly switch to manual when i am stopped at drive through or backing out and putting in drive. Very frustrated with my purchase.
Other or unspecified, Oct 23, 2023
I purchased my vehicle in april 2023. Everything had been going good until here recently. I had just gotten home, I left my keys in the cupholder, and shut my door to get my 11mo old daughter out of the back seat. All my doors locked, my daughter was left in the car for 45 minutes until my husband (left work) arrived with the spare. This has happened 4x here recently. I contacted Orr Nissan of Fort Smith, AR who told me there was nothing they could do because there are no recalls. I then called back, and asked to speak with the manager who said the same thing- no recalls, and nothing they can do about it. They also told me that until someone else mentions the same problems then they would even issue a recall. That it was up to corporate. I was also told that if I want anything to happen then I need to file a complaint with the BBB, which I have already done. My concern is my child who has been stuck in the car 4 different times within a week. No lights came on, no messages, I couldnt get to my daughter for 45 minutes. that is the main safety concern.
Other or unspecified, Oct 16, 2023
The panoramic sunroof exploded while I was driving on the interstate. The sunroof cover was closed thankfully or I could have been severely cut by the glass. You can tell by the photos I am attaching that it blew up from the inside out.
Other or unspecified, Oct 7, 2023
I was sitting in traffic for a couple minutes and when I stepped on the gas to go, it bogged and stalled. I could not get it turned on and it went into neutral. It finally came back on after sitting in the middle of a busy road for about 3-4 minutes. Then just minutes later it did it again. Same sit and wait lucky I was able to let it roll to the side of the road this time. It was very unsafe due to the heavy traffic and now I am worried about whether I can trust my car. What if I need to get some where in an emergency and my brand new car stalls out. It is a worry I should not have to carry after spending that kind of money on a so called reliable car.
Power train, Sep 30, 2023
When the start/stop auto function is engaged (idling stop system), about 1 out of 10 times it kicks the transmission into neutral when the break is released and the driver attempts to start driving again. The driver then has to put the transmission back into drive. The safety concern is that I am stuck in neutral with moving traffic. On rare occasion, I cannot put the vehicle back into drive without shutting the whole vehicle off and restarting it. This was reported to my local Nissan dealer who was unable to resolve and stated it had not been reported as an issue, although if you check the internet, there are plenty of reports of this issue. No safety alerts or warning lamps are triggered with this happens.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 18, 2023
Stop & start fuel saving system, which automatically engages while waiting in the traffic, is malfunctioning. In the best case scenario car switches the gear to Neutral when releasing the break pedal to auto-start the engine. Another variation is shutting down the engine when attempting to drive off from the traffic lights or intersection after even a short stop. In a occurrence of this issue engine must be manually started like if it was parked. Last scenario, which happens to be the most dangerous, combines both previously mentioned behaviors and the fact that before the engine stops or gear switches to Neutral, car may roll into the intersection and stop there, potentially leaving the car in a crash course with other cars. The last scenario is especially critical on left turns with no traffic lights. If driven by less skillful drivers this leads to some very nasty situations on the road. Nissan doesn't offer a menu option to permanently disengage start & stop system. One has to always remember to turn this function off after each car-start. Finally, turning stop & start system off results in significantly higher fuel consumption.
Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 15, 2023
Last July I felt jerking after accelerating on highway and decided to go in for service and found fuel injectors were the issues which these were replaced. Then again after 3 months now feeling jerking again and shaking after accelerating. There is no warning light appearing as I feel it. After reviewing with others 2023 pathfinders, afraid my vehicle may stall and not be repaired. I’m still on payment for this new vehicle.
Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 14, 2023
Yesterday my 2023 Nissan Pathfinder SL abruptly stalled about a minute into my morning commute on a busy road in traffic. The dash panel illuminated that the car "stalled". The car wouldn't immediately restart & engage. Thankfully, another driver pulled over and assisted to push my car to the side of the road. After several attempts, the car restarted and I could drive again. The car drive was sluggish at first but it made it the rest of the way just fine and later my return trip back home. The engine light is now illuminated indicating a fault/issue. The car is connected to an app on my phone and is recommended that I bring it in for service which I did to the Nissan dealership where I leased the vehicle from this morning. No determination has been made as of yet but based on my research of similar incidents online, it looks likely to be an issue involving the fuel pump. Unfortunately, the issue put my safety and others at risk and I hope that a repair can be made so that it never happens again.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 12, 2023
Dear NHTSA, I would like to report a safety issue while driving this vehicle on Interstate 35E North of downtown St Paul, MN. While driving in traffic I went to move into a lane to the right allowing us to move in a less congested lane of traffic. During the move I pushed the pedal to full and the engine just shut off/cut out and stalled while in the middle of moving lanes in fast moving traffic. The vehicle jerked and slowed then the engine can back to life (fired back up) and my wife was screaming at this point that we were going to get us killed with traffic behind us moving at 60 plus mph. First my wife blamed me for this issue and I explained the vehicle just shut off under load and I was doing nothing wrong. This issue needs further attention or intervention from a higher authority than a dealer. Also, the emergency braking does not work on this vehicle going forward or backwards with all systems turned on. It has been at the deal for 7 days as of today Sept 12, 2023. This event took place on Sunday September 03, between 3:30 PM according to our tracked google map trip. Sincerely yours, [XXX] & [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Other or unspecified, Sep 5, 2023
It is very difficult and sometimes impossible to shift it to the Neutral position even with your foot on the brakes. Sometimes you have to attempt it three or four times after it being in the drive position. You can move it forward strongly and softly it does not matter...this needs to be adjusted/corrected as sometimes we have to put it into neutral position and it will not work. I see this as a safety defect.
Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 31, 2023
Vehicle stalled and the engine quit twice trying to enter the highway. The vehicle restarted but went into limp mode and would not accelerate at all, just ran with extremely rough idle. I waited several minutes and finally the vehicle restarted and would finally move. This could have been a serious life threatening event if the vehicle quit while pulling into highway traffic. The dealer replaced the fuel pump and I haven’t driven the vehicle anywhere but to my house. I understand from the internet that this is indeed a serious problem for some 2022-2023 Nissan Pathfinders I feel there needs to be a recall to repair this very dangerous problem. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 29, 2023
1. Loud Noise when starting the engine - Noise like a train 2. I’m driving along and my car just starts vrooming it’s stuck between gears. It cuts off and changes gear to Neutral or just cut off. Cars behind me literally almost wrecks everytime. 3. Panel on the driver side warf and came loose at within 7 days of purchse 4. Oil Light came on- frighting 5. Loud Noise from windows when driving - Loud. All of this happen within a week after (Jan/2023 ) purchase. Reported to Dealerships and Nissan Corp. I requested to return the vehicle they said NO. I stated that the vehicle is unsafe to drive. At First Dealerships said they could't duplicate the problem, after many trips to dealships they said it was the fuel pump. I have been waiting on a fuel pumps for months. The bottom line is that the vehicle is unsafe to drive and cut off unexpectly whenever and has put myself and others in harms way. As of today I am still waiting on the part for my vehicle. Nissan nor any of the dealership has provide me with transporation while I am waiting. Please Help.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Aug 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop immediately. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.
Power train, Aug 28, 2023
I am reporting a serious safety issue with my new 2023 Nissan Pathfinder SL 4WD purchased in February 2023 from the Nissan dealership. I was happy with the vehicle, and it ran fine until June 2023. The issue first began in 2023, when I had the vehicle in economy mode and was driving with family. The car was stopped in Drive with my foot on the break when the car went from Drive to Neutral by itself. When this happened, I was entering from a parking lot onto a busy road. I almost got hit by oncoming traffic, as the front of the car was in the road while merging onto the roadway. I had both hands on the wheel when this happened. Passengers in the car were shocked and I was apprehensive about driving it on the highway home. No warning lights appeared on the vehicle. I brought the vehicle to the dealership, and they said there were problems in recent years, which I was unaware of, with the Pathfinder when the vehicle was redesigned. They said they had a patch to correct the issue I reported. The patch did not correct the issue and the problem got worse. Examples include, one day when the car was stopped at traffic lights, it went from Drive to Neutral four separate times. Three of those times the car stalled as well. Each time it happened I was stopped in traffic with my foot on the break in economy mode. It is alarming when you are looking at the dashboard and you can see it go from Drive to Neutral while both hands are on the wheel. The dealer was able to duplicate the problem and the Pathfinder has remained at the dealership since July 25, 2023 - more than four weeks from the date of this report. I am still waiting for a resolution. This is a very significant defect in the vehicle, and it is scary and dangerous. I have significant concerns that this defect, which could result in the loss of life or at a minimum serious harm.
Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 26, 2023
I write to report the issues which are a safety hazard to me & whom ever operates it or I transport in it, Which creates a higher concern for my & their safety . I purchased a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder SL on July 6, 2023 an eight seater model 4WD with 8 miles on the speedometer manufactured by Nissan as per label on door April 2023.The problem I have experienced recently after a month & two weeks now. The vehicle starts are normal but once the vehicle is on the road and is within normal operation temperature. I noticed that I must start applying brakes earlier than usual on where the same roads which I have driven other vehicles in order to stop did not have to do this. Is like if I don't do so & ignore not applying the brakes earlier now I must use greater than before foot pedal pressure that when is stop the vehicle jerks forward like it wants to continue on. Also there is a lost of gas pedal power when trying to enter the highway flow traffic, That since I was almost rear-ended twice already is kind of depressing creepy feeling that now I wait longer or seat at a lane in order to safely enter the flow of traffic or passing. In fear that the lost of power of this vehicle if I try to pass or enter will stall out and put others in danger if it does happen. There is also hesitation, jerking form engine & transmission at high & lower speeds. That requires more attention on the early braking problem I have described above. It seems the pilot assist & stop/start when off are still operating in the background. I have returned to the dealer service center that when he inform that I am not the only one affected. Nissan engineers working on it. The dealer allowed me a temp rental replacement vehicle for now but for how long?
Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 15, 2023
Just bought 2023 Pathfinder Platinum edition and drove it once. First time driving on the highway at 70 mph on cruise control, the engine stopped and a message came across the dash saying " Your engine has stalled. Please pull over to a safe area". This caused me to put my family's safety in jeopardy because we had to wait for 3 hrs for a tow in 100 plus degree heat in the desert with nothing to keep us cool except warm water. After getting it towed back to the dealer I bought it from ( Hi-Valley Nissan in Victorville, CA), the service department told me that the fuel pump went bad. Looking online, it's becoming more frequent with Pathfinders as of late and was told the same thing by some of the people at the dealer. It has been in the shop for diagnostics and awaiting parts for coming on 30 days. It is almost going to be a CA Lemon law issue. Now it is waiting on a gasket which more than one person at the dealer said that they might have to take from another vehicle to get the vehicle done. To me, bought a BRAND NEW 2023 NISSAN PATHFINDER PLATINUM; not a 2023 NISSAN PATHFINDER PLATINUM WITH USED PARTS. As far as I know, gaskets shouldn't be reused if at all possible. Nissan needs to get this problem fixed and fast.
Other or unspecified, Aug 9, 2023
I just bought my pathfinder and it has under 600 miles. As I drive the vehicle, it will automatically switch over to neutral right in the middle of the highway and has almost caused accidents and a loss of my life. I have done research on the internet and discovered that over a dozen 2023 Nissan Pathfinder owners experience the same issue and Nissan has refused to resolve the issue. I called Nissan America and they opened up a case which is Case#494-216-94 and they refused to provide me with a way forward. The vehicle has been with the Passport Nissan Dealership at 500 Auth Way, Suitland MD, 20746 Maryland for over a month now and whenever I try to obtain a status they get upset and continue to tell me that the vehicle has warranty and that I should purchase more warranty. I went to the Passport Nissan Dealership again this morning 8/9/2023 and asked to speak with the manager for more information. The manager told me that I am wasting his time. My vehicle is still with the dealer and Nissan American does not have any solution. At this juncture, this vehicle us unsafe and unfit for the road. NHTSA needs to act immediately before this becomes catastrophic and fatal.
Electrical system, Aug 7, 2023
My pathfinder alarm goes off several times an hour. It locks door then starts itself randomly throughout the day. there’s a security feature that car will not lock if the key is in the vehicle it still locks. Starts.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 6, 2023
Vehicle has auto stop/start. When at a red light and vehicle stops moving engine will shut off. When light goes green and foot is removed from break, vehicle starts up. Sometimes when starting back up it goes into neutral automatically. Other times the vehicle attempts to start. But shifts into neutral and shuts down completely. At this point you must manually restart the engine. This has created safety concerns for my family
Visibility/wiper, Jul 29, 2023
I just bought my Nissan Pathfinder SL about a month ago. On the first day while I was driving it home I noticed a shaky driver's side mirror. It has been persistent since then on highways, in a windy day, or most frequently when there are surface imperfections on the road. The mirror shakes so much that I cannot see clearly the image which in my belief is a safety hazard. I understand there should be a specification that each vehicle needs to meet, but to me this does not appear to be a normal characteristic of a car. As a matter of fact, the passenger's side mirror does not vibrate at all, regardless the speed, wind, or road imperfections. My other vehicles also do not behave like this. I took the vehicle in at my local dealership (Garber Nissan in Saginaw). After an hour's inspection, they said it was a normal characteristic of the vehicle, which is not acceptable to me. I am in a Facebook owner group in which many Pathfinder owners have experienced the same issue with their side mirror(s). I really hope Nissan can fix this issue for us soon. It is beyond disappointing.
Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 3, 2023
I want process fuel efficient. 16.2 mpg.. specifications..24 mpg. To 27mpg.. i request to claim to nissan. I don't have answer ..
Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 28, 2023
Failed fuel pump system.
Electrical system, Jun 28, 2023
The doors close securely with the keys inside. We had to call the police, since my 1-year-old baby was locked inside the vehicle and the app did not work for me.
Power train, Electrical system, Jun 28, 2023
While driving, the "AT" warning light came on, the vehicle was making a griding noise. Upon stopping for safety reasons, the vehicle would not engage into 'Park." Once turned off and back on, the vehicle would not engage into drive from park, then finally went into drive. In the next few minutes driving to work to get off the main road and to wait for AAA, the "AT" warning light was on again and the car was griniding gears and accelerating randomly. After arriving at my work, the vehicle would not engage into park again, had to shut it opff and turn it back on which then showed it in park. Was towed to the dealer who stated the shifter was malfunctioning and they replaced the shifter and cleared all codes. Peter's Nissan of Nashua stated that the vehicle tested fine now and was fine to drive.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 28, 2023
Fuel .performance..low .consumer 17.9 and 18 combined fuel.. nivel oil engine low..same reverse and forward. Same times forced gear transmission noised .