2015 Nissan Pathfinder Complaints

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 10/05/2026

The vehicle suffered a sudden, complete loss of motive acceleration at highway speeds, followed by a total powertrain breakdown and battery drain linked to an active federal safety recall. While traveling at highway speeds on Highway 169, the vehicle suddenly lost all acceleration, surged, juddered violently back and forth, and then shut down completely in an active traffic lane. The dashboard electrical components remained on, but the vehicle would not crank or restart. This failure trapped the occupants in a highly vulnerable position with oncoming traffic, requiring a dangerous manual jump-start in the middle of a busy highway just to move the vehicle out of the active lanes. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership, where the failure is directly linked to an active, unremedied federal safety campaign: NHTSA Campaign ID 21V020000 / Nissan Recall Campaign PC786 (Stop Lamp Switch Relay Malfunction). This defect causes the brake switch relay to stick, triggering a sudden brake override command that unexpectedly cuts all engine power and aggressively drains the battery while driving. The unprompted engagement of this safety defect while operating at high speeds represents an extreme, life-threatening vehicle performance failure.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES — Filed 08/04/2026

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the hood unexpectedly opened and was damaged. The hood ledge and structure were damaged due to the failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The dealer was contacted but declined to acknowledge the damages caused by the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

AIR BAGS — Filed 07/09/2026

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the front driver’s side curtain air bag deployed without impact. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact slowed down and veered over to the side of the road to park and inspect the vehicle. The Fire Department and the local EMT was contacted to inspect; however, there was no injury reported. The vehicle was towed to a local body shop, and the local dealer was contacted, however the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.

SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE — Filed 05/30/2026

The control arm detached from the front subframe due to massive rust on a car that was well cared for and only 10 years old. This happened as we were driving: the front passenger-side wheel became loose and began flopping back and forth, forcing me to immediately pull over into a gas station. I do not want to imagine what would have happened if this had detached on the highway instead of on a town side road. There were NO warnings or symptoms before this catastrophic failure. I had it towed to my regular mechanic, not realizing the extent of the damage—they wouldn't even put it on a lift. I then had it towed to the dealership, where they confirmed the damage was so extensive that (1) both control arms and the front subframe would need to be replaced due to rust ($5,800), and (2) the rear subframe was also extensively rusted, unsafe, and in need of imminent replacement, quoted at an additional $7,000. This being an exorbitant amount for a 10-year-old Nissan Pathfinder, I was forced to sell it to a salvage yard for a pittance just to buy a vehicle I could drive to work—and I can only hope it lasts until I can afford something better. I purchased this Pathfinder about 14 months ago. It was "inspected" by the dealer as well as by my regular mechanic at that time, with no indication that rust was a concern or even worth a comment. I am horrified by how much worse this could have been. We were on a trip more than an hour from home, heading toward the highway to return, when this occurred. No one should have to worry about something like this. Especially because, when I began researching, I found that this is a KNOWN defect on this model and others like it. It is NOT okay to put people at risk of serious or deadly injury when manufacturers KNOW water pools in places that can't be seen or checked, rotting the frame and subframe from the INSIDE out.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 04/06/2026

CVT judder problems on acceleration

EXTERIOR LIGHTING — Filed 03/19/2026

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the rear brake lights failed to illuminate when the vehicle was parked. The contact depressed the brake pedal to disengage the brake lights. While driving at various speeds, the brake lights illuminated without the brake pedal being depressed. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that there were recalls associated with the VIN related to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was previously included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V020000 (Exterior Lighting) and was repaired in 2021. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

ENGINE — Filed 09/26/2025

While driving at a rate of 20mph +, the pathfinder will start jerking back and forth then turn off. This happened in the middle of a highway lane. Good thing no one was hurt. This was also sudden

STEERING,ENGINE — Filed 11/22/2024

1. CODE P0101 not removed after replacing MAF sensor. 2. power steering motor is annoying noise, high pitched sound.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 12/30/2025

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud sound coming from the front of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that a family member had driven the vehicle and informed the contact that the vehicle was experiencing a transmission failure. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,954.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 05/22/2024

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and vibrated, causing the steering wheel to lock up. The contact used force to maneuver the steering wheel. The contact was unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. A mobile mechanic arrived at the residence and inspected the vehicle. The contact was informed that the CVT transmission had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred, and the contact parked the vehicle. The vehicle was no longer driven due to safety concerns. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 09/14/2025

To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting this request under my existing Consumer Affairs case number [XXX] regarding my 2015 Nissan Pathfinder (VIN: [XXX] , Plate: [XXX] ). On [insert date], while driving on the freeway, the hood latch failed and caused the hood to suddenly fly up, completely blocking my view. This recall-related defect directly led to my vehicle striking another car. Thankfully, no one was injured. However, my vehicle sustained significant damage: •Both front fenders were bent •Front bumper was damaged This incident was a direct result of the hood latch defect that is already part of a safety recall. The failure created an extremely dangerous situation that could have caused serious harm to myself and others. I am respectfully requesting that Nissan cover the cost of repairs or provide reimbursement for the damage caused by this recall-related failure. I believe this is a fair and reasonable resolution, as the damage was not due to negligence but to a documented safety defect. Please advise me of the next steps required to process this request, including any documentation, repair estimates, or photographs you need me to provide. Thank you for your attention and for working with me to resolve this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] Phone: [XXX] Case Number: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

POWER TRAIN — Filed 07/16/2025

I bought a vehicle from Woods Nissan in Lees Summit, MO, on [XXX], and in a week I went back for details, and the car would not start. They checked and claimed nothing was wrong, and I took their word for it. I took the car to KC Auto Clinic in Independence, MO, and they found it was the judder system, which they said was an issue they were seeing in many Nissan vehicles. To me, there should be a recall on this, as it can simply shut off and cause a huge accident. Don't let this happen and wait for an accident to happen, as this can happen to anyone, driving or possibly getting into an accident with a vehicle like mine. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 06/10/2024

Complete shutdown of the vehicle while driving down the road. Caused me to go into a ditch. The vehicles lights flashed and then it just shut off. Had the alternator replaced twice also the battery replaced twice and now the nissan dealership has said they don't know what's wrong with it.

AIR BAGS — Filed 08/08/2022

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the passenger side front, middle and rear curtain air bags were erroneously deployed causing the vehicle to abruptly shut off. During the failure, the driver sustained burns to both arms and hands which did not require medical treatment. The contact indicated that the vehicle did not crash into another vehicle or object to cause the air bags to deploy. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 150,000.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 08/20/2022

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.

AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 05/28/2022

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.

AIR BAGS — Filed 10/02/2020

WAS IN ACCIDENT MOVING ABOUT 10 MILES PER HOUR AND SLOWING AS APPROACHING LIGHT ON A LOCAL CITY STREET. CAR TRUED TO PASS ILLEGALLY ON LEFT. I MOVED RIGHT TO AVOID AND HIT CAR IN FRONT OF ME AT VERY SLOW SPEED. NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO FRINT END. DRIVER AIRBAG OPENED IN A PARTIALLY DEFKATED MANNER. SHOULD NOT EVEN HAVE OPENED . ESPECIALLY INCORRECTLY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 05/03/2020

AT RANDOM TIMES, WHEN THE REAR, POWER, LIFT GATE IS OPENED, IT REACHES THE POINT OF BEING FULLY OPENED, AND THEN CLOSES ON IT'S OWN. THIS CREATES A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IF YOU ARE REACHING INTO THE REAR CARGO AREA, THE LIFT GATE COMES DOWN ON YOUR HEAD, NECK, OR BACK. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW IN 2015 BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY A DEALER BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS RANDOM. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PARKED. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY REASON FOR THIS DEFECT. UPON DOING AN INTERNET SEARCH, THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN REPORTED IN VARIOUS FORUMS BY MULTIPLE OTHER PARTIES, BEGINNING AROUND 2014. THE FIRST TIME I WAS HIT BY THE LIFT GATE WHICH CLOSED ON IT'S OWN WAS IN MAY 2020

AIR BAGS — Filed 06/19/2019

I WAS BACKING FROM A PARKING SPACE WHEN I STRUCK A PASSING CAR WITH THE BOAT HITCH ON MY REAR BUMPER. IT WAS A LOW-IMPACT COLLISION AS WE WERE BOTH MOVING SLOWLY IN A PARKING LOT. AFTER GETTING OUT OF THE CAR TO SPEAK WITH THE OTHER DRIVER, I RETURNED TO FIND THAT ALL OF THE AIR BAGS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY CAR (INCLUDING FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND CURTAINS FROM THE FRONT WINDOW TO THE REAR) HAD DEPLOYED. NO ONE WAS IN THE CAR AT THE TIME OF IMPACT BUT ME. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE CAR DEPLOYED. I KNOW NISSAN HAS HAD PASSENGER AIR BAG PROBLEMS IN THE PAST AND BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, MINE OFTEN SHOWED THAT AIR BAGS WERE ON WHEN NO ONE WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. YOUR DATABASE SAYS THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON MY VIN NUMBER SO I ASSUME THAT PREVIOUS OWNERS HAD THE MATTER ADDRESSED BEFORE I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM A NISSAN DEALERSHIP IN 2018. MY CIRCUMSTANCE ISN'T IDENTICAL TO THE AIR BAG RECALL BUT IS CERTAINLY IRONIC. ALTHOUGH I WASN'T HURT, THE AIR BAGS SURELY DIDN'T HELP ME. THE WRONG ONES DEPLOYED AND WILL COST $6,500 TO REPLACE. CAN YOU DO ANYTHING TO HELP ME?

AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,SEATS — Filed 03/23/2017

I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE ANOTHER CAR CLIPPED THE BACK BUMPER OF MY PATHFINDER GOING TROUGH AN INTERSECTION. IT WAS ENOUGH TO DEPLOY MY CURTAIN AIRBAGS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE AND THE SEAT AIR BAG IN THE DRIVERS SEAT, BUT DID MINOR DAMAGE TO THE BACK BUMPER ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. BUT, AFTER EVERYONE WAS OUT OF MY PATHFINDER, A POLICE OFFICER NOTICED A FIRE INSIDE THE PATHFINDER. IT WAS LOCATED ON THE PANEL BETWEEN THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR AND THE BACK DOOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. I DON'T HAVE PICTURES (I DIDN'T THINK TO TAKE ANY) AND MY INSURANCE COMPANY IS HANDLING THE POLICE REPORT AND ALL THE DETAILS, BUT THE OFFICER ASKED ME TO REPORT THIS ISSUE TO YOU SO I AM.

AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,WHEELS — Filed 01/15/2016

2015 NISSAN PATHFINDER ENVOLVED IN UNKNOWN ACCIDENT AIR BAG DEPLOYED, NISSAN REFUSES TO RESPOND , NUMERIOUS RECALLS, BELIEF CONCUSION OCCURRED NEED ASSISTANCE, STOPED PAYMENTS, COLLECTION HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ME , VIN ON PATHFINDER DOESN'T MATCH VEH, ASKED THEM ALSO TO PROVIDE DATE OF MFG NOT RECIEVED

AIR BAGS — Filed 07/18/2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN PATHFINDER. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN FROM THE CRASH AND WAS LATER REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 12/13/16*LJ

AIR BAGS — Filed 06/14/2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS CRASHED INTO THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY WITH THE IMPACT INVOLVED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A BUMP TO THE FOREHEAD AS A RESULT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT AND BRUISES TO THE BODY THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V244000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE REQUIRED PART WAS UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 10/10/2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH DOWN AN INCLINE, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. EXCESSIVE FORCE WAS APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND CAUSING THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. ONLY THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED DUE TO THE FAILURE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V012000 (SERVICE BRAKES). THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT AN INVESTIGATOR WOULD BE ASSIGNED TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45....UPDATED 03/17/16 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BUT, NOT REPAIRED.*JS

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 06/06/2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN PATHFINDER. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 5-50 MPH, THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP WHEN THE BRAKES WERE ENGAGED. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, BUT NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 750.