Free. Instant. No signup. Pulls recalls and complaints for your exact vehicle.
Couldn't find that VIN. Check the digits and try again.
The 2016 Nissan Pathfinder has 107 NHTSA owner complaints and 2 active recall campaigns on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, and what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
The 2016 Nissan Pathfinder has 107 NHTSA owner complaints and 2 recalls on file (U.S. federal records, as of September 2026). The most-reported system is engine at 20 complaints (~$3,100 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Pathfinder | 890 | 11 |
| 2014 Pathfinder | 573 | 11 |
| 2015 Pathfinder | 320 | 5 |
| 2016 Pathfinder (this page) | 107 | 2 |
| 2017 Pathfinder | 186 | 2 |
| 2018 Pathfinder | 77 | 3 |
| 2019 Pathfinder | 75 | 2 |
Solid reliability overall. Common issues are concentrated in a few systems.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Driver-assist features on the tested model: Electronic stability control: Standard · Forward collision warning: No · Lane departure warning: No
Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program — tested configuration: 2016 Nissan Pathfinder SUV FWD. Stars rate crash protection in NHTSA's tests, not overall reliability — see the owner-complaint data below for what actually goes wrong.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
⚠ The one to take seriously: airbags is flagged severe on this model . Inspect it closely on a test drive.
Run the VIN from the listing — 2 active recalls on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 7.4/10 model. The priciest documented failure is engine (~$3,100) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →A noise, a warning light, a repair quote, "should I buy this?" — get an answer grounded in this vehicle's actual NHTSA record, not generic advice.
Answers use this vehicle's NHTSA complaint & recall record — owner-reported and unverified, not a diagnosis. Verify anything safety-critical with a mechanic.
Loud whistling noise coming from the power steering pump. All research suggest Nissan knows this is an issues and says it is normal.
Heater/ac cooling fan crapped out at 45k. Bearings/bushings causing loud, crunching noises when heat or ac is on. The same thing happened to me on my 2013 pathfinder.
On 21 dec 2020 we were in a accident with a deer we wear going about 80mph when the dear came out of no wear and we hit it head on and neither one of the air bags deployed my husband hit his head on steering wheel and neither one the airbags deployed I was sitting in passenger…
Drivers side window doesn't want to go up or down when it's cold, sometimes stops working all together, have seen many similar complaints on line concerning motor in door. Happens when stationer or in motion
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
An unsecured hood could unexpectedly open while driving, obstructing the driver's view, and increasing the risk 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.
Mostly yes. With a reliability score of 7.4 out of 10 based on 107 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2016 Nissan Pathfinder is generally a sound vehicle. The areas to watch are listed in the top problem section above — most are budget items, not deal-breakers.
The 2016 Nissan Pathfinder is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Reliability score 7.4/10 — around the segment average; 2 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the engine first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 20 owner complaints filed. Average repair cost runs about $3,100 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 7.4 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 107 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is engine. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is engine, with 20 complaints filed. Average repair cost runs about $3,100 at an independent shop.
The engine is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $3,100 at an independent shop. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 107 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $3,100, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.