Free. Instant. No signup. Pulls recalls and complaints for your exact vehicle.

Couldn't find that VIN. Check the digits and try again.

ProblemsByVin Index / 2016-NISSAN-PATHFINDER / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2016 Nissan Pathfinder owner complaints

105 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 1 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

airbags 5 complaints shown

19 total in this category · severe · avg repair $1,100 · see airbags cluster analysis →
12/23/2020 Crash ODI #11384700.0

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 seat and nothing either this was on the highway at night time

12/12/2016 9,000 mi ODI #10934872.0

I was the person who first filed the airbag issue on NHTSA. Finally today, the issue was "patched".I say patched not fixed since now the "airbag off" light is always on in my car which does not match the manual of my vehicle.a bigger issue though is that this confuses us into thinking the similarly orange colored cross traffic light on the passenger side is on and twice out of two times we almost had a crash due to that. This patch is not safe or acceptable and I hope that NHTSA acts to protect customers who paid a considerable amount of money to acquire a supposedly safe vehicle.

12/06/2018 ODI #11156549.0

Upon starting the ignition, air bag ocs indicator shows both front passenger air bags not working. Indication light remains on while vehicle is both stationary and while in motion.

11/12/2019 ODI #11279686.0

I purchased a used Nissan pathfinder in july 2019. When I purchased the vehicle I also purchased a full-coverage warranty through the dealership, however, the dealership claims that they have no responsibility to help me. Their reasoning is that they are not a Nissan dealer yet, they sold me a vehicle that is potentially dangerous for my children to be in and refuse to honor the warranty or help otherwise. The airbag off light will turn on while adults are sitting in the front passenger seat. It also comes on even when my 160 lb son is in the front seat. According to my research the was a recall on the airbags on this particular vehicle a few years ago that was supposedly previously addressed, however this continues to be an issue. Additionally I was sold a vehicle with no insulatio

11/11/2021 ODI #11440170.0

Passenger side air bag indicator is off all the time even with an adult in the seat. The red blinking indicator light flashes for the air bag on the control panel. The air bag cannot be manually turned on or off. If in a crash I do not know if the air bag will deploy. Your site shows 0 recalls other sites show a sensor recall. What do I do?

engine 4 complaints shown

20 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $3,100 · see engine cluster analysis →
12/25/2019 45,000 mi ODI #11291191.0

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.

12/10/2018 51,000 mi ODI #11157328.0

Our Nissan pathfinder 2016 was suddenly making loud noise which was coming from the front (engine area). The dealer diagnosed that replacement of fan shroud is necessary and that's expensive. We send car for regular maintenance, what else we can do!! The miles on my car is above 50000 and that's when I came across this problem. I have never had this kind of problem in any of my cars so far. This is something to do from the manufacturing side.

11/28/2018 48,800 mi ODI #11154548.0

At 48,800 miles radiator fan failed. As was explained to me by service advisor at Nissan dealer, a mounting part failed and caused the fan to rub against the shroud when in operation. Many reports of failure on various websites for model years 2014 -2016, most occurring in the 50,000 mile range.

11/22/2018 50,000 mi ODI #11153196.0

Radiator fan assembly failed and needed replacement as indicated by several pathfinder owners from 2014 up to the present.

electrical 3 complaints shown

10 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
12/18/2018 70,000 mi ODI #11162363.0

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

11/27/2019 ODI #11282670.0

I don't recall the exact date of the first time I took it. Taken the vehicle twice and had to insist multiple times in order for Nissan to keep the car and keep testing as well as for them to open a case. The screen for the 2016 pathfinder has turned solid blue a few times but not sure what causes it. Dealership blamed the cell phone which I don't believe that to be true. They will not fix it because they say they don't know how to duplicate it so there's nothing than can do. This screen is where clients like myself see the full view of the outside of the vehicle (safety) as well as other parts GPS, a/c & heater temperature control, radio channels, weather etc. I refuse to believe no one else has had this issue and I refuse to it's the phones fault (many cell phone users which is a large n

11/14/2020 ODI #11374662.0

My car was bought brand new, no accidents, and only has less than 53 miles to be a 2016 pathfinder. So tell me why the cheap motor fan that Nissan put it in stared making a clang noise everything I would turn the air or heater on. Like Nissan what is this. With all this complains about the same item, you guys should put a recall onthis item. It's ashamed so far bad experience with to vehicles from you guys. Even on the Nissan titan that we bought brand new at 3 months something was wrong with the engine and gas tank and you guys did not want to take responsibility for the vehicle. Knowing that you guys could not even determine why the truck was not working. You guys even brought in an expert from the Nissan factory and still did not find why it was not working. Knowing what was happening y

powertrain 3 complaints shown

7 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $2,500 · see powertrain cluster analysis →
12/12/2025 76,000 mi ODI #11704677.0

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and sputtered while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where DTC: P17F1 (Internal CVT failure was retrieved). The contact was informed that the CVT transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed the contact that assistance could not be provided because the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

12/01/2025 ODI #11702225.0

Around 160,000 miles my CVT transmission went out. I almost got into a wreck no warning lights just stopped on me. When I took it to my local dealership in waco, Texas they told me I'll be good to wait over the weekend that they first opening wasn't until Tuesday. I came by on a Thursday. The car was making noises I was concerned and it wasn't accelerating like normal. I slowly drove it to Nissan dealership in Temple tx 30 mins away. The tech there immediately drove it to see if it was apressing concern or not. He immediately stated it wasn't safe and they gave me a loaner. My vehicle was in the shop for three weeks I had to get a $14,000 loan to repair it because my extended warranty didn't cover specifically CVT transmissions because of Nissan history with the other vehicles with that

11/09/2024 ODI #11624350.0

Car was functioning fine and then suddenly stopped one day as I was entering expressway, car just stopped and had to tow to Nissan dealer. I was told alternator is not functioning and when doing systems check CVT/transmission alert was noted and said I need new transmission. In my search I see 2016 Pathfinders were included in a lawsuit. This was not brought to my attention and I am wondering if my CVT should be replaced by Nissan at no cost to me. My care has less than 120k miles and is less than 10yrs old. Link to Nissan dealers report: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

other 2 complaints shown

12/06/2019 57,000 mi ODI #11287432.0

I took my pathfinder in to have it inspected for a loud rattling when the heat is on only to be told my car has cooling fan failure. It has a little over 57,000 miles on the vehicle. Unfortunately, my 90 day warranty has lapsed.

11/14/2023 88,000 mi ODI #11555027.0

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the trunk latch was inoperable and not closing securely. The contact stated the failure had been recurring for approximately two years. The contact stated had received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under the recall repair. The contact stated the dealer verbally informed her that the recall repair was completed however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

steering 1 complaint shown

3 total in this category · severe · avg repair $700 · see steering cluster analysis →
12/27/2018 47,000 mi ODI #11163623.0

Loud whistling noise coming from the power steering pump. All research suggest Nissan knows this is an issues and says it is normal.

body 1 complaint shown

12/10/2022 ODI #11496869.0

Hood latch was marked as repaired (cleaned and lubricated) in recall report but secondary latch still sticks and I have to manually push the lever out of position to get my hood to latch down properly. All the dealership did was look at it, grease it, and call it good. It is still caked with gunk and sticks.

Showing 300 of 105 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2016/Nissan/Pathfinder#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-06-14. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
Get a free warranty quote →
Sponsored — we earn a commission if you complete a quote. Disclosure.