Nissan Pathfinder reliability by year
30 recalls and 5,503 owner complaints across 20 model years. Best year to buy: 2020. Year to avoid: 2014.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 2 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2025 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 20 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Pathfinder aggregated across 20 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Nissan Pathfinder?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2020 Nissan Pathfinder scores 8.2/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2025 range. 49 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Nissan Pathfinder year should I avoid?
The 2014 Nissan Pathfinder scores 6.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 567 owner complaints with NHTSA, 5 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2014 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Nissan Pathfinder should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2017 (avoid — the powertrain — powertrain: 33 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 25,000–65,000 mi); 2014 (high-risk ownership — powertrain: 200 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 16,000–94,193 mi). The cleaner years on the data are 2025, 2024, 2023, 2020, 2019, 2018. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Nissan Pathfinder are tracked?
20 model years (2005 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 30 recalls and 5,503 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Nissan Pathfinder?
powertrain is the most-reported category — 1,768 complaints across 19 model years. Average shop repair runs about $2,500.