2023 Nissan Pathfinder Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
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What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Electrical2318.5%
- Fuel system2217.7%
- Brakes2016.1%
- Driver assistance1814.5%
- Engine1512.1%
- Powertrain (other)129.7%
- Visibility64.8%
- Interior & seats32.4%
- Seat belts21.6%
- Airbags21.6%
- Exterior lighting10.8%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
Rear camera and camera functionality just stopped working. The OVM is functioning with everything else just not the camera! Yet, diagnostics state that it is an OVM issue and cost $2,500.00 to fix. Safety concerns of no camera and unable to view pedestrians.
While driving the vehicle at approximately 25 miles per hour, on its own, the vehicle put itself into neutral and a warning light to exit the vehicle appeared. Thankfully we safely pulled the car over to the side of the road. Upon restarting the vehicle, it operated normally. Had this incident occurred at a higher rate of speed or on a busy road, there could have been very different consequences.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
My vehicle has the idle stop feature. When at a red light, the vehicle shut off and went into idle mode. However, when the light turned green, and I removed my foot from the brake and pressed the gas, nothing happened. The vehicle had shut off entirely and when I turned it back on, it was in neutral. I had to put the vehicle in drive. I had 2 children in the car with me and it was very nerve racking to have a plethora of vehicles stuck behind me honking their horns because I was not moving for a green light. Now mind you, the speed limit on this road is 45 mph. If traffic was flowing, we could of been rear ended. I think we got really lucky on this day. I purchased this vehicle 8 days ago. I researched this issue and it is a common issue, however, there is no recall for it. https://www.reddit.com/r/nissanpathfinder/comments/14ov95d/2023_pathfinder_auto_start_issue_shifts_to/
My vehicle has had 3 fuel pump failures in under a year, requiring 3 separate fuel pump replacements by an authorized Nissan dealership. The fuel pump failure causes the vehicle without warning to stall in active traffic, loss of power and the drivers seat to move back away from the steering wheel. The infotainment center has also failed 2 times and had to be replaced 2 separate times by an authorized Nissan dealership. The infotainment center failures also cause the back up and side view cameras to become inoperable. The vehicle and repair records are available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others is put at risk because the repeated and unpredictable fuel pump failures cause the engine to stall in active traffic and the loss of power. This is unsafe because the stalling has happened in hazardous situations like while exiting the interstate. The drivers seat also moves away from the steering wheel and brake while the car is in motion creating a risk of loss of control. Additionally, when the infotainment system fails so do the side view and back up cameras increasing the risk of an accident. Although the vehicle is currently operational, the pattern of failures creates an ongoing safety risk. An authorized Nissan dealership confirmed the failures and replaced the fuel pump three times and the infotainment system twice. The vehicle was inspected and repaired multiple times by an authorized Nissan dealership, and the issues were reported to Nissan Consumer Affairs. The failures occurred intermittently and without warning.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
PREMATURE WEAR ON REAR BRAKES
Premature wear (29k miles) of rear brake pads. I have a report from NTB aka Mavis Took it in today and found 1mm left on back brakes, front standard wear. No alerts or singals were seen in the car
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
Rear camera and camera functionality just stopped working. The OVM is functioning with everything else just not the camera! Yet, diagnostics state that it is an OVM issue and cost $2,500.00 to fix. Safety concerns of no camera and unable to view pedestrians.
On July 20, 2026, my 2023 Nissan Pathfinder failed to accelerate after stopping at a red light. The engine did not rev, and the vehicle barely moved despite accelerator input. After 40 seconds the car start moving normally. I got the car towed to the dealership. The dealer could not reproduce the condition and reprogrammed the ECM under TSB NTB25-012. They mentioned they performed a software update and they said the issue should not returned. On July 22, 2026, the same failure occurred again at a red light. The vehicle had almost no acceleration for approximately 30–40 seconds, then suddenly accelerated and nearly struck the vehicle ahead. No collision or injury occurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealership and is considered unsafe to drive.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
While driving the vehicle at approximately 25 miles per hour, on its own, the vehicle put itself into neutral and a warning light to exit the vehicle appeared. Thankfully we safely pulled the car over to the side of the road. Upon restarting the vehicle, it operated normally. Had this incident occurred at a higher rate of speed or on a busy road, there could have been very different consequences.
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved up to 2,000 RPMs. The contact stated that the failure had also occurred upon releasing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the RPMs would increase, and the vehicle would accelerate unintendedly. No warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to two dealers and was advised by both dealers that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealers. The failure mileage was approximately 14,700.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
While driving the vehicle at approximately 25 miles per hour, on its own, the vehicle put itself into neutral and a warning light to exit the vehicle appeared. Thankfully we safely pulled the car over to the side of the road. Upon restarting the vehicle, it operated normally. Had this incident occurred at a higher rate of speed or on a busy road, there could have been very different consequences.
Heard a high pitch whistle sound coming from front right of vehicle when accelerating. Mechanic confirmed it’s a vacuum leak in the intake manifold runner. Nissan says this is not part of powertrain warranty will not cover. Last I checked the intake is part of powertrain. Vehicle has 40,000 miles on it. Have seen multiple other complaints about this issue online. Part is on a national back order at the moment. The fact that their demand is that high for this part should speak volumes. I believe this should be looked into as a possible recall. If an intake runner vacuum leak is not repaired, it will lead to a lean air-fuel mixture causing engine misfires, a rough idle, poor acceleration, and potential stalling which could all contribute to a possible accident.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
Went out to my car and shut the door. Heard a cracking sound after I shut the door. Then the back window fell in. It completely shattered the back window from shut the driver side front door.
Safety Cameras stopped working on the screen just gives black image when cars put into reverse. If cameras button is pushed screen swaps over to a black screen.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
Premature wear on rear brakes and dealers tells there fine each time I’ve taken it in for service I don’t think they even test driven the car is shakes and vibrates when you brake at speeds higher than 30-40 mph. They advised me the battery needs replacing on the last service that it’s showing some sort of signs that needs to be replaced. The heated seats on the passenger side just stopped working all of a sudden. From what I can see online from forums and people complains these are common issues on this vehicle and they are pushed on the customer. I will see what can be covered under warranty but it seems only the seat issue would be covered. This needs to be addressed the brakes are too small and under powered for this size of a vehicle especially if you are towing. It appear they wear out prematurely if your using the cruise control which I don’t use a often or drive down mountain sides or tow at the moment so it doesn’t make sense I have a 2023 Nissan pathfinder with less than 28000 miles. I will be taking the vehicle in soon to address these issues as the tech spoke to me about the battery only when I went in for an oil change and I refused the battery since the vehicle has not had any issue or sign or needing a battery and they would not cover it telling me it was more preventative.
Passenger side captain seat frame has too much play causing shaking and noise in the seat when passenger is in seat. Frame was replaced 05/2024 and same issue has occurred less than a year later. After accident on 10/17/2025, sound has gotten worse in seat and inspection shows frame to be critical. At time of accident passenger was in seat. Accident involved a deer on front passenger side bumper and side panel. Insurance did not cover seat claiming accident could not cause seat malfunction.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
TWO SEATBELT LOCKING MECHANISMS HAVE FAILED TO LOCK THE SEATBELT BUCKLES IN PLACE; THE THIRD SEATBELT LOCKING MEACHANISM FAILED TO RELEASE THE BUCKLE. ALL LOCATED IN THE SECOND ROW OF MY VEHICLE. THE FIRST TWO HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY THE DEALER. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPLACE THE SEATBELT LOCKING MECANISM ON THE THIRD BECAUSE WE DROPPED AND LOST THE BUCKLE, THIS FAILURE PUT MY CHILD IN DANGER AND WE HAD TO CUT THE SEATBELT. WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW IN 2023.
The driver's seat belt chime randomly goes off even when the seat belt is buckled. This has happened more than 15 times already. Every time I take it to the car dealer, they inspect it and cannot find what is wrong with it because it is not happening at the moment of my arrival. Today it started to chime at me again, and I decided to bring the car to the dealer without turning it off so that the code, if any, would be available. They checked it again and drove it around, but it did not go off, so there was nothing they could do to fix the problem. However, the problem is still happening, and I have shown them videos I captured with my cell phone when it happens to prove that it is not just me saying so. I don't know what else to do to get this fixed because they tell me that if there is no code or part broken they cannot replace it.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owned a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at 17 MPH at night, he failed to see a trailer ahead on the road and rear-ended the trailer. The air bag warning light was illuminated before the collision. The contact stated that the trailer’s brake lights were not illuminated. The Forward Collision Avoidance feature failed to alert the driver that there was a vehicle ahead on the road. The front driver’s side air bag deployed, injuring the contact’s right wrist and arm. The contact stated that there were rips along the sides of the front driver’s side air bags. Medical attention was received for the injuries. The police arrived on the scene, but no police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to have the air bags inspected by a Nissan-certified specialist however the contact was unable to locate a certified specialist, and the manufacturer denied further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 10,080.
The airbag is rattling and clicking. Safety issue. Took to local Nissan dealership. They advise me the appointment they had an available was a month out. Issue raises serious concern for safety and possible airbag deployment.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .