Nissan Pathfinder Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2013 to 2015, 2022, and 2023 At least twice the 37 complaints of a typical Pathfinder year. Most described: shaking or vibration (2013 and 2014), hesitation (2015), a shattered sunroof (2022), stalling (2023).
Best years: No year stands out Only the 2019 and 2020 drew under three quarters of the 37 complaints of a typical Pathfinder year since 2016. The 2019 has a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 26 mpg combined, arrived in 2014. Includes the 2014 and 2015 Pathfinder Hybrid.

Pathfinder problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Pathfinder year drew 37 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016. Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (37), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2013 Pathfinder Avoid Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	428	891	11
2014 Pathfinder Avoid Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	182	587	12
2022 Pathfinder Avoid Most described: a shattered sunroof	91	137	5
2023 Pathfinder Avoid Most described: stalling or shutting off	83	107	1
2015 Pathfinder Avoid Most described: hesitation or slow acceleration	76	321	6
2017 Pathfinder Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	66	188	2
2018 Pathfinder Most described: driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages	37	78	3
2016 Pathfinder Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	30	107	2
2019 Pathfinder Most described: backup camera problems	22	76	2
2020 Pathfinder Most described: backup camera problems	13	53	0
2011 Pathfinder Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	10	45	2
2010 Pathfinder Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	5	40	4
2012 Pathfinder Most reported: engine	2	23	2

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Pathfinder for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	0	15
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	1	64
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	87
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	1	107
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	5	137
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	0	53
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	76
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	3	78
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	188
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	107
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Hybrid	6	321
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Hybrid	12	587
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	11	891
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	2	23	Not rated
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	2	45	Not rated
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	4	40	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2013: 891 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Pathfinder
Model year	Complaints
2010	40
2011	45
2012	23
2013	891
2014	587
2015	321
2016	107
2017	188
2018	78
2019	76
2020	53
2022	137
2023	107
2024	87
2025	64
2026	15

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 17 to 23 mpg (2010 to 2020, 2022 to 2026); 23 since 2015. Hybrid: 26 mpg (2014 to 2015).

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 23 mpg · hybrid not offered

Show as a table

Nissan Pathfinder best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	18	–
2011	17	–
2012	17	–
2013	22	–
2014	22	26
2015	23	26
2016	23	–
2017	23	–
2018	23	–
2019	23	–
2020	23	–
2021	–	–
2022	23	–
2023	23	–
2024	23	–
2025	23	–
2026	23	–

Every Pathfinder year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Nissan Pathfinder years should you avoid?

The 2013 to 2015, 2022, and 2023 Pathfinder are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 37 owner complaints of a typical Pathfinder year in its first three years. Owners of the 2013 most often describe shaking or vibration. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Nissan Pathfinder years?

No year stands out as best. Only the 2019 and 2020 drew under three quarters of the 37 complaints of a typical Pathfinder year since 2016. The 2019 has a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. If you are shopping for one, check by VIN that the repair was done. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Nissan Pathfinder years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2013 (428) drew the most, then the 2014 (182). Owners of the 2013 most often describe shaking, shuddering or vibration.

Which Nissan Pathfinder years have the most recalls?

The 2014 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (12), then the 2013 (11). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Two recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 18V-601 (2017 to 2018 models) and NHTSA 19V-807 (2017 to 2019 models).

What are the most common Nissan Pathfinder problems?

In the 2,819 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe shaking, shuddering or vibration (444 complaints, most of them for the 2013 and 2014); transmission failure or replacement (225 complaints, most of them for the 2013 and 2014); and hesitation or slow acceleration (195 complaints, most of them for the 2013 and 2014). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Nissan Pathfinder year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 26 mpg combined, first reached by the 2014 hybrid version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.