NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 320 owner complaints for the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder (including the hybrid).
Recalled components: latches, locks and linkages, engine and cooling, exterior lighting, air bags, and 1 more. Most-described problem: hesitation or slow acceleration (39 complaints, 12%). Most-reported area: powertrain (76 complaints, 24%; median mileage when it happened: 42,000).
One of the Pathfinder years to avoid
The 2015 drew 76 owner complaints in its first three years, against 37 for a typical Pathfinder year: twice as many.
Years to avoid: 2013 to 2015, 2022, and 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
On certain Pathfinder vehicles, the secondary hood latch may malfunction and remain in the unlatched, unsecured, position when the hood is closed.
Risk: An unsecured hood could unexpectedly open while driving, obstructing the driver's view, and increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the bell crank assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 26, 2025. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are R22A2 R22A3 and R24B7.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Pathfinder vehicles.
The Hybrid Powertrain Control Module (HPCM) software may shut down the hybrid system and the engine under certain conditions, causing a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the HPCM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200. Nissan's numbers for this recall are R21B4 and R21B5.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, 2015-2016 Murano Hybrid, and 2014-2017 INFINITI QX60 Hybrid vehicles.
The location of the brake light switch may cause the brake light switch relay to repeatedly open and close. Overtime, this can cause the relay to stick in the "ON" position, with the brake lights remaining illuminated even when the brakes are not applied. Additionally, this may interfere with the brake-shift interlock, allowing the driver to shift the vehicle out of the "Park" position, without depressing the brake pedal.
Risk: Continual illumination of the brake lights can prevent other drivers from realizing the vehicle is actually slowing down, increasing the risk of a crash. With the brake override activated, the driver will not be able to accelerate normally, increasing the risk of a crash. The driver can shift the vehicle out of the "PARK" position without depressing the brake, allowing the vehicle to rollaway, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, either re-install the brake light switch or swap positions with the Automatic Speed Control Device (ASCD) switch; depending on the model year vehicle. In addition, the brake light relay will be replaced with a new one. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall PC786. Note: this recall supersedes 16V-380.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles.
In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: 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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles.
The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles.
NHTSA listing: PATHFINDER. Components: Air bags: frontal; Air bags: sensor, occupant classification.
During the assembly process, the front wheel hub assembly fasteners may not have been properly torqued.
Risk: The under-torqued fasteners may result in a brake caliper separating from the wheel assembly causing a reduction in braking performance or reduced steering control. These conditions increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and tighten any loose bolts to the proper specification, free of charge. The recall began February 2, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles manufactured August 14, 2014, to November 5, 2014, and 2014-2015 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured August 12, 2014, to November 15, 2014.
NHTSA listing: PATHFINDER.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA has opened 1 investigation that names the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder; it is closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.
Hood latch/bell crank assembly
Preliminary evaluation PE21022Closed Jul 8, 2022 (opened Dec 9, 2021)
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate consumer complaints alleging hood latch failures occurring on certain model year (MY) 2013-2016 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles.
NHTSA ties this investigation to recall 22V-420, listed above.
A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.
What owners report
Owners have filed 320 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Pathfinder. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Hesitation or slow acceleration39 · 12%
Median 68,000 miles at failure, from 31 reports with mileage
Shaking, shuddering or vibration37 · 12%
Median 40,000 miles at failure, from 25 reports with mileage
Loss of power or limp mode26 · 8%
Median 47,400 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting22 · 7%
Transmission failure or replacement20 · 6%
Airbag warning light or airbag fault19 · 6%
Median 12,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
Median 42,000 miles at failure, from 47 reports with mileage
Engine74 · 23%
Median 49,300 miles at failure, from 56 reports with mileage
Air bags55 · 17%
Median 12,800 miles at failure, from 35 reports with mileage
Speed control27 · 8%
Median 48,700 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
Electrical system26 · 8%
Median 47,800 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
Brakes24 · 8%
Median 47,800 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
Body structure12 · 4%
Most named: body (11)
Unknown or other79 · 25%
Median 44,800 miles at failure, from 50 reports with mileage
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Nissan Pathfinder recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2015 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2013 Pathfinder drew the most (428) and the 2015 drew 76.
Owner complaints
2015: 320 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Pathfinder
Model year
Complaints
2010
40
2011
45
2012
23
2013
890
2014
584
2015
320
2016
107
2017
186
2018
77
2019
76
2020
53
2022
135
2023
104
2024
81
2025
51
2026
10
Safety recalls
2015: 6 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Nissan Pathfinder
Model year
Recalls
2010
4
2011
2
2012
2
2013
11
2014
12
2015
6
2016
2
2017
2
2018
3
2019
2
2020
0
2022
5
2023
1
2024
2
2025
1
2026
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
What are the most common 2015 Pathfinder problems?
In the 320 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder, the problems described most are hesitation or slow acceleration (39), shaking, shuddering or vibration (37), and loss of power or limp mode (26). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no open investigations for the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. It lists one closed investigation, which closed on Jul 8, 2022.
How do I check if my Pathfinder has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Oct 2, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: PATHFINDER, PATHFINDER HYBRID.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.