Model Years

2018 Nissan Pathfinder Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 78 owner complaints for the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder.

2 recalls for this model year tell owners not to drive or to park outside until repaired: Brakes, park outside (19V-807); Brakes, park outside (18V-601). Check your VIN below to see whether yours is affected. Every do-not-drive and park-outside recall on 2010 and newer models

Recalled components: brakes and backover prevention and rearview camera. Most-described problem: driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages (6 complaints, 8%). Most-reported area: brakes (20 complaints, 26%).

About a typical Pathfinder year

The 2018 drew 37 owner complaints in its first three years, against 37 for a typical Pathfinder year.

Years to avoid: 2013 to 2015, 2022, and 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.

Every Pathfinder year ranked

3Safety recalls
78Owner complaints
3Complaints citing a crash
0Complaints citing a fire

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.

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

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated

3 safety recalls for the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder

Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Brakes

Nov 8, 2019

antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip

These vehicles were previously recalled and unrepaired, or inspected and determined to not need a repair, under recall number 18V-601. In addition, this recall expands the previous population. The Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) actuator pumps may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal circuit board.

Risk: A brake fluid leak on the circuit board may result in an electrical short, increasing the risk of a fire.

The fix and full notice

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ABS actuator, free of charge. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available, currently expected to be during summer 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: If the ABS warning light remains illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Nissan Murano, 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima, and 2017-2019 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles.

NHTSA listing: PATHFINDER.

Brakes

Sep 7, 2018

antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip

The Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) actuator pumps may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal circuit board.

Risk: A brake fluid leak on the circuit board may result in an electrical short, increasing the risk of a fire.

The fix and full notice

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number on the ABS actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 29, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: When brake fluid has leaked onto the circuit board, the ABS warning lamp will remain illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up. If this occurs, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Nissan Murano, 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2017-2018 Nissan Pathfinder, and 2017 Infiniti QX60 vehicles.

NHTSA listing: PATHFINDER.

Backover prevention and rearview camera

Sep 12, 2019

sensing system · camera

  • Fails federal standard 111 (rear visibility)
  • NHTSA 19V-654
  • 1,228,830 vehicles

Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

The fix and full notice

Fix: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles.

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's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder.

What owners report

Owners have filed 78 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 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

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Nissan Pathfinder recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2018 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 2018 drew 37.

Owner complaints

2018: 78 complaints

Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Pathfinder
Model yearComplaints
201040
201145
201223
2013891
2014587
2015321
2016107
2017188
201878
201976
202053
2022137
2023107
202487
202564
202615

Safety recalls

2018: 3 recalls

Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Nissan Pathfinder
Model yearRecalls
20104
20112
20122
201311
201412
20156
20162
20172
20183
20192
20200
20225
20231
20242
20251
20260

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.

Tested versionOverallFrontalSideRollover
Nissan Pathfinder SUV AWD
Rollover risk 17.9%
Nissan Pathfinder SUV FWD
Rollover risk 17.4%

2018 Pathfinder MPG

EPA rates the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder up to 23 mpg combined.Every version and fuel cost

Questions

What are the most common 2018 Pathfinder problems?

In the 78 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder, the problems described most are driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages (6), the check engine light coming on (5), and infotainment or touchscreen failures (5). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.

Is the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder safe?

In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.

Is NHTSA investigating the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder?

No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder.

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 Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
  • NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
  • NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 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.

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.