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Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2020 Nissan Pathfinder

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 48 safety complaints about the 2020 Nissan Pathfinder with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.

The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 17 complaints, 35% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 7,000 miles, the median across the 5 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers June 2020 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

48 complaints on file

48

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints rose 33% year on year: 12 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 9 in the twelve before.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ENGINE 17 · 35%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 · 23%
POWER TRAIN 8 · 17%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 · 17%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 13%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 · 8%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 · 6%
SUSPENSION 3 · 6%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 · 4%
STRUCTURE 2 · 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 4%
AIR BAGS 1 · 2%
0 8 15

One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 48.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 12.

16 12 8 4
20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2020 Nissan PATHFINDER, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 17.9% 17.4%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

crash

Unknown

NHTSA complaint 11671905. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Just bought this used car this summer and worked for about 2 months then had to repair a Failing Radiator/Condenser Cooling Fan Assembly. Seems like the same class action issue from the previous versions. Hoping this can be another recall. It seems like the same defective part that was used.

NHTSA complaint 11765156. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The car stalled three times and died in active traffic. The breakdown was so hazardous that the police department had to intervene and push the car out of the road and had to tow the car more than 3 times and was at the Nissan Dealership for over one week. I paid Nissan dealership $5,000 to repair this specific, life-threatening defect, but the car returned to me unfixed.The vehicle is unsafe and has been sitting parked at my house for 3 months because I cannot safely drive it. It keeps stalling, dying in traffic and making a loud grind noise. I need help.

NHTSA complaint 11752952. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
After only 110,000 miles, my local Nissan service center (Advantage Nissan, 5101 Auto Center Blvd, Bremerton, WA 98312) states that the timing chain is loose. The repair estimate is in excess of $6000. The expense is because it requires removal of the engine to effect repairs. Research reveals that timing chain issues at 100000+ miles are common for this vehicle. It is the expectation that the timing chain system last the lifespan of the vehicle. The result is that owners pay more than half of the original price simply for maintenance because of Nissan's choice to use substandard parts in a critical system, a fact they learned with earlier models where timing chain issues and recalls

NHTSA complaint 11751136, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
A few months after purchase, the power cut off on me. Then it happened again the following year. Then the screen for backing up started going on and off. Then I started feeling like the car was loosing power. In the last 2 years the power cutting off has occurred 3 more times and the rear screen camera has started glitching more where it goes out when switching in reverse.

NHTSA complaint 11747857. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The vehicle has developed a persistent and progressively worsening rattling noise from the engine during cold starts, along with intermittent rough operation. The symptoms are consistent with a malfunction or defect in the engine timing chain system, including possible timing chain stretch, timing chain tensioner failure, or related internal engine components. This condition presents a serious safety concern because the timing chain controls engine valve timing. A failure or severe degradation of this system could result in sudden engine stalling or complete engine failure while driving, increasing the risk of a crash without warning, particularly in traffic or at highway speeds. The issue

NHTSA complaint 11740716, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
The back-up camera and display settings image is no longer visible and the dashboard indicates that it is off. The camera is black and does not display anything nor does it provides information that you are backing up. The safety of drivers and others are at risk. As such, the vehicle fails to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

NHTSA complaint 11735464. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Nissan Pathfinder

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 51 1 —
2024 81 2 —
2023 104 1 —
2022 135 5 —
2019 76 2 —
2018 77 3 —
2017 186 2 —
2016 105 2 —
2015 320 5 —
2014 574 11 —
2013 890 11 —
2012 23 2 —
2011 45 2 —
2010 40 4 —

Other 2020 Nissan models

Sentra 205 Leaf 166 Altima 158 Rogue 152 Kicks 97 Versa 64 Murano 43 Rogue Sport 40

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Nissan on this site — 205 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst