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Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2023 Nissan Pathfinder

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

Owners have filed 104 safety complaints about the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder with the US government. Of those, 4 describe a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the seats.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 23 complaints, 22% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 15,800 miles, the median across the 6 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers October 2022 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

104 complaints on file

104

Complaints

4

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

1

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.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 28 · 27%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23 · 22%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 21 · 20%
SERVICE BRAKES 20 · 19%
ENGINE 15 · 14%
POWER TRAIN 13 · 13%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 8 · 8%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 6 · 6%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 6 · 6%
LANE DEPARTURE 3 · 3%
SEATS 3 · 3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 3%
0 12 23

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 104.

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 2023 at 29.

32 24 16 8
22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2022 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 2023 Nissan PATHFINDER, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall Not rated
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover Not rated
Chance of rollover 15.5% —
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.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

SEATS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

23V268000 · April 13, 2023

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2023 Rogue, Pathfinder, and Infiniti QX60 vehicles. The driver's powered seat may not be fully secured to the seat frame, causing the seat frame welds to detach from the rear inboard seat bracket.
The risk
An unsecured seat with broken welds may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the driver's seat rail clearance, and if necessary, replace the driver's seat cushion frame, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 10, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC966, PC967.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 12,400 vehicles across all model years covered

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.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 10,080 miles

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

NHTSA complaint 11653672, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

crash

Brand new 2023 pathfinder shuts off while driving. Car will turn off completely on the highway, while getting close to a light or trying to park. Once car is restarted it turns on again fine. One time the car did go crazy on the panel and it was fuzzy. The dealer has checked the car 3 times and keeps saying there’s no issue.

NHTSA complaint 11511060. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

crash

I engage the Parking Botton on shifter, & the vehicle still rolled away from me after I got out of Vehicle

NHTSA complaint 11614012. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS

crash

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.

NHTSA complaint 11697450. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

towed · 43,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly shifted into neutral(N). The check engine, seat belt, and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and the vehicle briefly experienced unintended acceleration without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The transmission failed to shift to drive(D) and remained stuck in neutral(N). The contact drove the vehicle at reduced speeds to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the mass air flow (MAF) sensor had failed and there was carbon buildup in the throttle body. The contact was

NHTSA complaint 11765076, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Rear brakes had to be replaced at 30,000 miles, was told it was do to driver assets using rear brakes.

NHTSA complaint 11760364. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The left-side steering wheel control switch assembly governing the driver information matrix and emergency assist features malfunctioned, and this failed component remains on the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. This sudden loss of functionality put safety at risk by restricting my ability to navigate vital safety menus and emergency settings while operating the vehicle, creating an active driver distraction. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, nor has it been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Prior to the total failure, there were no warning lamps, dashboard messages, or

NHTSA complaint 11759238, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.

NHTSA complaint 11755308. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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

NHTSA complaint 11752173, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
PREMATURE WEAR ON REAR BRAKES

NHTSA complaint 11749689. 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 —
2022 135 5 —
2020 48 0 —
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 2023 Nissan models

Rogue 727 Frontier 66 Ariya 39 Versa 37 Leaf 20 Sentra 20 Kicks 18 Titan 17

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