Vehicle report
2016 Nissan Pathfinder
Free recalls, owner complaints, and NHTSA safety ratings for the 2016 Nissan Pathfinder, plus how to check this specific vehicle before you buy.
The 2016 Nissan Pathfinder has 2 NHTSA recalls on record and 15 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Its overall NHTSA crash-test rating is 5 out of 5. Below is the full breakdown, plus how to check this specific vehicle by VIN before you buy in Alberta.
2
Open recalls
15
Complaints
5
Overall safety
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2016 Nissan Pathfinder recalls (2)
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
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. 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.
Remedy: 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.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Pathfinder vehicles. On certain Pathfinder vehicles, the secondary hood latch may malfunction and remain in the unlatched, unsecured, position when the hood is closed.
Remedy: 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.
2016 Nissan Pathfinder safety ratings
5
Overall
4
Front
5
Side
4
Rollover
Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings.
2016 Nissan Pathfinder owner complaints (15)
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE
My 2024 Nissan Frontier has experienced repeated complete power loss more than three times. The vehicle shuts off unexpectedly while on the street and cannot be restarted. During some incidents, even the emergency hazard lights did not work. I had to use jump cables to restart the vehicle. I first reported this issue to Nissan in January 2025. The dealer kept the truck for about one week but stated they could not find anything wrong. The problem continues, including incidents on 04/20/2026 and 04/23/2026. This creates a serious safety hazard because the vehicle can lose power in traffic and increase the risk of a crash or injury.
- POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and sputtered while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where DTC: P17F1 (Internal CVT failure was retrieved). The contact was informed that the CVT transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed the contact that assistance could not be provided because the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
- POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Around 160,000 miles my CVT transmission went out. I almost got into a wreck no warning lights just stopped on me. When I took it to my local dealership in waco, Texas they told me I'll be good to wait over the weekend that they first opening wasn't until Tuesday. I came by on a Thursday. The car was making noises I was concerned and it wasn't accelerating like normal. I slowly drove it to Nissan dealership in Temple tx 30 mins away. The tech there immediately drove it to see if it was apressing concern or not. He immediately stated it wasn't safe and they gave me a loaner. My vehicle was in the shop for three weeks I had to get a $14,000 loan to repair it because my extended warranty didn't cover specifically CVT transmissions because of Nissan history with the other vehicles with that transmission type. I contacted Nissan corporate they said they would give me a warranty but since the Pathfinder wasn't on their recall list they couldn't assist me in that manner. Since the CVT transmission repair I've had engine issues and now my catalytic converter isn't working properly. I've given Nissan money on repairs that normally doesn't happen until the vehicles is over 200,000 miles. I went to some Nissan Pathfinder forums and found out this is to be true that many Pathfinder owners are buying new transmissions or vehicles all together because of this defect in the Nissan CVT transmissions. I hope to get my money back since I'm a disabled Afghanistan Navy veteran on a limited income. If it's happening to me it's happening to others and should be investigated.
- SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE
The rear subframe has completely rusted out from the inside, and is broke off on the right side and almost broken off on the left side. The car is now unsafe to drive. There were no warning lights, messages or problems before this. The car is only 9 years old and is always kept in a garage.
- POWER TRAIN,WHEELS
VIBRATION AND NOISE WHEN MAKING LOW SPEED TURNS ABNORMAL NOISE, VIBRATION AND BINDING FEELING FROM REAR DIFFERENTIAL
- UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There is a recall for replacement of the hood latch. the recall ID is R24B7. I have taken my car to the dealer twice. All they do is inspect and clean the part. They do not replace the part. It was my understanding the hood latch should be replaced. However Gunn NIssan refuses to replace the latch. Can you help me. The hood still vibrates as if it is not closed.
- LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while receiving an oil change, the mechanic was unable to securely close the hood of the vehicle. The mechanic lubricated the hood latch and was able to close the hood. The vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) and the recall repair was performed; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the recall repair stated that the latch would be lubricated, and not replaced, and only the same remedy could be provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 173,000.
- ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the cooling fan became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the cooling fan system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 29,400.
- POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car was functioning fine and then suddenly stopped one day as I was entering expressway, car just stopped and had to tow to Nissan dealer. I was told alternator is not functioning and when doing systems check CVT/transmission alert was noted and said I need new transmission. In my search I see 2016 Pathfinders were included in a lawsuit. This was not brought to my attention and I am wondering if my CVT should be replaced by Nissan at no cost to me. My care has less than 120k miles and is less than 10yrs old. Link to Nissan dealers report: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- SEAT BELTS
The middle passenger and middle seat seatbelt latch came disconnected from the vehicle. My son who is 9 was sitting behind the passenger seat when his entire seatbelt came off from where it connects to the car. I had him switch to the middle seat and when I got home i investigated it and the middle seat was about to come disconnected also.
- POWER TRAIN
This vehicle had a cvt transmission recall but I was never notified even though I have own this car for the past 7years please help
- STRUCTURE
After taking my Nissan Pathfinder to Nissan 112 for a safety recall on February 10, 2024, they improperly completed the recall, leaving the hood stuck closed. Despite multiple appointments and 23 calls with consumer affairs, the issue remains unresolved. The recall I brought my vehicle in for was R22A3, a safety recall having to do with the hood opening during vehicle operation. The procedures state to inspect the lock assembly and secondary latch. If all is well, then clean and lubricate it and your done. If it fails inspection, then replace the Hood Lock Assembly, the Secondary Latch, and the Hood Lock Release Cable. Even in the parts section it states “All three listed parts should be replaced together.” The key here is that it states to replace all three, neither the repair overview or service procedure give you leeway to replace the parts individually. But, that’s what was done. As verified on my receipt from February 10, 2024, and when talking to the service manager on April 4, 2024, they only replaced the hood lock assembly. According to the service manager, this is how they always do it and what he’s always done. Even when reading the recall beside me, he fails to recognize that he has improperly followed the procedures to complete a safety recall. This complaint is less about a new safety issue, and is more related to Nissan 112's improper completion of an existing safety recall. Based on the information I have, this seems like normal business to them, so who knows how often they sign-off recalls without properly executing them.
- AIR BAGS
Occupant Air bag sensor is on constantly and Air bag light on dashboard. My vehicle has never been in an accident. There was a recall issued for my vehicle in 2016. I purchased my car in 2017 new and it was overstock vehicle. The recall was cleared in August 2016 by dealer and I just found this out when vehicle was taken to Nissan dealership for different recall on 4/6/24. Since the vehicle is out of warranty now dealership will not clear recall again but state it is the exact same code. Advised me to contact Nissan USA but they denied my claim for repair. This is an extreme safety hazard and Nissan should honor there safety recall repairs in and out of warranty. Please review my claim because I have seen more complaints online.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE
The engine in this vehicle has shut off two times while we were driving it. We were forced to make emergency exits off of the roadway in order to prevent injury to ourselves and others. This is a life-threatening situation when the vehicle loses engine power while it is being driven. Additionally, we have experienced multiple instances of the vehicle not starting after it had been parked. We have researched this on the internet and have found that other Nissan owners are experiencing this same issue. When the vehicle stops running while driving or when it will not start after being parked, we get these symptoms: everything lit up on the dash TPMS light, I-Key error, no speedometer, no tachometer the engine cooling fan is running vehicle will not start back up When you push the start button the dash lights come back on the cooling fan would kick on engine will not start
- LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the trunk latch was inoperable and not closing securely. The contact stated the failure had been recurring for approximately two years. The contact stated had received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under the recall repair. The contact stated the dealer verbally informed her that the recall repair was completed however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
Checking a used Nissan Pathfinder before you buy
The recall, complaint, and safety data above describes the 2016 Pathfinder in general. To know the condition and history of the specific vehicle you're looking at, check it by VIN. A VIN check shows whether this particular Pathfinder's recalls are still outstanding, and a full history report adds accident, title, and ownership records the data above can't show.
Before you buy a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder in Alberta:
- Run a free VIN check on the exact vehicle for its own recalls and safety data.
- Run an Alberta Personal Property Registry lien search so you don't inherit debt.
- Get an independent pre-purchase inspection.
- If it's a dealer, confirm their AMVIC licence.
See other model years of the Nissan Pathfinder, or browse more Nissan models.
2016 Nissan Pathfinder — questions and answers
Does the 2016 Nissan Pathfinder have any recalls?+
Our check found 2 NHTSA recalls associated with the 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. Check the specific vehicle by VIN to see which remain outstanding, since some may already have been repaired. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer.
How many complaints does the 2016 Nissan Pathfinder have?+
NHTSA lists 15 owner complaints for the 2016 Nissan Pathfinder in our results. Complaints are problems reported by owners and don't always lead to a recall, but a pattern of similar complaints is worth weighing before you buy.
Is the 2016 Nissan Pathfinder safe?+
The 2016 Nissan Pathfinder has an overall NHTSA crash-test rating of 5. Review the front-crash, side-crash, and rollover ratings above, and pair safety ratings with a mechanical inspection of the specific vehicle.
How do I check a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder VIN?+
Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN into our free VIN check to see recalls, complaints, and safety ratings for that exact vehicle, then run an Alberta Personal Property Registry (PPR) lien search before you pay.
Are recall repairs on a Nissan free?+
Yes. Safety recall repairs are performed at no cost by a franchised Nissan dealer, even for a used vehicle and even if you're not the original owner. Confirm the required parts are in stock before relying on the fix.
Get the full vehicle history report
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