2018 Nissan Pathfinder: What to check before buying

The CVT slips, whines, or stops sending power to the wheels and acts as if it is in neutral. This happens at freeway speeds and below 20 mph. Other reports describe hesitation, a metallic noise at low rpm in turns, and bucking with high revving that leaves the car creeping along the shoulder. Dealers often cannot reproduce the fault. One report links CVT trouble to two engine failures. Separate complaints cover 4x4 that will not stay engaged, and a highway shake and explosion that set off the airbags and injured a passenger.

The display control unit goes blank or loops. That takes out the steering wheel controls and hands-free calling, and the backup camera can take 2 to 10 seconds to appear. A voluntary recall covers this unit on some 2018 and 2019 Pathfinders, but owners report that their VINs were left out. The radar sensor for automatic braking and adaptive cruise fails, sometimes again after it is replaced. Other reports describe the car shutting off and restarting while driving, windows that will not close, doors that lock with the keys inside, and a trunk that will not open.

Intelligent cruise control cuts out when the front radar reports an obstruction. That also disables collision-avoidance braking, so drivers have to brake hard when they come up on slower traffic. Some say the cruise later comes back on and suddenly accelerates. The fault comes and goes for 2 to 15 minutes at a time and shows up on many drives. Separate reports describe sudden power loss, as if the car shifted into neutral, between 30 and 60 mph. Others mention an ABS light that stays on and cruise control that will not re-engage until speed drops 5 to 10 mph.

Most of these reports are about the ABS actuator recall. ABS, traction control, and brake warning lights keep coming back after the recall repair, in one case at about 47,000 miles. Owners also describe recall parts that were not available and a dispute over paying for a rental car. A contaminated stop lamp switch can keep the car from starting, block shifting, and leave the brake lights dark. The remaining reports repeat the front radar fault, where an obstruction warning turns off cruise control and emergency braking.

The wheel locks up without warning in a few reports, and two of them end in a crash or airbag deployment. One seizure happened at 70 mph at about 11,000 miles. Other owners describe the car pulling hard left and right after repeated cruise control sensor replacements, and collision warnings that beep and jerk the car when no traffic is nearby. One complaint ties weak power-steering response to a failed PCV system that filled the engine with sludge and caused it to lose power.

Catastrophic failure is the main pattern, and some cars lose a second engine after the first is replaced. Reports include a broken camshaft with metal shavings in the engine, tailpipe smoke, knocking at 75,000 miles, and a total loss of power in busy highway traffic. A metal-to-metal rattle from the front passenger side came back even after the engine was replaced. Other complaints describe a failing left radiator cooling fan at 26,000 miles, and a check engine light with erratic rpm at under 400 miles.

A "front radar unavailable due to obstruction" warning appears while driving and turns off automatic braking and cruise control. Bridges and overhead signs set off false forward collision warnings, in one case at least twice a week. Dealers often cannot reproduce the warning and decline to replace the sensor. AEB and slip indicator lights come back after a recalled sensor is fixed. One report pairs those lights with engine misfires on a new car. One complaint concerns a 2019 model.

In reverse, the display control unit shows a black screen, a fading Nissan logo, or an upside-down rear camera image. These failures appear at about 89,000 miles and as late as 131,000 miles. A dealer and an independent shop both found that the display unit needed replacing. Owners link the problem to a recall campaign, but their VINs are not covered, so the repair falls outside the recall and the units often stay broken.