2019 Nissan Pathfinder: What to check before buying

Door lock actuators fail, leaving a single door that will not lock or unlock while the others work. The rear camera screen goes blank in reverse here too. Some owners report the engine shutting off while driving with the battery light on. One no-start problem returned after a stop lamp switch replacement. False parking sensor alerts also switch off cruise control. In one injury report, the power liftgate closed on a person loading the cargo area. One fire report describes a parked car going up in flames overnight, with no cause given.

Transmission failures show up as delayed shifts, poor throttle response, the engine revving without moving the car, and stalling while turning or backing up. One failure came at 123,000 miles. A transfer case failed completely at 25,800 miles with loud noises at highway speed. The dealer blamed tire tread, and the repair cost $5,357. Other owners describe grinding noises and sudden loss of acceleration with ABS, traction, and 4WD warnings lit. In one case the cause turned out to be the rear hubs.

Several owners report the brake pedal dropping to the floor with no braking, sometimes more than once, at roughly 40 to 45 mph. Some had to shift into park to stop. One car was found low on brake fluid, and the failure came back after repair. Other reports describe ABS, traction, and check engine lights with a dark instrument cluster. In one case a dealer traced this to brake fluid leaking onto a circuit board and linked it to recall 19V807000. Rigid pedals, no-starts, ABS actuator failures, and fast pad wear also appear.

Mechanics find metal shavings in the oil and recommend a full engine replacement. Other engines knock, lose oil pressure, and fail within minutes. Most failures come at high mileage, including one at 170,000 miles, though at least one engine failed under 100,000. Other owners report the engine burning oil fast, with white smoke and sludge after short change intervals. Many say they kept up regular synthetic oil changes. Separate reports describe jerking and the RPM dropping to zero, which leaves the car stalled in traffic.

Adaptive cruise control shuts off at random when the emergency braking warning or a radar obstruction message appears, and sometimes ABS and traction lights come on with it. Some owners report false crash warnings and automatic braking at highway speed. One says the cruise control speeds up on its own. Owners suspect the radar sensor, and dealer repairs have not stopped the warnings. One crash report describes hitting a parked car while reversing with a stiff accelerator pedal at about 70,000 miles.

The front sunroof glass shatters at highway speed with a loud bang. Glass sprays outward over the roof, and owners say no traffic or overpass was nearby. A closed interior shade kept glass out of the cabin. Dealers blamed rocks. Two of the reports describe the same incident. Other owners say the hood flutters and vibrates hard at highway speed from the start of ownership. One dealer inspected the latch and found it normal.

Power drops suddenly at highway speed, with check engine and ABS lights. Trouble codes point to low fuel rail pressure and the fuel pump. Another report describes a strong fuel smell that gave occupants headaches and continued after a dealer blamed a loose gas cap. A third owner hears water sloshing inside the vehicle after refueling, at about 28,000 miles. The three reports do not share a common cause.

Both reports involve brakes that fail to slow the car before a low-speed rear-end collision. In one crash, the frontal air bags only partly came out of their housings on impact. In the other, the driver says the air bag deployed before the car hit anything. Damage to both vehicles was light. These reports tie closely to the brake failures described under service brakes.