2008 Nissan Pathfinder Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 155 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder, 47% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 113,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “transmission fluid” (30% of reports).
- 155power train complaints
- 113,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $5,950typical repair cost reported by owners
- 20%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Transmission fluid: mentioned in 46 of 155 complaints (30%)
- Class action: mentioned in 13 of 155 complaints (8%)
- Radiator leaked: mentioned in 10 of 155 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder at $5,950, and half of them between $4,050 and $7,800.
Based on 24 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2013–2020), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 141 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 155 complaints, 1 mention a crash.
Nissan Pathfinder power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Pathfinder | 1 | 9% | — |
| 2025 Pathfinder | 8 | 15% | — |
| 2024 Pathfinder | 9 | 11% | 3,500 |
| 2023 Pathfinder | 13 | 13% | 28,850 |
| 2022 Pathfinder | 17 | 13% | 15,686 |
| 2020 Pathfinder | 8 | 17% | — |
| 2019 Pathfinder | 9 | 12% | 82,994 |
| 2018 Pathfinder | 12 | 15% | 15,500 |
| 2017 Pathfinder | 34 | 18% | 45,000 |
| 2016 Pathfinder | 7 | 7% | 76,000 |
| 2015 Pathfinder | 77 | 24% | 42,250 |
| 2014 Pathfinder | 214 | 37% | 42,000 |
| 2013 Pathfinder | 370 | 42% | 5,120 |
| 2012 Pathfinder | 2 | 9% | 130,000 |
| 2011 Pathfinder | 7 | 16% | 62,000 |
| 2010 Pathfinder | 11 | 28% | 148,000 |
| 2009 Pathfinder | 8 | 22% | 100,000 |
| 2008 Pathfinder | 155 | 47% | 113,000 |
| 2007 Pathfinder | 337 | 60% | 107,000 |
| 2006 Pathfinder | 450 | 54% | 101,550 |
| 2005 Pathfinder | 585 | 56% | 100,000 |
| 2004 Pathfinder | 9 | 13% | 83,431 |
| 2003 Pathfinder | 3 | 3% | 50,950 |
| 2002 Pathfinder | 10 | 6% | 38,024 |
| 2001 Pathfinder | 3 | 1% | 78,000 |
| 2000 Pathfinder | 6 | 5% | 123,200 |
| 1999 Pathfinder | 8 | 8% | 49,000 |
| 1998 Pathfinder | 20 | 13% | 87,653 |
| 1997 Pathfinder | 19 | 9% | 92,500 |
| 1996 Pathfinder | 12 | 8% | 108,237 |
| 1995 Pathfinder | 20 | 12% | 84,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
A coolant hose leaked in transmission and shorted tcm causing total transmission failure and totaling out vehicle
Crack in defective radiator allowed coolant to mix in with transmission fluid. Coolant caused transmission to fail while driving it. transmission changed gears on its own and would not shift properly and engine just shut down
Bought vehicle Iâm second owner it was sold as is from a dealership with airbag lights on after a certain amount miles check engine light came on said I had e -regular voltage to fuel injectors 1 gear started slipping then loss of power when accelerating next revolutionary trans-sensor went and…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Nissan Pathfinders have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 155 owner complaints about power train for the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder (47% of the 328 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 113,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder?
Owners report a typical cost of $5,950 (half paid between $4,050 and $7,800), from 24 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder?
The most frequent phrase is “transmission fluid”, in 46 of 155 complaints, followed by “class action” (13).
Other 2008 Nissan Pathfinder problems
See all 2008 Nissan Pathfinder problems or power train problems across all Pathfinder years.