2010 Nissan Pathfinder Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Pathfinder years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 28th of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 40 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Nissan Pathfinder. That ranks 28th out of 31 Pathfinder model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (11 complaints, 28%), typically at around 136,000 miles. Complaints mention 2 crashes, 3 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 40owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 2complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2010 Nissan Pathfinder problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 11 | 28% | 136,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 11 | 28% | 148,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 6 | 15% | 131,459 | — | — |
| Steering | 5 | 13% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 5 | 13% | 119,198 | — | — |
| Suspension | 4 | 10% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 10% | 134,100 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 8% | 96,271 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 2 | 5% | 148,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 5% | 9,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 5% | 79,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 3% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 3% | 150,248 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 3% | 10,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 3% | 41,100 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 3% | 52,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2010 Nissan Pathfinder recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2008-2011 Titan, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Armada, and 2008-2009 Quest vehicles. The resin emblem on the driver's air bag cover may develop cracks and detach during air bag deployment.
Risk: A detached emblem can become a projectile during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driverÂs airbag cover. Owner letters were mailed December 8, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are PC944, PC945, and PC946.
Equipment:electrical:navigational system(global positioning system)
Problem: Nissan is recalling certain vehicles that were equipped with a garmin nuvi model 750 navigation system. The batteries contained in the affected gps units can overheat.
Risk: Overheated batteries could result in a fire.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners and the repairs will be performed by garmin technicians by replacing the battery and inserting a spacer on top of the battery free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2010. Owners may contact garmin directly at 1-866-957-1981 or nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Suspension:front:control arm:lower arm
Problem: Nissan is recalling certain model year 2010 titan, armada, qx56, frontier, xterra, and pathfinder vehicles manufactured from november 19, 2009 through march 3, 2010. The lower control link assembly has two cylindrical collars forming the inboard attachment points to the chassis. Due to an improper welding process some collars may contain welds that do not meet strength specifications.
Risk: If the collar weld separates, the vehicle handling will deteriorate, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on may 20, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive; steering:gear box:shaft sector
Problem: Nissan has notified nhtsa of a defect in certain model year 2010 frontier, pathfinder, and xterra vehicles manufactured from february 22, 2010 to march 13, 2010. On some of the potentially affected vehicles, the fasteners securing the passenger front air bag module, and also the fasteners securing the steering shaft positioning bracket may not have been tightened to the proper torque specification.
Risk: In the event of a crash, the passenger front air bag deployment trajectory might be affected. The fasteners could possibly come out of the steering column positioning bracket increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the steering column and the passenger front air bag fasteners and any missing fasteners will be replaced and all loose fasteners will be retightened to the proper torque specifications free of charge. The safety recall began on april 19, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Transmission Failures (DP12004) — opened Jun 11, 2012, closed Oct 22, 2016.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
On 01/20/25, I brought my vehicle to Nissan of Downtown L.A , to fix a manufacturer recall of drivers side airbag. The invoice indicates "Inspect Driver Bag Module and Replace Driver Air Bag Cover." "Upon Inspection Performed Recall, Inspect Driver Air Bag And Replace Driver Air Bag Cover And Check…
rear sub frame rusted through. Vans in Mansfield Ohio showed us were were the frame was completely rusted out.
I had a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder that was âbought backâ by Nissan after 6 years of use because of a ârusted frameâ and now once again I have a 2010 Nissan Pathfinder, where the rear sub-frame rusted through and caused the wheel to give out and track wrong -causing a life-or-death situation. I…
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number…
I was traveling at approx. 35 mph when the car shuddered violently for a second or two, all panel lights lit up and everything completely shut down while going through a very busy 6-lane intersection. All steering, brakes, and maneuverability were lost. I was lucky to coast to a safe spot and if…
Other Nissan Pathfinder years
← 2009 Pathfinder · 2011 Pathfinder →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Pathfinder | 11 | 0 |
| 2025 Pathfinder | 54 | 1 |
| 2024 Pathfinder | 85 | 2 |
| 2023 Pathfinder | 104 | 1 |
| 2022 Pathfinder | 136 | 5 |
| 2020 Pathfinder | 48 | 0 |
| 2019 Pathfinder | 76 | 2 |
| 2018 Pathfinder | 78 | 3 |
| 2017 Pathfinder | 186 | 2 |
| 2016 Pathfinder | 105 | 2 |
| 2015 Pathfinder | 321 | 5 |
| 2014 Pathfinder | 575 | 11 |
| 2013 Pathfinder | 890 | 11 |
| 2012 Pathfinder | 23 | 2 |
| 2011 Pathfinder | 45 | 2 |
| 2010 | 40 | 4 |
| 2009 Pathfinder | 37 | 3 |
| 2008 Pathfinder | 328 | 4 |
| 2007 Pathfinder | 561 | 1 |
| 2006 Pathfinder | 837 | 3 |
| 2005 Pathfinder | 1,050 | 2 |
| 2004 Pathfinder | 67 | 3 |
| 2003 Pathfinder | 110 | 3 |
| 2002 Pathfinder | 156 | 5 |
| 2001 Pathfinder | 230 | 3 |
| 2000 Pathfinder | 112 | 2 |
| 1999 Pathfinder | 104 | 2 |
| 1998 Pathfinder | 149 | 2 |
| 1997 Pathfinder | 217 | 2 |
| 1996 Pathfinder | 159 | 3 |
| 1995 Pathfinder | 170 | 0 |
See all Nissan Pathfinder problems by year, every Nissan model, or the Nissan VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2010 Nissan Pathfinder?
Owners most often report air bags, power train, engine problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 11 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2010 Nissan Pathfinder?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2010 Nissan Pathfinder a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Pathfinder model years, the 2010 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.