2016 Nissan Pathfinder Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Pathfinder years
- About as many complaints as other years 18th of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 105 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. That ranks 18th out of 31 Pathfinder model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (27 complaints, 26%), typically at around 50,000 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 5 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 105owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 10complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2016 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 27 | 26% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 21 | 20% | 50,229 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 18 | 17% | 14,500 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 11 | 10% | 64,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 11 | 10% | 51,175 | — | — |
| Power Train | 7 | 7% | 76,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 4% | 18,600 | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 4% | 12,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 3% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 3% | 6,600 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 3% | 32,200 | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 3% | 21,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 3 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 2% | 130,500 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 1% | 29,400 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | 12,308 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Other/unknown | 1 | 1% | 22,627 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 1% | 12,308 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2016 Nissan Pathfinder recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch
Problem: 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.
Risk: An unsecured hood could unexpectedly open while driving, obstructing the driver's view, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification
Problem: 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.
Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
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
- Hood Latch/Bell Crank Assembly (PE21022) — opened Dec 9, 2021, closed Jul 8, 2022, led to recall 22V420000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Driving along and it felt as if I were driving over a rumble strip. It stopped after a while, but later that evening I felt it again, but this time the shudder was stronger and it sounded almost like a loud bird chirping. I slowed and the noise stopped, but drove home slowly through the…
The crossmember aka- K frame, mfc part #55400-3JA2C. It completely rotted away where the suspension trailing arm connects from the wheel causing uneven and excessive wheel wear and poor handling while driving Yes it is available for inspection. Reproduced unknown Not inspected by authorities No…
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…
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)…
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…
Other Nissan Pathfinder years
← 2015 Pathfinder · 2017 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 | 77 | 3 |
| 2017 Pathfinder | 186 | 2 |
| 2016 | 105 | 2 |
| 2015 Pathfinder | 321 | 5 |
| 2014 Pathfinder | 574 | 11 |
| 2013 Pathfinder | 890 | 11 |
| 2012 Pathfinder | 23 | 2 |
| 2011 Pathfinder | 45 | 2 |
| 2010 Pathfinder | 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 2016 Nissan Pathfinder?
Owners most often report engine, unknown or other, air bags problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 27 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Nissan Pathfinder?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2016 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 2016 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.