2012 Nissan Pathfinder reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 23 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Nissan Pathfinder over 15 years — 1 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Pathfinder years here — under the median of the other years, which is 24. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Hub and Engine and engine cooling.

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (5 of 23), then Suspension (5) and Air bags (4). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Pathfinder has 890 complaints, 143 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Nissan Pathfinder. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (2)

Recall suspension, front, hub 2012-09-20 · NHTSA campaign 12V462000

Summary Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra two-wheel drive vehicles manufactured from June 19, 2012, through July 12, 2012. These vehicles may have been equipped with front wheel hubs that may not meet the design hardness specifications. A wheel hub that was manufactured below hardness specification may wear prematurely and eventually crack.

Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replaced the left and right side front wheel hub assemblies free of charge. The safety recall began on October 22, 2012. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

Recall Engine and engine cooling 2011-12-19 · NHTSA campaign 11V592000

Summary NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 INFINITI FX, MODEL YEAR 2012 INFINITI M, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN FRONTIER, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN XTERRA, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN PATHFINDER, AND MODEL YEAR 2012 NISSAN NV VEHICLES. SOME OF THE BOLTS THAT CONNECT THE ENGINE OIL COOLER AND THE ENGINE OIL FILTER TO THE ENGINE IN THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED TO BELOW SPECIFICATION STRENGTH. AS A RESULT, THE BOLT MAY BREAK AT THE OIL FILTER ATTACHMENT POINT AND CAN CAUSE AN ENGINE OIL LEAK.

Remedy NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CONNECTOR BOLTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 30, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

Complaints by component (23 total)

Engine

Suspension

Air bags

Electrical system

Powertrain

Service brakes

Steering

Structure

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Engine and engine cooling

Exterior lighting

Parking brake

Visibility

Show 5 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Right lower control arm snapped while driving at highway speed (65MPH) causing vehicle into a 360 spin. Vehicle spun, was hard to control and tire blew out at speed. Others behind me or in front may have gotten involved…"
Suspension · filed 2025-11-20
"Rear subframe sagging and unsafe due to rust and corrosion."
Suspension · filed 2025-05-24
"The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he noticed that the rear tires were abnormally damaged. The contact stated that upon further inspection, he noticed that…"
Suspension, Structure · filed 2024-04-10
"Rear lower control arm broke while driving. Vehicle had to be moved on a rollback. Upon replacing control arm, cracks have been found at several points on the crossmember subframe. As it stands, the vehicle is a danger…"
Suspension · filed 2024-02-28
"The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started to wobble as if the steering wheel was being turned to the left and to the right repeatedly. The…"
Suspension, Structure · filed 2023-04-19

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2012 Nissan Pathfinder SUV 4WD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	3 stars
2012 Nissan Pathfinder SUV RWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	3 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Pathfinder two-wheel drive	4L, 6-cyl	Automatic 5-speed	Rear-wheel drive	15	22	17 MPG	$4700
Pathfinder four-wheel drive	5.6L, 8-cyl	Automatic (5-speed)	Four-wheel drive	13	18	15 MPG	$5300
Pathfinder four-wheel drive	4L, 6-cyl	Automatic 5-speed	Four-wheel drive	14	20	16 MPG	$5000

Specs and fitment

4th generation (R52), 2012–2020

Body styles SUV

Oil 0W-20 (3.5L V6) , 5.7 qt capacity

Tire size 235/65R18 to 235/55R20 (trim dependent)

Towing capacity 6,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 16V244000. 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. 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. 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.

Compare

Next year 2013 Nissan Pathfinder See every Nissan Pathfinder model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Nissan Pathfinder reliable?

What are common problems with a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (5 of 23), then Suspension (5) and Air bags (4). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2012 Nissan Pathfinder more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Pathfinder has 890 complaints, 143 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Nissan Pathfinder been recalled?

The 2012 Nissan Pathfinder has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Nissan Pathfinder?

Owners have filed 23 complaints about the 2012 Nissan Pathfinder with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Nissan Pathfinder is 16 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Pathfinder take?

0W-20 (3.5L V6)

What does NHTSA recall 16V-244 cover on the Nissan Pathfinder?

NHTSA campaign 16V244000.

What generation is the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder?

4th generation (R52) (2012-2020).