2018 Nissan Pathfinder reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 77 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder over 9 years — 12 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 3 recalls on file, including Antilock and traction control and Camera.

2012 Nissan Pathfinder — Photo by SsmIntrigue, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (19 of 77), then Electrical system (13) and Engine (13). Those filings include 3 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Pathfinder has 186 complaints, 22 per year, and the 2019 has 76 complaints, 7 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

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 2018 Nissan Pathfinder. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall hydraulic brakes, antilock and traction control 2019-11-08 · NHTSA campaign 19V807000

Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Nissan Murano, 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima, and 2017-2019 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and unrepaired, or inspected and determined to not need a repair, under recall number 18V-601. In addition, this recall expands the previous population. The Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) actuator pumps may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal circuit board.

Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ABS actuator, free of charge. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available, currently expected to be during summer 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: If the ABS warning light remains illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2019-09-12 · NHTSA campaign 19V654000

Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Remedy Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.

Recall hydraulic brakes, antilock and traction control 2018-09-07 · NHTSA campaign 18V601000

Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Nissan Murano, 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2017-2018 Nissan Pathfinder, and 2017 Infiniti QX60 vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) actuator pumps may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal circuit board.

Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number on the ABS actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 29, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: When brake fluid has leaked onto the circuit board, the ABS warning lamp will remain illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up. If this occurs, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.

Complaints by component (77 total)

Service brakes

Electrical system

Engine

Powertrain

Speed control

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Steering

Back-over prevention

Forward collision avoidance

Air bags

Fuel and propulsion system

Chest clip, buckle, and harness

Engine and engine cooling

Exterior lighting

Hydraulic brakes

Insert and padding

Parking brake

Seats

Structure

Suspension

Visibility

Visibility and wipers

Show 14 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The vehicle veers towards the right, even though a wheel alignment was completed on 7/1/26. On 7/28/26 when driving the vehicle, it wouldn’t accelerate properly, it felt sluggish and although the gas pedal was depressed…"
Powertrain, Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-08-07
"The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while reversing, the back over prevention camera screen display malfunctioned, and there was a black image displayed, creating a hazard for the driver.…"
Back-over prevention · filed 2026-03-31
"Infotainment system stopped working. Now radio, no climate control visible and NO backup camera most of the time. Very dangerous without the backup camera"
Electrical system · filed 2026-03-14
"The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank screen. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The…"
Back-over prevention · filed 2026-01-06
"The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure persisted, and there was an abnormal knocking…"
Engine and engine cooling, Engine · filed 2025-12-04

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2018 Nissan Pathfinder SUV AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2018 Nissan Pathfinder SUV FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 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	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Front-wheel drive	20	27	23 MPG	$2800
Pathfinder four-wheel drive	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Four-wheel drive	19	26	22 MPG	$2950
Pathfinder four-wheel drive Platinum	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Four-wheel drive	19	26	21 MPG	$3100

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

Previous year 2017 Nissan Pathfinder Next year 2019 Nissan Pathfinder See every Nissan Pathfinder model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder reliable?

What are common problems with a 2018 Nissan Pathfinder?

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (19 of 77), then Electrical system (13) and Engine (13). Those filings include 3 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder been recalled?

The 2018 Nissan Pathfinder has 3 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 2018 Nissan Pathfinder?

Owners have filed 77 complaints about the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Nissan Pathfinder get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder is 22 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).