Problems · NHTSA complaints
2011 Nissan Pathfinder problems
Owners filed 45 complaints about the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder with NHTSA between Dec 2010 and Jun 2025. The most-cited component is air bags (12).
Complaints
45
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Air bags12
- Engine10
- Power train7
- Suspension6
- Service brakes5
- Electrical system4
- Seat belts3
- Steering2
- Wheels2
- Fuel system, gasoline1
- Seats1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
- Visibility1
- Latches/locks/linkages1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 5, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
2
1
3
4
6
2
7
1
4
4
2
2
1
3
1
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 4 |
| 2014 | 6 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Air bags
12 reports1 related recall
“My airbag light and seatbelt light are on and the horn has stopped working. Frame and front suspension is making a horrible creaking sound and has been for months. Frame seems to be rotted … I’ve taken it to multiple places to have it looked at…. I’ve also seen other complaints on here of people having the same issue! This poses a huge safety risk! Definitely needs a recall for both issues!”
Engine
10 reports
“Through a check engine light for camshaft position sensor bank 1 so I replaced both of them well that cleared the check engine light for a min and was running good the after five min of running it started rough idling cutting off and throwing a check engine light for p0340 again I sent it to the Nissan dealer shop they said it didn’t have no check light they tested the sensors and said there good and don’t know what it could be”
Power train
7 reports
“The Vehicle will frequently and without warning lose all power while in the roadway. Last evening I was exiting the highway when I lost engine power and power steering. The dashboard lights came on and I had to coast to the nearest driveway. This has happened multiple times before, always without warning. When I have taken it to two nissan dealerships they have told me to continue driving it until it happens again because there is no code appearing. Finally it will happen enough where there will be a code and they can repair it. It always ends up being some sort of sensor. This has been going on for approximately 4-5 years.”
Suspension
6 reports
“Rear sub frame has significant rust, snapped while driving at slow speed, there was no injury but steering was affected, no harm done this time but it is a known issue, 2wd model has a recall for the same part with the same issue”
Service brakes
5 reports
“Brake are to the floor, will not come back off the floor. I have everything replace including master cylinder at Nissan. They were unable to figure out what is causing this”
Electrical system
4 reports
“KEYLESS ENTRY DOESN'T WORK. PUT IN ACTUAL KEY STILL DOESN'T WORK. CAR DOOR WANT OPEN FOR ABOUT 1-2 MIN OF TRYING ONCE DOOR UNLOCK PUT ACTUAL KEY IN IGNITION AND STILL WILL NOT START FOR ABOUT 2 OR MORE MINS OF TRYING. *TR”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 5, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.