2016 Nissan Pathfinder engine problems

Filed Apr 24, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · TX

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 reported this issue to Nissan in January 2025. The dealer kept the truck for about one week but stated they could not find anything wrong. The problem continues, including incidents on 04/20/2026 and 04/23/2026. This creates a serious safety hazard because the vehicle can lose power in traffic and increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Filed Dec 1, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · TX

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 was making noises I was concerned and it wasn't accelerating like normal. I slowly drove it to Nissan dealership in Temple tx 30 mins away. The tech there immediately drove it to see if it was apressing concern or not. He immediately stated it wasn't safe and they gave me a loaner. My vehicle was in the shop for three weeks I had to get a $14,000 loan to repair it because my extended warranty didn't cover specifically CVT transmissions because of Nissan history with the other vehicles with that transmission type. I contacted Nissan corporate they said they would give me a warranty but since the Pathfinder wasn't on their recall list they couldn't assist me in that manner. Since the CVT transmission repair I've had engine issues and now my catalytic converter isn't working properly. I've given Nissan money on repairs that normally doesn't happen until the vehicles is over 200,000 miles. I went to some Nissan Pathfinder forums and found out this is to be true that many Pathfinder owners are buying new transmissions or vehicles all together because of this defect in the Nissan CVT transmissions. I hope to get my money back since I'm a disabled Afghanistan Navy veteran on a limited income. If it's happening to me it's happening to others and should be investigated.

Filed Jan 6, 2025 · Engine · 29,400 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the cooling fan became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the cooling fan system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 29,400.

Filed Mar 20, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · KY

The engine in this vehicle has shut off two times while we were driving it. We were forced to make emergency exits off of the roadway in order to prevent injury to ourselves and others. This is a life-threatening situation when the vehicle loses engine power while it is being driven. Additionally, we have experienced multiple instances of the vehicle not starting after it had been parked. We have researched this on the internet and have found that other Nissan owners are experiencing this same issue. When the vehicle stops running while driving or when it will not start after being parked, we get these symptoms: everything lit up on the dash TPMS light, I-Key error, no speedometer, no tachometer the engine cooling fan is running vehicle will not start back up When you push the start button the dash lights come back on the cooling fan would kick on engine will not start

Filed Oct 1, 2022 · Engine · NJ

My front differential and transmission failed at the same time while I was driving on a major highway. I had to repair both components at a dealership costing me over $8000.

Filed May 10, 2022 · Engine · IL

I purchased this as a new used 2016 Pathfinder in October 2021. Within about 2500 miles in December of 2021, the radiator cooling fan assembly was making noise and had to be replaced. It is now May of 2022, about 3000 miles later, and the same thing has to be replaced. There were no other messages or symptoms other than the noise the fan makes when the bearings are shot. It has not been inspected by anyone other than myself and my mechanic at the time the first fan assembly needed replacement. I am about to take the vehicle to a Nissan dealer to confirm what I already know. When it is replaced I will keep the old part for inspection.

Filed Jul 14, 2021 · Engine, Transmission · FL

My car hit 62,000 miles, it started having transmission issues. It shakes, makes large noises, the car tries to stall, having issues accelerating, and loss power. I am concerned that the car will turn off or broke down while driving

Filed Feb 27, 2021 · Engine · NC

Fan bearings in the twin fan shroud have failed and are creating a loud noise and have been known to lead to engine overheating and potential engine trouble. The federal safety agency and nissan have put out a tsb (ntb17-100) in oct 2017. Although my vehicle is past warranty searching the web it appears this has been a very big problem for nissan pathfinders. Because the complete fan shroud (2 fans-radiator and cooling fans) along with a computer module are part of the final assembly the cost to repair is significant ($800). A fan replacement alone would be much less expensive but nissan only provides a full assembly vs component fix.

Filed Aug 31, 2020 · Engine · 33,000 miles · GA

2016 nissan pathfinder, started making loud clanking noises and vibrating in the front of the vehicle when the air conditioning was on (staionary and in motion). The cooling fan needed to be replaced with only 33k on the odo. Really suprised that is was so expensive and not covered under warranty - 6 months over 3 years.

Filed Jul 9, 2020 · Brakes, Engine · 62,000 miles · WI

The electric cooling fan bearings failed at 62,000 miles. The nissan dealership that diagnosed the problem stated that it is common for this vehicle to experience this part failure. I replaced at my own expense with an aftermarket assembly that has a lifetime warranty. It doesn't make sense to replace with another nissan part that will fail in another 50,000 +/- miles. Also, brake pedal will fade when stopped at an intersection with 62,000 miles on vehicle. The nissan dealership checked all brake components and could only surmise it must be the master cylinder. They even contacted nissan for their opinion, which they too suggested replacing the master cylinder. After two brand new master cylinders, the problem has not been fixed and will be an ongoing issue for my vehicle. Also, the rear A/C lines that travel underneath the vehicle developed a hole at one of the mounting points. Lost all freon on two occasions by the time the dealership found the leaking area. The dealership stated that this too is common on this vehicle style and is a design flaw. With freon being bad for the evironment, one would wonder how a manufacturer would be allowed to let this happen.