2023 Nissan Pathfinder transmission problems

Filed Sep 17, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · 43,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly shifted into neutral(N). The check engine, seat belt, and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and the vehicle briefly experienced unintended acceleration without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The transmission failed to shift to drive(D) and remained stuck in neutral(N). The contact drove the vehicle at reduced speeds to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the mass air flow (MAF) sensor had failed and there was carbon buildup in the throttle body. The contact was informed that MAF sensor and throttle body needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

Filed Jul 3, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · IL

While driving the vehicle at approximately 25 miles per hour, on its own, the vehicle put itself into neutral and a warning light to exit the vehicle appeared. Thankfully we safely pulled the car over to the side of the road. Upon restarting the vehicle, it operated normally. Had this incident occurred at a higher rate of speed or on a busy road, there could have been very different consequences.

Filed Oct 21, 2025 · Transmission · CA

Heard a high pitch whistle sound coming from front right of vehicle when accelerating. Mechanic confirmed it’s a vacuum leak in the intake manifold runner. Nissan says this is not part of powertrain warranty will not cover. Last I checked the intake is part of powertrain. Vehicle has 40,000 miles on it. Have seen multiple other complaints about this issue online. Part is on a national back order at the moment. The fact that their demand is that high for this part should speak volumes. I believe this should be looked into as a possible recall. If an intake runner vacuum leak is not repaired, it will lead to a lean air-fuel mixture causing engine misfires, a rough idle, poor acceleration, and potential stalling which could all contribute to a possible accident.

Filed Sep 3, 2025 · Brakes, Transmission · AZ

Incident 1: Rear brakes needing replaced within 30,000 miles. Rear brakes at that mileage is unheard of. Incident 2: Coil packs failing and leaving me stranded. 34,000 miles Incident 3: Most recent at 44,000 the flex plate is now broken. With a simple internet search the flex plate is a reoccurring issue that a lot of motorist are experiencing.

Filed Aug 7, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 14,700 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved up to 2,000 RPMs. The contact stated that the failure had also occurred upon releasing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the RPMs would increase, and the vehicle would accelerate unintendedly. No warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to two dealers and was advised by both dealers that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealers. The failure mileage was approximately 14,700.

Filed Sep 11, 2024 · Electrical, Transmission · MA · crash

I engage the Parking Botton on shifter, & the vehicle still rolled away from me after I got out of Vehicle

Filed May 27, 2024 · Brakes, Transmission · SC

This is a new car with 30,000 miles on it. There are two issues, the brakes apparently do not distribute the braking workload evenly or the parts were counterfeit from manufacture. The rear brakes had to be replaced, pads and rotors resurfaced. The front brakes were unaffected and good. Back brakes should not need replacing before front brakes, yet the rotors were scarred with grooves. I have a photo of one of the rotors. Additionally, the (Auto-start & stop) at a halt does not kick in quickly enough to avoid a collision when moving and merging into traffic from a standstill.

Filed Dec 27, 2023 · Transmission · VA

The second issue that I have with my 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum edition involves the ten-speed transmission, which desperately needs a software update. I pulled out at an intersection and gave the Pathfinder some gas. I did not come to a complete stop prior. Nothing happened because the transmission was busy searching for a gear. Thankfully no driver came up on me from behind, but if they had I would have been in trouble. I did not know what was going on, so I gave it a lot of gas, which forced the transmission into a gear and allowed me to move forward rapidly. When coming to a stop and giving it gas, the transmission always has difficulty quickly finding and selecting a gear.

Filed Sep 30, 2023 · Transmission · IN

When the start/stop auto function is engaged (idling stop system), about 1 out of 10 times it kicks the transmission into neutral when the break is released and the driver attempts to start driving again. The driver then has to put the transmission back into drive. The safety concern is that I am stuck in neutral with moving traffic. On rare occasion, I cannot put the vehicle back into drive without shutting the whole vehicle off and restarting it. This was reported to my local Nissan dealer who was unable to resolve and stated it had not been reported as an issue, although if you check the internet, there are plenty of reports of this issue. No safety alerts or warning lamps are triggered with this happens.

Filed Aug 28, 2023 · Transmission · AZ

I am reporting a serious safety issue with my new 2023 Nissan Pathfinder SL 4WD purchased in February 2023 from the Nissan dealership. I was happy with the vehicle, and it ran fine until June 2023. The issue first began in 2023, when I had the vehicle in economy mode and was driving with family. The car was stopped in Drive with my foot on the break when the car went from Drive to Neutral by itself. When this happened, I was entering from a parking lot onto a busy road. I almost got hit by oncoming traffic, as the front of the car was in the road while merging onto the roadway. I had both hands on the wheel when this happened. Passengers in the car were shocked and I was apprehensive about driving it on the highway home. No warning lights appeared on the vehicle. I brought the vehicle to the dealership, and they said there were problems in recent years, which I was unaware of, with the Pathfinder when the vehicle was redesigned. They said they had a patch to correct the issue I reported. The patch did not correct the issue and the problem got worse. Examples include, one day when the car was stopped at traffic lights, it went from Drive to Neutral four separate times. Three of those times the car stalled as well. Each time it happened I was stopped in traffic with my foot on the break in economy mode. It is alarming when you are looking at the dashboard and you can see it go from Drive to Neutral while both hands are on the wheel. The dealer was able to duplicate the problem and the Pathfinder has remained at the dealership since July 25, 2023 - more than four weeks from the date of this report. I am still waiting for a resolution. This is a very significant defect in the vehicle, and it is scary and dangerous. I have significant concerns that this defect, which could result in the loss of life or at a minimum serious harm.