Nissan Pathfinder Best and Worst Years

Counting owner complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder drew the most (91; most-reported area: brakes) and the 2020 the fewest (13).

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Sep 27, 2026

Every model year since 2016 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 23 mpg combined, arrived in 2016 and has held since.

Best and worst years, by owner complaints

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2022 Pathfinder Most reported: brakes	91	135	5
2023 Pathfinder Most reported: electrical system	83	104	1
2017 Pathfinder Most reported: engine	66	186	2
2018 Pathfinder Most reported: brakes	37	77	3
2016 Pathfinder Most reported: engine	30	107	2
2019 Pathfinder Most reported: engine	22	76	2
2020 Pathfinder Most reported: engine	13	53	0

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	0	10
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	1	51
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	81
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	1	104
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	5	135
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	0	53
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	76
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	3	77
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	186
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	107

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2022: 135 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Pathfinder
Model year	Complaints
2016	107
2017	186
2018	77
2019	76
2020	53
2022	135
2023	104
2024	81
2025	51
2026	10

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 23 mpg (2016 to 2020, 2022 to 2026).

2026: gas 23 mpg

Show as a table

Nissan Pathfinder best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2016	23
2017	23
2018	23
2019	23
2020	23
2022	23
2023	23
2024	23
2025	23
2026	23

Questions

Which Nissan Pathfinder years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2022 (91) and 2023 (83) drew the most.

Which Nissan Pathfinder years have the fewest problems?

The 2020 (13) drew the fewest complaints in its first three years. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Nissan Pathfinder years should you avoid?

Complaint counts can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, but they show where owners reported the most trouble: the 2022 and the 2023, against 37 complaints in a typical Nissan Pathfinder year. Whatever the year, check the car's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers.

Which Nissan Pathfinder years have the most recalls?

The 2022 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (5), then the 2018 (3). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Two recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 18V-601 (2017 to 2018 models) and NHTSA 19V-807 (2017 to 2019 models).

What are the most common Nissan Pathfinder problems?

Of the 880 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2016 to 2026 models, the areas named most are engine (24%), brakes (18%), and electrical system (16%). One complaint can name more than one area. The recalls and problems page for each year breaks this down further.

Which Nissan Pathfinder year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 23 mpg combined, first reached by the 2016 gas version and matched by every year since.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Sep 27, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Sep 26, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.