CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2005-2007 Pathfinder appears to have a widespread defect where coolant leaks into the transmission, causing transmission failure around 90,000 miles. Repair costs are typically upwards of $3,500.
According to the New York Times & a class action lawsuit, the defect actually extends through 2010 model year. More info here.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
64,254 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The fuel quantity indicator upon filling up the tank froze at one half a tank mark on the indicator. The next time the fuel tank was filled up on 5/3/2012, the tank indicator went from half a tank level reading to a empty tank reading when the tank was filled up. The low fuel light came on, as did the service the engine light came on and has stayed on ever since. Since the fuel quantity indicator now shows an empty tank, you could very easily think that you were going to run out of fuel, when in fact you have a full tank of fuel. To a driver who did not fill up the vehicle, this could lead to an attempt to fill up a tank that was already full.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the fuel gauge stopped functioning. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 70,000.
My 2005 Nissan Pathfinder engine service light came on and was told by auto zone it was the fuel sensor and could only be fixed by Nissan as they did not have parts. Nissan wants between 500 to 700 dollars to fix the problem. After research, I found this to be a rampant problem. Why hasn't Nissan issued a recall to fix the problem" is it designed to increase their revenue? what can be done to have this fixed by Nissan at their expense" this could be a huge safety issue if you run out of gas on a busy freeway.
The fuel level sensor shows partially full tank all the time and service engine light comes on. This is very dangerous and the first time it happened, we did not realize it and ran out of gas and ended up stranding my family on a busy highway. Apparently this is a common theme among all 2005 - 2009 Nissan Pathfinder, xterra and frontier owners and there needs to be a service recall for this! I have seen numerous forums and this sensor has failed anywhere from 40K miles onwards and costs anywhere from 400 - 600 dollars to fix. Please ensure that Nissan takes care of this issue as soon as possible. Thanks.
- Katy, TX, USA
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8-9-2010 I began having difficulty getting my car to shift into reverse. Within 2 weeks, while driving down a crowded highway, my car wouldn't shift from 3rd to 4th, and I could smell something burning. When I finally found a spot to pull over and park, a large puddle of fluid leaked all over the ground. I was alone, in an area I didn't know, and nearly got rear-ended several times when it wouldn't shift gears. I took it to several shops, and the transmissions was ruined. It would have to be rebuilt or replaced, both totaling thousands of $ I don't have. I borrowed money to have it rebuilt. Within 2 weeks, I started having the same issues. When I took it back to the shop, the technician said radiator coolant had leaked into the transmission and it would have to be rebuilt or replaced again. After looking online, I see hundreds of complaints for the exact same issue. For the fuel system, approximately 5/2010, the fuel gauge will drop to empty, even though there will still be fuel in the tank. Sometimes it will stick to mid-full when there is no fuel. Adaptive equipment, when I start the vehicle and try to warm it up, it will only blow cold air, never warm no matter how long it runs.
My car had 1/4 fuel, I filled the tank to full, the gas gauge do not set the car to full tank, I read the book and made the instructions but the gauge do not change, when I run the car for 2 hrs. And I turn off, it began to change to full tank. The other issue was when I had a 1/2 tank of gasoline...I stop for 5 minutes and I leave the car on, when I returned saw the gas gauge in empty... actually I have the check engine light on for some days and off for the others days.
Noticed that fuel and oil pressure gauges would not register fuel or oil levels correctly, the miles till empty will not work. We have no idea when we are going to run out of fuel, started getting worse, than notice the check engine light came on, had vehicle diagnose, turned out that both the fuel and oil pressure sending units needed to be replaced, there are numerous Pathfinders with the same problem but there are no recalls on these issues. This repair is very costly and is dangerous to be driving without the fuel and oil sending units. Why are there no recalls? please help!
The fuel system gauge will not register the amount of gas in tank. After fueling, the warning light still appears and don't go off and it's a big inconvenience for as driving an not knowing if your going to run out of gas. Very disappointed with the Nissan products simply because there are two many problems going on with this particular vehicle and cannot get anybody help for mistakes they made. The whole vehicle need to be recalled because trying to replaced all these problems are very expensive. Wish I would have know of all the problems before I purchased it.
At about 40,000 miles fuel gauge stopped working. And started having intermittent electrical problems. Headlights going on and off when in park. Fan starting when key is turned but not cranked. Anti-theft system locking me out from starting the truck. 70000 miles vehicle would intermittently not start. It would crank but not start. Took it to Nissan and was told nothing could be done on their part. I was told it was the ECU, bmu, tmu, and ipdm were all bad. I replaced the ipdm and bmu and ECU. Truck still ran rough. At 91000 miles Nissan now says my transmission is bad due to the radiator coolant leaking into the transmission but I am out of the 80000 mile warranty. Nissan said they will pay half to fix if I pay half of the $4600 transmission repair. Nissan can not explain why this happened but acknowledged that this is a big complaint of the 2005 Pathfinder.
Radiator leaks fluid into transmission, Nissan knows this is a flaw and they will only flush your transmission, just to put it off until you are out of warranty. I started taking my Nissan in at 52,000miles for this problem and they kept telling me that they are unfamiliar with the problems I was experiencing and they couldn't find anything wrong with the truck. Now I'm out of warranty and my transmission needs replaced. Nissan also has a problem with they fuel gage, sometimes it shows gas levels, and sometimes it doesn't. I have ran out of gas 3 times now, on the highway! again, Nissan knows this is a problem, they even sent an "extended warranty" to cover this problem specifically. But, only if you are under a certain mileage. And they didn't send me the notice until I was under the mileage limit by 300 miles! please help!!
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the fuel sending unit failed and would not register the accurate amount of fuel that was actually in the vehicle. The failure caused the check engine warning light to illuminate. The fuel tank would read full when it was actually empty or low on fuel. The failure began two years ago. The dealer advised the contact that his VIN was not included in any recalls. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. No repairs were performed. The current mileage was 142,034. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the ABS light illuminated on the instrument panel while the vehicle was stopped at a stop sign. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated the actuator of the anti-skid assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 60,900. Updated 10/5/11 also, the fuel tank and fuel level sending unit were replaced. Updated 11/04/11
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that when the fuel tank was half full or more, the fuel gauge would inaccurately read that it was empty. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the fuel sending unit was replaced. The failure was corrected. The failure mileage was 86,000 and the current mileage was 140,000.
Radiator developed internal crack leaking coolant into transmission. Radiator had to be replaced, transmission needs replaced. Fuel level sensor failed and replaced at 70,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the arm of the fuel sensor was fractured and he was unable to determine how much fuel was actually in the vehicle. Both the dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the failure however, did not offer any assistance. No repairs were performed on the vehicle. The current mileage is 106,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 75,000. Updated 04/25/12 updated 04/30/12
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated the fuel gauge was faulty and he was unable to determine how much gasoline was actually in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that a fuel sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer advised the contact that his VIN was not affected by any recalls. No repairs were performed. The current mileages were 88,000. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.
I was driving my vehicle to the hospital one day and the gas gauge suddenly went to empty and the check engine light came on. Every time I fill up now the gas gauge stays at empty until 3/4 tank and my check engine light is permanently on. It's the fuel sensor that has gone bad and it will cost me $600 to fix this problem. I can't register my car because I can't get the check engine light to stay off.
2005 Nissan Pathfinder fuel sending unit first noticed check engine light on then would go out, started getting worse, fuel gauge would not register correct fuel level, the miles till empty will not work. We have no idea when we are going to run out of fuel. Have talked to dealer they said the fuel sending unit needs replaced, there are numerous Pathfinders with the same problem but will have a recall on this issue.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Baldwin, FL, USA