CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2017 was redesigned with new fascia and headlights, but what will be particularly interesting to watch will be the new, direct-injected V6 engine with CVT. Nissan's history with CVTs has been shaky at best.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
38,314 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.

2017 Nissan Pathfinder engine problems

engine problem

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2017 Nissan Pathfinder Owner Comments (Page 4 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #15

Nov 012018

Pathfinder

  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Loud knocking noice coming from engine, after research and dealer checkup it appears to be a very common problem for these 2014-2018 Pathfinders. The problem typically occurs around 50-60K miles which is outside of the manufactures warranty. Mine began around 50K, anytime my engine gets hot and both fans kick on the cooling fan assembly starts violently vibrating (I have video with sound). The only way to stop the vibrating is to turn off the A/C which in our Texas summer heat reaching over 100 degrees is unrealistic considering I use this as a family vehicle. If you look at all of the complaints reported you and do a simple google search you will see this is a very common problem and Nissan is fully aware of it and in my opinion should be liable for installing a faulty fan. I was quoted $950 to replace the bad cooling fan assembly part by the dealership. It is my sincere hopes that a full investigation is done and a recall is issued for the number one complaint with this vehicle.

- Spring, TX, USA

problem #14

Apr 272019

Pathfinder

  • 34,000 miles
Engine makes a "knocking" noise when the fan is turned on. Research online seems to be a very common problem, but also expensive to repair and not guaranteed to solve issue for very long.

- Athens, AL, USA

problem #13

Feb 252019

Pathfinder

  • 45,105 miles
Loud knocking noise fan assembly replacement I work for a car rental company and I've had 7 other Pathfinders with same issue in last 60 days.

- St. Ann, MO, USA

problem #12

Mar 072019

Pathfinder

  • 37,514 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I got 2017 Nissan Pathfinder with 37,500 miles. Radiator cooling fan started making a weird rattling noise, recorded the video and took it to Nissan dealer. Tech right away said it the radiator fan secondary bushing is gone bad and need to replace the complete fan assembly with shroud, which costs $950 (550 for parts and 400 for labor). I was told vehicle is still drivable and its secondary fan that goes bad which won't kick in untill vehicle gets really hot (summer). Found it online that these fans go bad quickly on Pathfinders and is a known issue. I am wondering why there are no recalls of these fans as they fail so prematurely, some times they have to be replaced 2 times within 50K miles.

- Dunlap, IL, USA

problem #11

Feb 142019

Pathfinder

  • 37,000 miles
The radiator cooling fan assembly became inoperable at 37,000 miles. This is a danger to the vehicle and occupants as the fans are cheaply made and become loose from the worn out motor assembly.

- Live Oak, FL, USA

problem #10

Feb 122019

Pathfinder

  • 37,500 miles
Engine cooling fan assembly - bearings are out or worn. Car is at 37,000 miles. Dealer wants to charge $1,100 to replace. Known issue based on the hundreds of reports I have seen online. This should be a recall.

- Waxahachie, TX, USA

problem #9

Jan 172019

Pathfinder

  • 56,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While the vehicle is both in motion and stationary, if the heat or A/C is on, the radiator fan motor assembly makes noise and shakes back and forth. I was advised that the vehicle should not be driven due to the fact that the assembly could fall apart creating shrapnel to be throw through the engine bay and the road. After researching this issue with a simple google search and after talking to the dealership, this is a wide spread issue with the Pathfinder which Nissan refuses to address. My dealer advised that they had repaired three of these on the same day I took my vehicle in alone. This is a safety issue which Nissan is taking no responsibility for. If this were to happen at highway speeds, the results could certainty be deadly.

- Fallston, MD, USA

problem #8

Jan 042019

Pathfinder

  • 44,625 miles
At 44,000 miles began hearing an unusual intermittent noise from the engine compartment area. It develops when I take short drives as well as extended drives. However on extended drives, it becomes more frequent. Last night was one of those extended drives. I was over 150 miles from home, after driving about 100 miles when it reoccurred, I pulled to the side of the road and upon inspection the noise appears to be related to the engine cooling fan. A quick internet search reveals this appears to be a latent defect for the make of the vehicle which the manufacture has failed to correct. Should the fan cease to function at highway speeds, the engine may overheat which may cause it to seize possibility causing a catastrophic accident. Risking not only life and limb of the driver and passengers of my vehicle, but those other travelers on the highways as well as emergency responders to the disastrous accident.

- Hope Mills, NC, USA

problem #7

Dec 142018

Pathfinder

  • 43,000 miles
I purchased my 2017 Nissan pre-owned with 40,000 miles and I have only had the vehicle for 4 months. The back up camera will sporadically stay on while in drive until you stop and take it out of drive. I have taken it in and they can't get it to duplicate so they can't fix the problem. I also started having load noises coming from the engine while the A/C was running. Come to find out it is the radiator cooling fan assembly was shaking around and now I have to pay to have it fixed! I have now done research and found this is a problem that Nissan doesn't want to address or do a recall on. Seeing as that Pathfinders from 2014-2018 most around 30K to 50K have been affected yet somehow these issues are not of concern. I called Nissan and she took my complaint but did let me know that this has not be addressed as an issue by Nissan. I really love my Nissan Pathfinder but I am so disappointed now by the customer service and doing right by the customer is not a concern of Nissan.

- Cibolo, TX, USA

problem #6

Dec 072018

Pathfinder

  • 47,000 miles
I bought my car used about 6 months ago. It has 47K mile on it now and about 4 days ago while driving it I started hearing a loud buzzing/rattling sound coming from the front of the car. I pulled over in a parking lot and opened the hood and found the radiator/cooling fan assembly shaking around like it was totally out of balance. I shut off the A/C system and the fan stops shaking. Since this occurred I have talked to numerous people online that state this very thing has happened to them on Pathfinders ranging from 2014-2018 and it all seemed to happen around 40-50K miles and Nissan will do nothing about it. This seems like a huge issue that needs to be recalled and addressed. Thank you

- Greenville, SC, USA

problem #5

Dec 032018

Pathfinder

  • 10,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

We own a 2015 and a 2017 platinum Pathfinder both with 25K miles. The 2017 has 20-30 more horsepower than the 2015, but the 2017 is much slower. The 2017 is very sluggish from 0-35mph. The acceleration has progressively gotten worse. I've put the highest octane in as instructed by nashville Nissan; still slow. Accelerating uphill at low rpms makes the engine rattle (able to hear it when driving by a structure to be able to hear the sound reverb off back to vehicle). Tried multiple different air filters to help engine breathe, still slow. Any help will help.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #4

Oct 152018

Pathfinder

  • miles
Cvt transmission shows significant hesitation when increasing speed on a hilly road and fuel immobilizer makes engine shows sign of idoling which feels like engine is about to stall

- Dumfries, VA, USA

problem #3

Sep 202018

Pathfinder

  • 23,000 miles
My 2017 Pathfinder has about 22K miles on it, had, plenty of gas and oil, but just randomly shut off while driving about 30-25 mph on a 4-lane road. I was darn lucky I was able to get to the shoulder and wasnt hit in the process. Then the car would start and immediately die; and I wound up having to get it towed to the dealer. There was absolutely no warning before this happened - it simply shut off while I was in forward motion. The dealership wasn't able to duplicate the issue or to get a code back from the computer - they were completely clueless. I no longer feel safe in this car. Hope this doesn't happen again and kill me, Y family or anyone else... no VIN available updated 11/1/18

- St Louis, MO, USA

problem #2

May 182018

Pathfinder

  • 45,000 miles
For the second time while driving my Pathfinder my car simply shuts itself off. It won't move at all. This has happened once going up a hill in December of 2017, and yesterday whole on a busy road. Luckily I was not rear ended. After about 20 minutes my car started normal and ran fine on the way home. If I was on a highway which I normally drive I would have been hit as there are no warning signs before it does this. I have brought it to the dealership and they can't get the car to show a code. My safety and the safety of others is at an all time high in this automobile.

- Bella Vista, AR, USA

problem #1

Feb 102018

Pathfinder

  • 4,500 miles
On February 10, 2018, we brought home a new puppy. We wanted to calm our current pet down so I went inside my house to let him out to use the restroom and calm him for the introduction. It was a cold night so my 7-year-old daughter and husband were in the backseat unbuckled with the heater on. Nobody was in the front seat at the time. The car was running and I had the key in my pocket in our house. About 7 minutes later I heard a crash. In my mind, I figured my husband was moving things in our garage but when I went outside, the car had accelerated up my driveway and into my garage. It crashed into my freezer, and if the freezer had not been in the way it would have crashed into my house. Nissan flew an engineer down from tennesee and he ran a report on his computer and found no fault. I asked if they knew why it happened and if they took the vehicle apart to look for cause and they said: "no, we were not looking for why only if the computer showed an error." I asked for the report and they stated that the report was proprietary and refused to release it to me. It seems odd that they would not release the report if Nissan is not at fault.

- Henderson, NV, USA

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