2012 Nissan Pathfinder — Known Issues & Recalls

Your right lower control arm broke while driving at highway speed (65 mph), causing your vehicle to spin completely around and become very difficult to control. The tire blew out during the spin, and the incident happened with no warning signs beforehand. This type of suspension failure is a serious safety hazard that could have involved other vehicles if traffic had been heavier at the time.

Your rear lower control arm broke while you were driving, requiring the vehicle to be towed. When the control arm was replaced, mechanics discovered cracks in multiple places on the crossmember subframe, which is a structural component that supports the suspension. This damage makes the vehicle unsafe to drive until the subframe is repaired or replaced.

Your Pathfinder's rear subframe is sagging and rusting, which could affect handling and safety. The corrosion has weakened the structural integrity of this key suspension component. You'll want to have a mechanic inspect it soon and likely replace the affected rusted sections of the subframe.

You were in a 40 mph car accident, but your front airbags failed to deploy. This is a serious safety issue that needs immediate investigation, as airbags are designed to protect you in exactly this type of collision.

Your airbags failed to deploy when you collided with a deer while driving at 75 mph. Although there were no injuries in this crash, the airbag system did not activate as it should have. The manufacturer has been notified, and your vehicle has not yet been diagnosed or repaired. You'll likely need a full airbag system diagnostic and potentially replacement of the airbag control module or sensors.

You took your car in for an airbag recall repair, but the work wasn't completed correctly — a clip wasn't properly secured. The airbag warning light started flashing again after the repair. The dealer told you the recall period has expired and you'd have to pay for a second repair attempt. You're concerned the airbag could deploy unexpectedly while driving. Getting the dealer or Nissan to complete the recall repair properly without charging you may require escalating your complaint through Nissan's customer service or filing a formal complaint with NHTSA.

While driving at 35 mph, your Pathfinder began wobbling side to side as if the steering wheel were being turned left and right repeatedly, and the wobbling got worse when driving over bumps. Your husband found that the driver's side rear tire was severely rusted and nearly worn through, the wheel was turned inward toward the wheel well, and there was extensive rust on the rear subframe and suspension members. This condition made the vehicle undrivable and likely requires inspection and replacement of rusted suspension and structural components.

While your 2012 Pathfinder was parked, you noticed your rear tires were severely damaged. Upon inspection, you found that the subframe (a critical structural component supporting the suspension) was heavily corroded and fractured. The dealer provided a repair estimate but the vehicle wasn't repaired, and Nissan declined to help because the vehicle was out of warranty at 133,000 miles.

Your check engine light comes on while driving, and your engine then starts revving uncontrollably while losing power—you'll press the gas but the car barely moves. If you're on the highway at 60 mph, the engine stalls and your speed drops suddenly with no way to control it. This problem has happened repeatedly (15 times in 2 years). The issue likely involves a sensor malfunction or fuel delivery problem that's triggering the engine to shut down.

Your gear shift won't engage normally, preventing you from shifting from Park to Drive without manually forcing it by inserting a screwdriver into the shifter assembly. This means you can't put the car in gear through normal operation. The shifter mechanism likely needs repair or replacement to restore proper function.

Your engine suddenly loses power and nearly stalls while driving, happening 5 times including twice on the freeway at highway speeds. When it happens, the engine revs but provides almost no power, causing your car to slow dramatically from 55-65 mph down to about 10 mph in seconds—forcing you to cross multiple lanes of traffic in dangerous conditions. The check engine light comes on before each occurrence. This feels like almost complete engine failure and creates a serious safety risk. The issue likely involves a fuel system or ignition component that needs diagnostic testing and repair to restore normal engine operation.

During routine maintenance at the dealer, a failed engine mount was discovered on the passenger side of your 2012 Nissan Pathfinder at 28,000 miles. The vehicle was not repaired at that time. Fixing this will involve replacing the worn engine mount to reduce vibration and engine movement.

Your vehicle caught fire while parked, with smoke visible through the windows and damage to the headliner and seats. The fire extinguished itself when you opened the windows, and you were able to drive the vehicle home without any warning lights appearing. The cause was not diagnosed, and Nissan declined to assist because your vehicle was out of warranty.

Your truck has been losing power and failing to start consistently since last year, even after you replaced the battery and had five mechanics inspect it without finding the root cause. The problem escalated when your truck shut off while driving in a tunnel with your children inside, creating a dangerous situation. Diagnosing and fixing the underlying electrical or engine issue will likely require specialized diagnostic testing and may involve replacing components like the alternator, starter, or electrical control modules.

Your vehicle has a recall issue affecting the steering, airbags, and engine that your insurance company says needs to be fixed. While you haven't experienced an accident or fire, you're concerned about safety until the recall is resolved. Getting the recall completed at a dealership should address the underlying issue.

Your check engine light turns on and your transmission gets stuck—it won't shift into 1st, 2nd, or 3rd gear, though Drive, Reverse, and Neutral work fine. Disconnecting the battery temporarily fixes it, but the problem returns a few days later. This likely requires a transmission diagnostic scan and may involve transmission fluid service or replacing a faulty sensor.

Your brake pedal went to the floor while braking, causing reduced stopping power that could have made you overshoot an intersection. After that initial incident, the brakes returned to normal operation on subsequent drives. Your dealership has inspected the brake system thoroughly including the booster, master cylinder, pads, rotors, and fluid, but cannot find any problems. The fix may involve brake fluid replacement, master cylinder service, or brake booster inspection if the problem occurs again.

Your car won't start and won't crank over. The Nissan dealer diagnosed it as a faulty engine control computer (ECM) that failed without any warning signs beforehand. Replacing the engine control module should restore normal starting function.

When your transmission is in Neutral, the parking brake cannot hold your car on an incline or slope. You may notice the car will roll even with the parking brake engaged, though this problem doesn't occur when the transmission is in Park (since the transmission itself prevents rolling). The owner reports this issue appears across 2012 and newer Pathfinders at multiple dealerships. The fix may involve inspecting the parking brake system components or adjusting the brake cable tension.

You purchased a used 2012 Nissan Pathfinder and were not informed of structural damage and left front damage to the vehicle. The dealership did not provide you with a Carfax report or buyer's guide before purchase, and later presented documents with your signatures dated before your actual purchase date, which you believe were falsified. You feel misled about the vehicle's condition and history.