Nissan Pathfinder Years to Avoid 2024 [Best & Worst]

Throughout 1985, Nissan produced the Pathfinder line of sporty activity SUVs. Since its inception, the automobile has shared Nissan’s tiny vehicle chassis, and it is presently in its sixth iteration. Pathfinders were sold under the Nissan Terrano brand overseas, especially in the United States and Canada. The R51 line was renamed “Pathfinder” starting in 2004. As a body-on-frame SUV, Nissan’s first-generation Pathfinder drew inspiration from the Nissan Hardbody Vehicle.

Scroll below for the Nissan Pathfinder Years

Designed to compete with the Volkswagen Blazer, Lincoln Bronco II, Chrysler Cherokee, and non-American Crossovers like Lexus 4Runner, Nissan Odyssey, and Mitsubishi MU, the Pathfinder was designed on a stairway chassis. Throughout the year Nissan Pathfinder was made into a reliable vehicle.

Before the Nissan Bolt action, there was the Pathfinder In the era, it was the only car with an additional 4WD technology that may be activated remotely whilst in motion. With the basic 2.4 L quad piston engine, all WD21 Pathfinder versions were accessible in both 2WD and 4WD variants.

First-generation pathfinder years to avoid

Years to avoid 1987-1988
Best years 1986

If you are a fan of Pathfinder then you need to be very careful with the model years to avoid it, the first generation model came with the issue of leaking coolant. In summer it could become a greater issue. These are the Nissan Pathfinder’s worst years which also came with the issue of gear transmission. Repairing of the coolant system is very expensive.

This was the first-ever SUV Nissan and it had a high selling rate as compared to previous models. First-generation models had a very good efficiency of fuel.

The second generation of Pathfinder years to avoid

Years to avoid 2003-2005
Best years 2000-2002

If you are buying a second-generation Nissan Pathfinder then you need to be very careful with the years to avoid the model. The body material of the vehicle was very poor and got easily rusted while staying in contact with water. The paint quality was very poor and within months the paint faded away.

The second generation came with many new technologies such as the FEB (Forward Emergency Braking) also there was a new option introduced about the speed warning which was digitally set.

Third-generation pathfinder years to avoid

Years to avoid 2011-2012
Best years 2005-2010

These are the third generation Pathfinder years to avoid, main issues were linked with the engine, the engine would lose power at any moment. This issue is linked with the transmission gearbox and also causes gear issues. The engine would produce annoying noise and you can’t easily get rid of it. This also affected the Nissan Pathfinder’s reliability.

The best thing about this generation is that it came with the body material issue fixed and better quality paint, and the number of airbags was increased thus making the vehicle safer to use.

The fourth generation of Pathfinder years to avoid

Years to avoid 2019-2020
Best years 2013-2018

The fourth generation of Nissan Pathfinder came with the issue of transmission, the vehicle won’t itself shift the gear when necessary, although it came with the fixture of the previous issue of coolant leakage. There were no such Nissan Pathfinder problems with this generation. But some of the owners reported the problem of the car being shaken while driving between 100-120 mph.

The best years of this model were the ones that came with the best interior architecture. Also that this model came with the fixed engine issue of producing unnecessary noise.

Check Out Toyota Highlander Years to Avoid

Pathfinder faults by year

Years	Faults
1987	46
1988	59
2003	36
2004	16
2005	29
2011	09
2012	17
2019	28
2020	30

Pathfinder years to avoid

Nissan Pathfinder 1987
Nissan Pathfinder 1988
Nissan Pathfinder 2003
Nissan Pathfinder 2005
Nissan Pathfinder 2019
Nissan Pathfinder 2020

Should you buy the Nissan Pathfinder?

The fourth-generation Pathfinder experienced a few hiccups in the beginning, however it has now developed into a well-rounded and capable automobile. However, if you’re searching for a more robust vehicle, especially Pathfinders of the original and second-generation might meet your needs.

Considering that several previous Pathfinder decades are recognized to survive for a prolonged period and provide customers with miles of devotion would provide some peace of mind to those who avoid the third-generation years.

How Soon Should You Expect Rust on a Nissan Pathfinder?

The Nissan Pathfinder has a lot of corrosion troubles. The least often rusted models were from 1999 through 2005. Since then, Nissan has issued a unilateral recall of Pathfinders with this corrosion problem. Rust appears on Pathfinders within a year to three years, depending on consumer feedback. Due to this problem, Nissan decided once to discontinue the Nissan Pathfinder.

What was the navigation problem with the Nissan Pathfinder?

Speaking to several drivers of the 2017 Nissan Pathfinder, issues with the navigational system are widespread. As the SUV moves, the navigational settings lock up, the bottom cam view becomes obstructed, and the backward assistance panel regularly malfunctions.

No refunds had been announced as of this posting to resolve these issues. Some customers have managed to fix the problem by upgrading their navigational unit, while many others have had to rebuild the whole unit.

What can you say about the reliability of the Nissan Pathfinder 2019?

After a short year of troubles, mainly with the gearbox and the powertrain, the Nissan Pathfinder rebounded in the following years. As an SUV with three rows priced between $25K and $30K and a 2019 midrange SUV, Nissan’s Pathfinder scored in the 18th position in each category. It also scored in the 20th position for the Second-Hand SUVs with three rows priced between $25K and $30K.