Nissan Pathfinder 3rd Gen R51 2005-2012 Common Problems

[@jmatches]

I have a 2008 Pathfinder that has over 367,000 km on it. It's currently running 'like a top' and still looks great. This is my 3rd Pathfinder..... the previous ones being 1992 and 1995 5-speeds.

[@samyeomans6710]

What engine is in it? Had any transmission problems?

[@PaulKing-h9m]

I have an 08 LE with 210k miles, I’ve done the transmission lower(solenoids, gaskets, internal lines), cooler and lines, but everything else is original with the tranny. I think if you catch the “SMOD” before it becomes a real problem you’re fine. Beyond all new suspension including control arms, hubs, rear end, and basic maintenance, it’s been a great truck. It spends 5 months a year in 4 wheel drive due to where I live and it’s been across the Country 3x, last one being at 200k and I still trust it completely. I like my new 4Runner better, but this truck is still worth 3x more to me than what it is to anyone else, and I’ll keep it until it’s scrap metal.

[@mikelee6331]

Was it the v7 or v8 ​@@PaulKing-h9m

[@PaulKing-h9m]

V6

[@bentol86]

I have a 14 year old Nissan Pathfinder with 150K miles on it, still running good, it's my daily driver.

[@majidshabbir4597]

Whats the fuel consumption like ?

[@F1fan007]

We have a 2007 Pathfinder we bought new and it now has 284,390 miles. Great car and the engine doesn’t use any oil at all. Around 80,000 miles we had the dreaded radiator problem. Got a new transmission and radiator out of that and only had to pay $1,200 as Nissan paid the rest. I bypassed the internal transmission cooler and 200,000 miles later still running great. We also had the timing chain guide problem at around 90,000 miles and fixed that. Over the years, we’ve replaced both camshaft sensors, the crankshaft sensor, the oxygen sensor, the valve cover gaskets, the U joints at 149000 miles, the fuel gauge sending unit, replaced a mixing door motor in the ac inside the dash, replaced one tweeter, replaced the ball joints in front, replace the front passenger wheel bearing at 180,000 miles, recently replaced the fan clutch, replace the transmission shift cable at 260,000 miles, replaced the coolant pipe at firewall, replaced the brake switch and replaced the airbag switch assembly. This may sound like a lot but it was spread out over the last 200,000 miles of the 284,000 miles and over the last 17 years. It is a fantastic car that we expect to get to over 500,000 miles. We change only the oil at 3000 miles and the oil and filter 3500 miles and alternate. We sent an oil sample in to Blackstone Laboratories at about 260,000 to make sure engine wear was good and it is. (That was only approx $30 and well worth their insight). They recommended the more frequent oil changes. We average approx $100 per month over the years in maintenance costs and that includes everything including routine maintenance and tire changes. I do a lot of the work myself but our dealership has done all of the major items. The car doesn’t depreciate anymore and even new cars have maintenance, so averaging $100 per month is far cheaper than replacing the car. A new car will depreciate $3000 to $5000 per year (depending on the car and the price of the car), so plus you still have maintenance and replacing tires every 50k to 60k miles. Anyone with 300,000 miles on their car (any brand) saying all they have done is routine maintenance is not telling the truth. Things wear out or break but if you stay on top of it and nothing major happens, it’s well worth the journey and cost savings. Plus this body style still looks awesome and black paint looks fabulous (it isn’t garaged, but it is well maintained, waxed and hand washed)

[@Anand-ol9br]

Mine is a 2015 XE model without a roof rail. Still amazing. 225,000 km so far. It's like my kid is taking care.

[@agerard5703]

I had a 2010 with the V6. Sold it after 10 years and 186,000 miles and still going. The woman that I sold it to has it up to 224,000. I only ever changed tires, brakes, rotors,a battery and a new radiator. What a beast! I would buy another one in a heartbeat…

[@ramengod5768]

2007 Pathfinder with almost 250k miles and runs great still !

[@salvationanthem8077]

My 2008 has been nothing but reliable. Peak SMOD year but trans replaced at 110k and original radiator. Currently at 189k with zero issues

[@gleentm]

My 2011 Pathfinder is awesome! Except for the wear and tear, it’s still amazingly reliable. It accumulated 330,000 kms so far.

[@wordimobi5765]

You've done this so well I recommend you change the focus and/or name of your channel to "X model common problems". There's a market for such a channel done well.

[@jorgehernandez8657]

I believe the Transmisison /radiator problem was fixed in 2010 for the Frontier/xterra and the Pathfinder. Although I believe since some 2011 s may have been built in 2010. I think the tensioner issue was also fixed same year. With regular oil changes transmission drain and fill and regular fluid changes on everything the engines and transmission these vehicles should easily last 200,000 to 300,000 miles.

[@Dave8T9]

Just bought a 2005 2.5L and the thing is an absolute tank. I bought it cheap so it has a few issues I am currently addressing but nothing major. New ball joints, CV boot needs to be replaced and a whine when starting to move in reverse which I am told is likely just a U joint issue or a prop shaft issue, both fairly inexpensive fixes. The body is a little tatty and the interior is caked in brick dust since previous owner was a stone mason but he was an old man and he told me everything upfront when I bought it. The only gripe I have so far is I don't like how soft the ride feels. It's an off-road vehicle so it's set up like that and I will be stiffening up the suspension after all mechanical issues are addressed. It would be fine if I was using it off-road but I bought it to be my work horse and to get me through snow which recently dropped 2ft in one day and my other 2WD car couldn't handle it. It's old so I can forgive it, I just wish it had a button like the Land Rover which can select the ride for a given terrain. Other than that I love it. Thing pulls like a train and has held up well for its age. It's currently on 138k miles and starts quick, runs great with no unwanted ticks or knocks. The underside has held up well with a recent test at a garage only noting "corrosion to underside but not considered excessive" so I'll get that cleaned up at some point. For now I have a great car that didn't cost a lot, it runs perfectly at the moment with a minimal amount needed to make it perfect

[@fakegryphon3272]

My 2008 pathfinder is approaching 120k miles and all I've changed are tires batteries and a sensors here and there. Think I'll keep it another 7 years.

[@Asphalt-Assaultcom]

Nissan did issue a recall for the trans/radiator issue. My first pathfinder, an '06, had the recall on it and the cooler upgrade.

[@lnsuvasquez2466]

I'm glad to hear that thinking about one.

[@AldermanFredCDavis]

Best value in 4x4's. If you can find one that didn't spend a majority of its time in a state where road salt is used, and it seems to have been well-maintained, take it to a Nissan dealership for a pre-purchase inspection. If they give it the green light, buy it. I would budget to have the valve cover gasket done, just due to age and mileage. Nissan's VQ series engines are arguably second, ONLY to Lexus 4.6 & 5.7 liter V-8's, when you factor in horsepower, torque, AND longevity. Yes, the 6 cylinder in the 4Runner is an extremely good engine, HOWEVER, it lacks the Pathfinder's power AND, you're gonna' pay 3x to 4x more for an equivalent mileage 4Runner. A 4Runner is NOT 3 or 4 times better than a 2008---2012 Pathfinder. On a well-maintained 2008 to 2012 Pathfinder, I think the two main things that are likely to go are the catalytic converter (mine went at 195,000 miles) and the camshaft position sensor (mine went at 175,000 miles). My understanding is that, those are known issues with Pathfinder's of this vintage. Considering that I bought it 3 years ago, for $8,500, with 135,000 miles and it's now 11 years old, with 200,000 miles, I do NOT think those are anything to knock the vehicle about. Mine runs like it's brand new.

[@notsmart745]

I agree. I bought my 2012 v6 4x4 pathy 8 years ago. I wanted a 4 runner like my buddy had but the pathfinder was almost identical in every category but thousands cheaper . When I bought it the mileage was 77k and now it has 175k. Other than regular maintenance and an A/c compressor (because I run the a/c a lot) it has held up perfectly. I have wrangler duratrac tires on it and it’s a beast in the snow here. It has more power than my buddys 4Runner, faster and performs the same when we mess around in the snow and mud . Great value with this vehicle in my opinion.

[@diaznolasco_he]

Does anyone know if a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 transmission will fit a 2008 4x4?

[@ijc9984]

What about the 2.5 diesel manual box problems then?

[@ikunyim2115]

May you tell how to release 4 wd to 2wd coz my friend car can not change to 2w.

[@plorks445]

Great info! Just got a 2011 earlier this year. 93k miles with no codes showing up when I took it in for a checkup and transmission fluid change. My understanding is that most of the 2011 versions have a new radiator that fixed the Strawberry Milkshake of Death issue. So I wasn't planning on replacing or bypassing my radiator.

[@raheembrown7673]

Very informative I’m looking to buy a 2005 pathfinder because I like the look size and price for 3600 but now I’m kinda rethinking that purchase

[@wordimobi5765]

Likewise, although virtually any vehicle will have common issues.

[@lnsuvasquez2466]

All vehicles have issues research everything and run vin checks. Pay for that used car check before buying.

[@lnsuvasquez2466]

​@@wordimobi5765 Honda pilots die because timing belts aren't changed. Anything with the 5.4 Triton will need replaced unless maintenance is first in the owners mind. Everything needs maintenance and regularly checked. People need to quit treating their car like disposable plates. 😊

[@davemullins9591]

I bought a new 2005 Pathfinder and now has 198,200 miles. Don’t rethink, just buy! I will probably give it to my grandson when he starts school in Idaho.

[@davemullins9591]

Don’t hesitate, I bought a 2005 new and now has 198,300 miles. My trans was rebuilt at 168,000 miles and added a trans cooler. I was told at 40 mph or below to drive in direct. If not, the trans shifts back and forth between direct and OD. I did replace the cam sensor.

[@losangeles6186]

I have a 2011 Patfinder S model, there is so many issues, engine rev loud when starts, power windows 3/4 are malfunctioned, radiator, front suspensions, radiator, frozen rear alignment(can't be fixed), air flow sensor, stalled engines, I think the amount of money I put in to fix this truck is about the same as the car price itself. My next car will be Toyota for sure!

[@boredboiseboy]

The frozen suspension can be fixed pretty easy, you just cut the bolts off and replaced them.

[@larryking6185]

Sounds like an owner issue . Takes more maintenance in bad climate conditions .

[@jasondrake5962]

Code po 456

[@johnlang2293]

Evap system leak !!

[@MrBahraini1980]

And overheating ,TCM with gear strawberry milk shake 😂

[@MrMoth0102]

We don't get the V8 engines,,,,, any petrol powered version uses far too much fuel to take seriously, so we get the 3.0 and 2.5 litre diesels and both get worse as they age. Even so,,,,, we get only the ute versions and a handful of the Pathfinder versions in NZ. Smarter people are spending smarter and going elsewhere.

[@n2daair23]

So basically a Nissan piece of crap that should have never made it to market.

[@luciaspatton5959]

no way

[@DBryan1981]

Did you come here just to skip the video and make that comment? Pretty much anybody with a reasonable amount of automotive knowledge will agree that Pathfinders, Xterras and Frontiers are some of the best value used SUVs/trucks you can buy. And then there are people like you who just say "Nissans are pieces of crap" because you probably drove an Altima.

[@johnsonolajide4647]

​@@DBryan1981Never mind this person. He doesn't know what is talking about. In Australia here Nissan is a good product. The problem is that many people don't want to spend money to maintain their cars

[@larryking6185]

​@@DBryan1981So true DBryan . Usually it's the owner to blame on all vehicles.

[@alanjones5959]

I got a 07 it’s a complete piece of 💩

[@darren2329]

What in particular? Genuinely curious.

[@alanjones5959]

@@darren2329 trans went out, transfer case went out both under 110000. Engine burns oil and leaks at head gaskets around 130000. I got major computer troubles now at 150000 I’m still trying to figure that one out. I have a 09 ford and 06 Chevy with comparable mileage and Nissan by far the worst trouble and I’ve been the only owner on all three.

[@johnsonolajide4647]

Don't believe many people comments here. Some people don't want to spend money to maintain their cars

[@larryking6185]

Did you buy it new or did someone else run it in the ground and you bought it ?

[@alanjones5959]

@@darren2329 lost transfer case around 70k, lost trans around 125k with all the coolant lines., burns oil since 130k, cam shaft sensors, control arms and springs and more smaller stuff not worth mentioning. I bought a 06 Chevy Colorado and a 09 ford f 150 all close to same time new and the Nissan is the only one that has been trouble. 🤣🤣 only thing I can think of that was different was my wife was the primary driver of the pathfinder.