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Nissan · Compact SUV

2016 Nissan Pathfinder

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
B
Safety Signal
84 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns2
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA107
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA23 mpg
2026202520242023202220202019201820172016

The 2016 Nissan Pathfinder is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Pathfinder 2WD, is EPA-rated at 23 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 107 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Pathfinder 2WDGasFWD3.5L 6-cyl202723$2,700
Pathfinder 4WDGas4WD3.5L 6-cyl192622$2,850
Pathfinder 4WD PlatinumGas4WD3.5L 6-cyl192621$2,950

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 37153, 37154, 37155.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2016 Nissan Pathfinder is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (2)

Source: NHTSA recall database
high

Latches/Locks/Linkages

R22A2 R22A3 R24B7
322,671 vehicles
ProblemNissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Pathfinder vehicles. On certain Pathfinder vehicles, the secondary hood latch may malfunction and remain in the unlatched, unsecured, position when the hood is closed.RiskAn unsecured hood could unexpectedly open while driving, obstructing the driver's view, and increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers will replace the bell crank assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 26, 2025. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are R22A2 R22A3 and R24B7.
NHTSA campaign 22V420000reported Jun 13, 2022Nissan North America, Inc.
high

Air Bags

3,296,947 vehicles
ProblemNissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crashRiskIf the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.FixNissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy par
NHTSA campaign 16V244000reported Apr 26, 2016Nissan North America, Inc.

NHTSA defect investigations

Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:Latch — Hood Latch/Bell Crank Assembly closed

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate consumer complaints alleging hood latch failures occurring on certain model year (MY) 2013-2016 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles. Complaints received indicated a sudden and unexpected opening of the hood while the vehicle was in motion, blocking the driver's visibility.During this investigation Nissan collected parts from the field to analyze for root cause of the alleged failures. On June 13, 2022, Nissan submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA regarding a hood bell crank assembly defect in certain MY2013-2016 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles produced at the Smyrna, TN plant. According to Nissan's D

Opened Dec 9, 2021 · closed Jul 8, 2022 · action PE21022

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
107complaints filed

10 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 5 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2018: 18 · 2019: 26 · 2020: 15 · 2021: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2023: 5 · 2024: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2026: 3

Most-cited components

Engine27
Unspecified21
Air Bags19
Service Brakes11
Electrical System11
Power Train8

What owners describe

“Occupant Air bag sensor is on constantly and Air bag light on dashboard. My vehicle has never been in an accident. There was a recall issued for my vehicle in 2016. I purchased my car in 2017 new and it was overstock vehicle. The recall was cleared in August 2016 by dealer and I just found this out when vehicle was tak…”Apr 13, 2024 · Air Bags · NHTSA owner report
“The engine in this vehicle has shut off two times while we were driving it. We were forced to make emergency exits off of the roadway in order to prevent injury to ourselves and others. This is a life-threatening situation when the vehicle loses engine power while it is being driven. Additionally, we have experienced m…”Mar 20, 2024 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the trunk latch was inoperable and not closing securely. The contact stated the failure had been recurring for approximately two years. The contact stated had received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The vehicle w…”Nov 14, 2023 · Latches/Locks/Linkages · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆18%
SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other Pathfinder model years

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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