2017 Nissan Pathfinder engine problems
85 of the 186 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2017 Nissan Pathfinder name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 32 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database3 of the 85 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 1 injury. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2018: 7 · 2019: 18 · 2020: 25 · 2021: 14 · 2022: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2026: 2
Half of the 63 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 38,000 and 52,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
186 complaints in all about the 2017 Nissan Pathfinder, 2 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Nissan Pathfinder engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
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).
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
Engine cooling fan assembly - bearings are out or worn. Car is at 37,000 miles. Dealer wants to charge $1,100.00 to replace. Known issue based on the hundreds of reports I have seen online. This should be a recall
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.
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.
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications32 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P0456 P0087 P0101 P0442 P0448 P0455 P2008 P0603
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2017 Nissan Pathfinder names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2017 Nissan Pathfinder?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 85 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (46% of everything owners filed about it), and 32 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2017 Nissan Pathfinder?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 2 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do engine problems show up on the 2017 Nissan Pathfinder?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 45,000 miles; half of them between 38,000 and 52,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.