2020 Nissan Pathfinder problems & reliability
47 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Nissan Pathfinder. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2020 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles were involved in 34 fatal crashes with 10 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 16 | 34% |
| Electrical System → | 11 | 23% |
| Power Train | 8 | 17% |
| Unknown OR Other | 7 | 15% |
| Service Brakes | 6 | 13% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 9% |
| Back Over Prevention | 3 | 6% |
| Suspension | 3 | 6% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 4% |
| Structure | 2 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The car stalled three times and died in active traffic. The breakdown was so hazardous that the police department had to intervene and push the car out of the road and had to tow the car more than 3 times and was at the Nissan Dealership for over one week. I paid Nissan dealership $5,000 to repair this specific…”
Engine · filed Jul 26, 2026
“After only 110,000 miles, my local Nissan service center (Advantage Nissan, 5101 Auto Center Blvd, Bremerton, WA 98312) states that the timing chain is loose. The repair estimate is in excess of $6000. The expense is because it requires removal of the engine to effect repairs. Research reveals that timing chain issues…”
Engine · filed Jul 17, 2026
“A few months after purchase, the power cut off on me. Then it happened again the following year. Then the screen for backing up started going on and off. Then I started feeling like the car was loosing power. In the last 2 years the power cutting off has occurred 3 more times and the rear screen camera has started…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jul 1, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
97 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2020 Nissan Pathfinder. The 10 most recent:
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
ITB09-063C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
TELEMATICS SERVICE INFORMATION HINT: This bulletin applies to vehicles equipped with a 4G network compatible TCU. TCUs compatible with 3G network only are no longer supported. SERVICE INFORMATION The APPLIED VEHICLES…
NTB15-049CC · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 30, 2026
INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED WITH DTC C1A16 OR C2582 IF YOU CONFIRM IMPORTANT: The purpose of ACTION (on the next page) is to give you a…
NTB19-033G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 20, 2025
DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND…
NTB19-071D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 19, 2024
CVT/TCM CALIBRATION DATA “WRITE” PROCEDURE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB12-103I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 2024
INTELLIGENT KEY INITIALIZATION PROCEDURE STOPS OR WILL NOT CONTINUE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB17-127C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
CAN COMMUNICATION – NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-027D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2020 Nissan Pathfinder in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2020 Nissan Pathfinder?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.