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2020 Nissan Pathfinder: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
49%
24 of 49 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

49% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2020 Nissan Pathfinder are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 62% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 3 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 46%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
24
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
52
this model year
Fires reported
0
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
0
1 crashes · 0 injuries

Complaints by component

ENGINE16 · 31%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM12 · 23%
POWER TRAIN9 · 17%
SERVICE BRAKES8 · 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER7 · 13%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE4 · 8%

The years either side

2010
55%
16 of 40
2011
48%
15 of 45
2012
too few complaints
2013
59%
428 of 890
2014
54%
260 of 573
2015
54%
138 of 320
2016
40%
34 of 107
2017
65%
112 of 186
2018
32%
23 of 77
2019
34%
23 of 75
2020
49%
24 of 52
2021
no data
2022
25%
32 of 135
2023
37%
37 of 103

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other midsize SUVs with no elevated signal in 2020

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE07/26/2026
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, life-t…
ENGINE07/17/2026
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 issu…
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER07/01/2026
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 glit…

Three of 24 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Before you buy a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.