Most common 2015 Nissan Pathfinder problems
Share of the 321 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Nissan Pathfinder complaints by model year
Best Pathfinder years: 2012, 2011, 2020. Years to avoid: 2013, 2014, 2025, 2022, 2015. Compare all years →
2015 Nissan Pathfinder recalls (5)
Latches/locks/linkages › Hood › Latch
Nissan 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.
Remedy: Dealers 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.
Exterior lighting › Brake lights › Switch
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles. The location of the brake light switch may cause the brake light switch relay to repeatedly open and close.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, either re-install the brake light switch or swap positions with the Automatic Speed Control Device (ASCD) switch; depending on the model year…
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
Nissan 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…
Remedy: Nissan 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,…
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Service brakes
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles manufactured August 14, 2014, to November 5, 2014, and 2014-2015 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured August 12, 2014, to November 15, 2014.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and tighten any loose bolts to the proper specification, free of charge. The recall began February 2, 2015.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder:
Hood Latch/Bell Crank Assembly
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…
What 2015 Nissan Pathfinder owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 77 →
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and depressing the accelerator pedal, there was a significant delay in the vehicle response. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle overheated, the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle hesitated to shift into the intended gear. The contact stated that the vehicle had overheated while driving and had failed to shift beyond first or second gear on some occasions. The contact stated that the vehicle had overheated and had stalled on other occasions, and the vehicle would become drivable after half an hour. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. …
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon depressing the accelerator pedal for an extended period of the time, the vehicle responded as needed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer informed the contact that there would be no assistance provided in covering the repair cost. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Engine & cooling all 75 →
Complete shutdown of the vehicle while driving down the road. Caused me to go into a ditch. The vehicles lights flashed and then it just shut off. Had the alternator replaced twice also the battery replaced twice and now the nissan dealership has said they don't know what's wrong with it.
It begins shaking, jolting and shuddering while driving; started off happening at take off; then progressed to anytime speed was under 35mph; now, it does it often throughout all speeds. Nissan states it needs a new transmission which was quoted to cost $6,600+tax. The vehicle trade-in value is only $5,000ish prior to these symptoms. Vehicle has less than 117,500 miles and all maintenance and fluids have been routinely changed throughout vehicle's lifespan. This CVT issue seems to be ongoing therefore Nissan and other makes should not be allowed to put these into vehicles that are so costly and these transmissions begin to give problems while vehicles are still under warranty. Need assistance in fixing the costly transmission and Nissan should have a discount on this faulty transmissions that they knew had issues. …
Air bags all 55 →
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V244000 (Air Bags) however, after the recall repair, the air bag warning light illuminated, and the message "Passenger Air Bag Off" was displayed despite the front passenger's seat being occupied. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor needed to be replaced, and a repair fee was charged. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had not experienced a failure before the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the passenger side front, middle and rear curtain air bags were erroneously deployed causing the vehicle to abruptly shut off. During the failure, the driver sustained burns to both arms and hands which did not require medical treatment. The contact indicated that the vehicle did not crash into another vehicle or object to cause the air bags to deploy. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 150,000.
2015 Nissan Pathfinder engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl supercharged hybrid | CVT | FWD | 25 / 28 / 26 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl supercharged hybrid | CVT | 4WD | 25 / 27 / 26 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | CVT | FWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | CVT | 4WD | 19 / 26 / 22 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder a good car?
Based on 321 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2015 Pathfinder rates avoid: 2.9× as many complaints as a typical year of the Pathfinder at the same age. It is one of the Pathfinder years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder?
The transmission & drivetrain — 77 complaints, 24% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the engine & cooling (75) and air bags (55).
How many recalls does the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder, the most recent from June 13, 2022 (latch). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Nissan Pathfinder?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2012, 2011 and 2020. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2013, 2014, 2025, 2022 and 2015. See the full Nissan Pathfinder years comparison.
At what mileage do 2015 Nissan Pathfinder problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 45,000 miles; 56% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.