Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Nissan Pathfinder owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
ABS Light comes on and stays on...Checking for recalls seeing if our vehicle could have same problem with brake fluid leaking on internal circuit board and possible fire danger. Also, several times our PATHFINDER will lose power or act as if you have shifted the transmission into neutral. This has happened at speeds from 30mph to 60 mph. Stalls and then after a few seconds it will resume speed.
While driving the car it randomly turns off and turns back on it also jerks initially. All lights on the dashboard turn off and back on, speakers make a loud BOOM sound! Have experienced the car not starting. Bought a new battery thinking that was the issue, it wasn't.
Front collision shuts off intermittently for no reason. Causes cruise control to shut off immediately and disabled collision avoidance breaking. If cruise is on and approaching slower vehicle car will not slow down causing driver to break aggressively.
The stop lamp switch has become contaminated with silicon off-gassing from silicon-based grease used in surrounding components in close proximity. This is causing the car to not start, not able to switch gears, and break light is not turning on.
The entire braking system failed without warning! My 25 year old daughter was coming up to a busy intersection that usually has semi-trucks and when she went to break the breaks failed and the pedal went to the floor. I found out that there was a recall on the Nissan Pathfinder emergency breaking system and asked Nissan as was directed on their website to immediatly tow the car to the nearest Nissan dealership to get repaired. They refused! I was on the phone with them for 5 hours telling them that they had to come get their car the ABS light had been on and the car was a risk to our family, home and community as we lived on a main street. They refused. My husband got the car to Nissan. I have since have talked to Nissan and Nissan dealership for over 12 hours. This car also has a major transmission defect that Nissan dealership denies. …
I was in the process of turning on a back road, there was a guardrail to my left and and a truck with a trailer turning in front of me on my right. My sensors must have thought they were too close because my car locked up and I could not turn causing me to hit the guardrail.
Purchased the car in January 2019 complete hood latch system has had to be replaced in February. That was major problem one. The hood wouldn't close. Problem 2. Every time I drive the car I get an alert that unavailable front radar obstruction. As if something is blocking the sensor. It will be a clear day nothing in my way and this pops up. I have also had the car break for no reason due to this!!!!! Nissan is aware of the situation and I was told the new sensor is on backorder. Extreme safety issue! Hoping for a buy back so I can get out of this nightmare of a car. Also the car will always be in motion when this happens. I have also had it where the car beeps as if I am going to hit the car in front of me and there is no car in front of me!
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving various speeds, the emergency braking system engaged intermittently and the anti-lock brake warning indicator illuminated. The contact released the accelerator pedal and had to shift into park in order for the vehicle to resume normal operation. The vehicle was taken to united Nissan (3025 e, nv-589, las vegas, nv 89104, [phone]) where the ECM, ivp, and anti-lock brakes were reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer over five times, but the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered a loaner vehicle. A case number was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 30,435.
Front radar modular intermittently unavailable. Article found stating Nissan was working on a fix, is it available yet? 2 dealership service departments and an agent at Nissan USA knew nothing about it. While driving with the intelligent cruise control on, suddenly it shuts off and a message on screen states, unavailable front radar obstruction. 2-15 minutes later it allows start up again. This seems to be totally random. Happened numerous times on a 2500 mile trip.
The front radar safety feature deactivates and the amber front collision warning light comes on. The speed control feature is disabled when the radar is not active. When the system finally kicks in the speed control suddenly accelerates without warning. The sudden on/off scenario is dangerous and what was supposed to be a safety feature is now actually a hazard. A car should not unexpectedly accelerate to the speed control limit 10-15 minutes after it was set.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Nissan Murano, 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima, and 2017-2019 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and unrepaired, or inspected and determined to not need a repair, under recall number 18V-601.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ABS actuator, free of charge. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available, currently expected to be during summer 2020.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Nissan Murano, 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2017-2018 Nissan Pathfinder, and 2017 Infiniti QX60 vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) actuator pumps may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal circuit board.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number on the ABS actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 29, 2018.
Brake complaints in other Pathfinder years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the brakes of the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder, 27% of the model year's 78 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2018 Nissan Pathfinder brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 19V-807 (antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, Nov 8, 2019); NHTSA recall 18V-601 (antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, Sep 7, 2018). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2018 Nissan Pathfinder brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 20,000 miles, and 67% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.