2023 Nissan Pathfinder Brake Problems

Mileage when the problem started

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2023 Nissan Pathfinder owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop immediately. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

I took the car in for the NYS inspection and was told that I need new rear brakes. The car is only a year old and has only 16,000 miles on it. Nissan's own website says that brakes should last between 30-70k miles. I looked into this and found out that premature rear brake failure is a common issue with the new Pathfinder. Nissan is refusing to replace the brakes under warranty, even though it's clearly a manufacturer's defect for brakes to fail this quickly. This is a safety concern, because Pathfinder owners could be driving around with bad brakes, expecting them to last 2-4 times longer than they actually do. Brakes failing in one year is completely unacceptable for a modern vehicle. Nissan should recall all Pathfinders and replace the rear brakes for free for anyone affected by this. They should also figure out why the rear brakes are failing early on all of these cars and fix it. …

Premature wear on rear brakes and dealers tells there fine each time I've taken it in for service I don't think they even test driven the car is shakes and vibrates when you brake at speeds higher than 30-40 mph. They advised me the battery needs replacing on the last service that it's showing some sort of signs that needs to be replaced. The heated seats on the passenger side just stopped working all of a sudden. From what I can see online from forums and people complains these are common issues on this vehicle and they are pushed on the customer. I will see what can be covered under warranty but it seems only the seat issue would be covered. This needs to be addressed the brakes are too small and under powered for this size of a vehicle especially if you are towing. …

2023 Nissan Pathfinder. Rear brake pads are wearing at a premature and excessive rate: replaced by the dealer approximately April 2026; on October 19, 2026, at approximately 30,172 miles, they measured 6 mm remaining while the front pads measured 8 mm. Rear pads wearing faster than front pads is atypical. Earlier dealer measurements were inconsistent (reported as 2 mm, then 6 mm, then 2 mm on different visits). The dealer could not explain whether this wear rate is normal or identify a mechanical cause. This matches a documented pattern of premature rear brake wear on 2022-2023 Pathfinders (multiple NHTSA complaints; proposed class action Iwan v. Nissan North America, No. 3:25-cv-01183, M.D. Tenn.). Concern: accelerated, unexplained rear brake degradation reduces stopping ability and may leave drivers unaware of how little pad remains.

I brought my 2023 Nissan Pathfinder in for an oil change and tire rotation at 33, 221 miles and was informed my rear brake pads were worn and my rotors needed to be re-surfaced. I understand this is a long standing issue with 2022 and 2023 Nissan Pathfinders. I rive 95% highway miles , never use my cruise control or electronic parking brake. I understand the rear brake pads are considerably smaller than the front pads causing an early wear issue. I also understand there is a class action law suit in the US District Court of Tennessee for this issue as well . I would like my complaint put on file and a case number sent to me for future reference. Regards, [redacted] Sr. Sales Manager Jeneil Biotech Inc. [redacted]

Rear brakes needed to be replaced at 20,000 miles. Dealership stated it was normal for electronic brakes to go out that early, which is absurd. Took the car to another mechanic to have the work done, turns out it was a defect in the assembly of the car and the brakes were not fully releasing so we basically were riding our brakes for 20,000 miles. According to the dealership they were getting a lot of this model in for brakes needing replacement. This needs to be looked into for a recall. I have a video of the mechanic showing the issue that I can send in if need be. This is a major safety concern considering if the brakes were to go out because of this or if the brakes would have fully not released causing potential for being hit from behind.

This is a new car with 30,000 miles on it. There are two issues, the brakes apparently do not distribute the braking workload evenly or the parts were counterfeit from manufacture. The rear brakes had to be replaced, pads and rotors resurfaced. The front brakes were unaffected and good. Back brakes should not need replacing before front brakes, yet the rotors were scarred with grooves. I have a photo of one of the rotors. Additionally, the (Auto-start & stop) at a halt does not kick in quickly enough to avoid a collision when moving and merging into traffic from a standstill.

2023 Nissan Pathfinder Mileage: 51,180 I have replaced the rear rotors twice and rear pads twice since buying this vehicle NEW. In researching using Artificial Intelligence, I find that there is an abnormal frequency of this issue with nissan products. I am asking for an investigation into the cause for this and for remuneration from the manufacturer for the expenses I have incurred. I question the effectiveness of the electronic parking brake. Is it completely releasing the pads from contact?

During routine maintenance, it was noted that the rear brakes needed replacement. The vehicle is only over a year old and had less than 20,000 miles when this was recorded. In speaking with the dealership maintenance team, they stated that this is a known issue and that Nissan refuses to take any responsibility for faulty systems within their vehicles. The potential for brakes to go out randomly looks pretty likely, increasing the safety risk to the driver and others.

I was informed of a need to replace worn rear brake pads and rotors due to excessive wear after just over 19,000 miles. Being treated as a wear item despite the fact that the issue is common and known by the manufacturer as an issue. After almost 3 years no recall has been done. Thankfully this was caught prior to the brakes entering a failing state.

Brake complaints in other Pathfinder years