Engine, service brakes, and powertrain issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The 2019 Nissan Pathfinder wasn’t just a top model for families but also people that liked to head off-road. After all, the manufacturer claims it is made for an “adventure, advanced.” Yet, it would be difficult to have any true adventure behind the wheel of a Pathfinder because of the defective engine, malfunctioning service brakes and failing powertrain.
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With the engine remaining the heart of a vehicle, it can be very disturbing when it won’t work like it should. That’s what is seen in the 2019 Nissan Pathfinder.
One NHTSA complaint states, “As I was in the drive thru with the car idling, it started to shake and it felt like a thumping going on. I put the car in Park and it kept going for about a minute or two before it stopped. This is not the first time it happened.”
Nissan isn’t afraid to talk about engine problems. Service Bulletin #NTB14-060c discusses abnormal noises coming from the mount. However, they classify it as “normal operation” because it is a two-piece design. Because Nissan doesn’t want to use better parts, customers are left with thumping noises coming from the engine, which is actually creating quite the “adventure,” just not the way people desire.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Engine | |
| Electrical System | |
| Structure:body | |
| Power Train | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic |
Today’s sophisticated safety systems work in conjunction with the service brakes to avoid collisions, unless they are located in the 2019 Nissan Pathfinder.
Another NHTSA review says, “AEB (Automatic Emergency Braking) light randomly comes on which means AEB function has been turned off. This action disables Intelligent Cruise Control which relies on AEB to automatically slow the car if it encounters a slower vehicle ahead. Only had the car a week or so, bought used with 40,000 miles on it from Enterprise Car Rental. Reading the web indicates this could be an issue if you are driving with cruise control enabled and then cruise control is randomly turned off due to a faulty radar sensor. Vehicles with AEB should have a means to turn AEB off without disabling features such as cruise control. Cruise control feature is pretty standard and has been around for years. Should not disable it simply due to new governmental safety requirements.”
Braking and advanced safety systems continue to be a problem with 2019 Nissan models. In fact, there has been a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that the AEB and braking systems can engage on their own, leading to an unneeded accident. There are also some recalls worth mentioning.
First, NHTSA Campaign Number 19V807000 states that nearly 400,000 vehicles might have an ABS actuator pump that fails and allows fluid to leak on the internal circuit board. When this happens, a short occurs and the risk of car fire increases. The second recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 19V654000, says that more than 1.2 million vehicles have a defective back up camera system, thereby leading to even more increased chance of an accident. It would seem that a car fire or collision are certainly considered “adventures,” just not the kind most people are looking for.
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One final look brings us to the powertrain. This vital system is needed to transfer power to the wheels, but it’s not working right on the 2019 Pathfinder.
One Edmunds review states, “Bought a 2019 Pathfinder in 2019. 1 year and 6 months later Nissan had to completely swap out the transmission. Drove the new transmission for less than a day and need to go back for another one. Not the first Nissan I’ve had (previously had an Altima) and certainly not the only transmission problem I’ve faced with them. Stay away from Nissans.”
Again, Nissan isn’t trying to hide the fact that there are defective parts in the Pathfinder. Service Bulletin #NTB17-039k talks about a transmission judder, shaking and vibration with this defective component. At this point, the only path this Nissan SUV should find is a direct route to the junkyard.
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Nissan pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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I’m having the same issue as Joseph is having Won’t start when applying break and pushing start stop button and when I use the keypod it starts up when I get in and apply the break and stop start button shuts off every time. I took it in to the dealership where they “fixed” the issue. Next day my car was having the same issue now when I can’t get out of park to go reverse or drive. I have to keep movinvg the shift to get it going. I have an appointment on Monday. The camera is also a hit or miss it goes black. Has been to the dealership twice but it won’t act up when at the dealership they can’t find am issue.
I bought my 2019 Nissan Pathfinder in January 2021 and by December 2021 my engine was messed up stalling and misfiring I took it to the dealership and they didn’t even want to help me but engine is now not working at all in a dealership they don’t even want to cover it under the warranty
2019 Nissan Pathfinder Won’t start when applying break and pushing start stop button and when I use the keypod it starts up when I get in and apply the break and stop start button shuts off every time!!