Faulty seat, electrical, and fuel/propulsion issues are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Eight-passenger SUVs continue to impress busy families, with the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder making waves in its own right. The automaker claims it offers a “return to rugged,” but sometimes rugged becomes a bit much when customers encounter major problems. The most common problems relate to unsafe seats, the electrical system and an inability to start the SUV, and issues that question the safety of the fuel/propulsion system.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2019 2020 2023
Seat problems top the list of complaints by 2022 Nissan Pathfinder owners to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Other issues high on the list relate to the electrical and fuel/propulsion systems.
In total, there are 31 complaints that are reflected in categories relating to 16 components and systems. Forward collision avoidance, the powertrain, and vehicle speed control are also quite high in numbers, with three complaints each.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Seats | |
| Power Train | |
| Electrical System | |
| Engine | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Visibility/wiper |
Issues with the seats of the 2022 Pathfinder are serious, and with three seat-related recalls, it seems that Nissan knows this.
But the complaints tell an additional story about badly designed seats that are too low and impossible to adjust. There are also complaints that this issue affects child car seats making them potentially dangerous. So far, there are six complaints about seats and one related complaint filed under seat belts. They all tell a very similar story.
An owner from New York points a strong finger stating that the front passenger seat is very poorly designed for anyone under 5 ft 2 ins. “This seat should have (been) designed just like the driver side seat, meaning it should also move up and down. My wife almost hit her forehead (a) few times. She stopped sitting in the front seat because of the low seat position.”
Another owner from New York, who has the Pathfinder 2022, SL with Premium package, states: “My concern is that the passenger seat on the Pathfinder is extremely low. I have had adult passengers in the front and they appear to be virtually on the floor. The issue is that in the event of an accident an average size adult will go directly into the dashboard. I believe it is a design flaw and that any test crash would show that the seat is too low or must be modified to enable the passenger to adjust the height up or down.”
Interestingly, the NHTSA test frontal crash awards only four stars out of five for both the front driver and passenger sides.
An owner from New Mexico says that because the seats are tilted upward, this causes the child car seat to “be off,” making it tilt forward. This may result in a baby’s head going forward too much. “Passenger seat is also very low, causing concerns for airbag deployment and (possible) serious injury to (the) face.”
The first recall relating to 2022 Pathfinder seats was in September 2021. As many as 5,895 vehicles were found to be at risk of second-row seat back welds separating. If this happens, the occupants may not be properly restrained in a crash, which increases the risk of injury.
At the same time, Nissan found that third-row headrests in potentially 10,082 Pathfinders might detach or at least move in a crash. This would also result in the risk of people getting hurt.
In February 2022, they discovered that 21 Pathfinders were missing a mounting bolt in the second-row seat track. If these SUVs crash, the seat track might move, which would also increase the risk of people in the vehicle being injured.
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The most common electrical system problem owners are complaining about is that they have difficulty starting the Pathfinder.
An owner from Virginia states that the “car delays start. When I press the push to start, the radio will come on but all the indicators will be lit but the car won’t start. Sometimes I have to press the start button multiple times. Forward collision warning sensor randomly turns off. Sensor will say ‘malfunctioning’ at random times.”
The same thing happens to an owner from Florida. When trying to start the Pathfinder, the braking system doesn’t release but displays multiple error messages. The SUV won’t start. This Pathfinder was towed to a dealer, but two days later the same failure occurred. The second dealer couldn’t find a fault. Then an engineer examined the SUV and couldn’t find a problem either.
A more recent complaint from Wisconsin in July 2022 says that they thought the problem was a dead battery. “Finally got it started, put (it) into reverse, and felt some resistance like (the) brake was on but it wasn’t. Put (the) car in drive and it seemed okay. Had to wait for traffic at a roundabout and the car shifted into neutral. I was able to shift back into drive but the same thing happened at the next roundabout…”
Eventually the driver called 911 for traffic control. Only by shutting the vehicle off could he start it again. But again, the dealer couldn’t identify a problem. Having identified many complaints online, this owner is one of many who believes that “this is a very serious/dangerous issue.”
Complaints about the fuel/propulsion system also indicate dangerous issues that implicate consumer safety. But the complaints are all quite different to one another.
An owner from Virginia is particularly concerned about the fact that the fuel door doesn’t lock. “It does not lock when the car is locked by (the) security system, and it does not lock when (the) car is in motion. Car does not have to be turned off at (a) gas station to unlock (the) fuel door. There is no mechanism to keep the fuel door locked. There is no gas cap to cover (the) nozzle entry point so at any point, (the) gas tank can be tampered with. Fuel door pops open in car washes and water can enter the fuel tank. VERY UNSAFE.”
The fact that the transmission won’t go into neutral unless the engine is running is the issue an owner from California has. So, “what if (the) car runs out of gas and the engine cannot run? Car ran out of gas and transmission could not go into neutral to be pushed out of the road. Very dangerous situation.”
Nobody wants to land up with a lemon, but if you think your 2022 Nissan Pathfinder is a lemon, we may be able to help you. The law makes Nissan pay legal fees so we’ll assess your case at no charge.
Did you know that every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you? It’s true. While most cars aren’t lemons, those that are impact really badly on owners’ lives.
Contact our Helpline if you think you have a lemon. Alternatively, fill in our contact form. We will assess your case free and then we can take it from there.
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 have had so many problems with my 2022 Nissan Pathfinder SL 4WD that it’s not even funny.
I purchased it brand new in April 2022 with ~300 miles on it from a local dealership. At first, I thought it ran great, then issues started occurring.
1. The stereo/infotainment would freeze and become unresponsive so frequently, it often required shutting the car off and back on — even then it wouldn’t work some times. It’s been replaced 3 times. The issue is occurring again.
2. The brakes started wearing funny and vibrating at around 8k miles. I noticed when I had to brake on the way home one day and it never got better. They were replaced under warranty at 14k miles after repeatedly taking it back to the dealership for the issue. They have now begun exhibiting the same behavior – it’s not as noticable yet, but with only 10k more miles they shouldn’t be worn funny again.
3. The engine stutters/sputters sometimes from a cold start, or when you’re sitting at a red light. I turn off the auto-start function because it’s not reliable so I let it run. It also makes extremely rough sounds and idles rough quite often. Sometimes when this happens, the RPM will go up for a few moments, drop… but then it’ll go back up like it’s giving itself more gas.
4. When shifting from Reverse to Drive or Park to Drive — there is an extreme delay when you get to accelerate – and it will jerk very hard. Shifting is very hard at times, too.
5. There sounds like something’s come loose somewhere in the frame or doors — I hear loud sounds whenever there’s a slight bump and there’s nothing in the doors.
6… there’s more, I just don’t want to keep posting…. I really regret buying this vehicle… For paying as much as I am a month, it’s not worth it…
I have a 2022 Pathfinder I have driven it 36K runs pretty good I did notice a sound in the rear passenger side every time you go over a bump or something it like rattles. I’ve taken it to the dealership they looked at it they I stayed a whole day them looking it over and trying to find out what was wrong with it. They have no idea they said I needed to take it to the body shop so I took it from El Paso which was 250 miles from where I’m at all the way back home and then scheduled an appointment and took it to Roswell. When I got to Roswell, they don’t even have a body shop at that Nissan so it’ll have to be a private body shop. It is not under warranty. My husband thinks it might be something on the frame I’m not sure. So far it’s running good but I still hear the noise when I go over speed bumps or any kind of little bumps. The front seat passenger is very low and I hate that. It is not adjustable for up and down just forward and back. The auto start/stop button is a hassle it would be more convenient if you could choose to leave it off permanently. Other than that the car has been pretty good. I did have to replace the air conditioner about five months out but we did drive all the way from New Mexico to Tennessee so there was a windstorm. I think that might’ve been the problem and they were good about replacing it immediately and giving us a rental car for the time that it was out which was only two or three days. I have had excellent experience with Nissan in Lubbock TX and Roswell NM but the Viva Nissan in El Paso was horrible and very dishonest, I wouldn’t let them carry the Nissan name making you look bad. My car is over all pretty good just the noise that irritates me and not many people notice it but I would like to get to the source of it in case it is serious or do I wait till something causes an accident or falls apart.
My concern is the Passenger seat being too low. My wife is 5 2” and her head is just above the dash. She also sits on a cushion. It appears to be a safety hazard and the car should be recalled and the seat replaced with an up and down power seat as in previous models. I owned a 2017 Platinum Pathfinder and assumed when I put this 2022 the passenger seat could be powered up and down as in 2017. I think Nissan was cutting corners and this is not acceptable!
My wife purchased the platinum 2022 Pathfinder back in 2021.
We had issues with the sunroof and after 3 times taking it to the dealership they finally fix it.
Now another issue has come up. At 29k, the front tires are splinting up (yes, we have rotated the tires since day one)
But neither the dealership or manufacturer wants to own this matter.
According to the tire manufacturer (Firestone) they are not covering the tires, if the tires were not purchased with them. I don’t get it?
Nissan saying is under the tire’s manufacturers warranty.
Not sure what to do yet…
I purchased the 22 Pathfinder Platinum Dec 22 …Upgrading from a 20 Rogue. I have complaints abt the driver seat that even with a 10way seat and 3” riser the seat is still low in the back and should tilt forward more and the passenger seat as it sits way to low for a small adult under 5’ to sit there comfortably and feel safe, also the passenger seat airbag light and dinger goes off randomly like there’s a ghost that gets out of the seat almost weekly this happens, the air/wind sound after it rains or is raining coming from the sunroof (I’ve owned 4 other Nissans with sunroofs and have never had this issue), now the check shifter position came on the other day and the next I couldn’t put it in park right away… took 3 tries after putting back in drive.
I love the ride in the new pathfinder and all the updates from the 2015 I owned years ago but there are bugs they need to fix!!
I purchased my 2022 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum Feb 9, 2022. I have so many issues with this vehicle.
1. There is a flapping noise in the right side of my sunroof. It’s usually while it’s raining or afterwards. I’ve heard water running from the front all the way to the back of my Panoramic sunroof. I’ve taken it to the dealership three times and they have yet to hear the issue. They told me they can’t even check for it or try to fix it until they hear it themselves. They asked me to record it, which I did, only to be told they still have to hear it themselves.
2. After starting my car, at times there is a rough noise coming from under the hood.
3. At times, my car sounds like it is about to cut off while I’m driving and while sitting at a red light or stol sign.
4. At 20,000 miles, my ac has stopped working
I have owned two Nissan XTerras and I never had problems with them. But this last Nissan purchase has me lost for words
I purchased my 2022 pathfinder in August of 2021. I traded my 2015 Murano Platinum. I feel it was a huge mistake and am kicking myself. I have several
Issues with it. The shifter was stuck in Neutral and would only go in N and Reverse. I had to drive home backwards over a mile. The passengers seat is too low and doesn’t adjust, the passengers seat belt has to be fastened when no one is in it or it dings. The screen for the navigation and controls goes black randomly. A couple times it would come back on when the car was shut off and restarted. The drivers side heated seat didn’t work from day 1. Front end has a shaking when braking and driving at over about 55 mph. I have been locked out of the car and had to call roadside assistance in a rain storm. I had it to the dealer for a couple weeks. They said the shifter was dirty and so was the seat belt on the passengers side. I’m sure they didn’t know what was wrong so they said it was dirty to cover their lack of knowledge. After being in the shop the car will go into Neutral while driving randomly. I almost got ran over by a semi on I-95. It also happened in the middle of a busy intersection. The auto stop/start feature needs to be able to be turned off and only used if the customer chooses. Gas door comes opened during high winds and in the car wash, needs to be able to lock. Rear passenger doors don’t open from the inside of the vehicle at random. The heat blows cold air unless you crank it up as high as it will go and still doesn’t get hot enough. Sounds like one of the passengers side windows is opened when driving and is loud. A few times the car wouldn’t start. The first time it happened after I had it in aux mode for about 20 minutes so I figured that was why and then it’s happened a couple times after that, the car was completely dead and it was late at night on a dark road. The deign is not the best as far as the console. The change compartment is next to the shifter and money can slide under it. The aux plugs are in the back of the cubby and finding them is inconvenient and you have to move everything in there to get to it. The internet feature has to be subscribed to for after the trial and I am unable to ad it to my art cell account and would have to have a separate account for it and I won’t do that. It should be free considering the issues with the car. It could leave someone in an unsafe situation. My remote start doesn’t work half the time either. There are serious electrical problems with this car. I do not feel safe driving it at all. My Murano was great. It has lost power on hills a few times. Backing up with a small trailer the back up sensor will not allow you to back up without having to sit and go through the functions to find the turn off. The cruise control wouldn’t engage the couple times I tried to use it. I never had a problem with it. I would not recommend anyone purchase one. I miss my Murano and the only reason I traded it was because it had the CVT transmission and had started acting up sometimes. I paid a lot of money for this car and if I try to trade it in I’ll take a serious loss. I drive a lot and am on the road late at night a lot of times and worry about my safety. I wish Nissan would buy it back and fix the issues before someone is killed or injured badly.
I purchased a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder two weeks ago. The electrical system is horrible . I was unable to use my cruise control because it said the cabin was too hot inside. Different sensors were also going off. I knew something was wrong the first day I had it. I called the manager, as I saw that they had a 3 day buyback program. I
He told me it was only for used cars. The Pathfinder is beautiful but nothing else about it is good. I want out of this bad purchase. Wish I had read more reviews before buying it.
Nissan Pathfinder 2022 model. Structural issues with right side roof panel leading to trapping water and loud wind noises when using phone. Local dealer in UAE appears not to know what to do
I have a 2022. I have many issues. Not enough for lemon law according to one office. But, ready to take it back!
Battery died on trip.
Sun roof opening and closing was glitchy early on.
At 6 months. Cruise control wouid NOT shut off!
Nissan had car for a month.
Nissan of America was supposed to issue me a check for the car payment that I lost not being able to drive nor was I offered a loaner vehicle from the dealership. A new computer chip had to be installed. It had a recall for the AC this past August and it went in for another 10 days. The window on the passenger side would not roll up and it would do the bounce where it would go up halfway and then go back down. Go back up. Come back down. Had that looked at About two weeks ago trying to back up out of the driveway. It was out of park and it would not go into reverse. And I also have issues with it not going into drive, but going into one. And while attending the 49er cowboy game it was going into first again, rather into Drive on a couple occasions on that trip, as well as the sunroof window was acting up again. I also had an issue with the passenger driver side door Being locked in passengers, been an able to get out of the car. I really would like this car to be bought back. I am going to take it in for these recent deals that have occurred.
And the automatic swipe of the foot does not always open the car. And I’ve also noticed recently that even if I have my key inside my purse that the car is not opening and unlocking as well as it used to, so I need to physically dig out the key in order to unlock or lock it.
The new style Pathfinder is good looking. However I have owned 4 other Nissan’s before this. This is the worst drive on a vehicle I have ever driven. I have been all over the road like its 45 mph winds but there is no wind at all. Got the same tire issue stated about. I get the same vehicle shaking as stated above too and can feel it all the way up to the arm rest. Of course it never does it while it is at the dealership. I have taken it back for a non working rear heated seat. It is currently in the shop for blown out speakers they had to order 6 new speakers for just the front. It also needs a new battery, if that doesn’t work I will need a whole new radio unit. I have had this vehicle for 3 and a half months with about 4K miles and nothing but issues. I used to work at Nissan swear by there vehicle always had a nice ride this by far is the worst. I am coming out of a Murano Platinum so I understand the ride is going to be a little rough. I have a Platinum Pathfinder so it isn’t like I went from the highest trim to the lowest. Luckily one of my best friends is a Nissan Tech so he constantly has my car just as much as I do fixing it. I hope they resolve these issues as most times I do not feel safe when my car is shaking as I am driving it or idling.
I purchased a 2022 Pathfinder Platinum on 12/1/22. As of writing this, less than a month upgraded from 2020, so I love the new technology, which is why I got it. Driving home, it was very windy vehicle felt all over thought it was just that. The weekend is here finally got to enjoy the car. I take it on the highway and notice between 65 to 80 a noticeable vibration in the front end running under both the driver and passenger seat up to the armrest. I immediately contacted my salesman, who scheduled an appointment. 1st appointment service claims it was the road force of the tires; they claimed they checked and made sure they were balanced correctly, and they claimed one tire they could not get below the required road force of 20, so they replaced one. I picked the vehicle up, and the same thing happened upon road speed 65 or better same shimmy shack in the front that runs to the armrest. Call back and reschedule another appointment 2nd. At the appointment, they held the car for a day and a half; this time, the service manager called and said that his technician checked the vehicle for my concerns and ruled it was the tires as there was nothing mechanical wrong with the car claims my tires have a flat spot from sitting for so long. He Claims Nissan doesn’t warranty the tires and states if I drive the vehicle for some time, it will fix itself. So I decided to call Nissan corp; they confirmed they do not warranty tires but connected me with Bridgestone warranty, who sent three new tires to the dealership. 3rd appointment, the tires came, and the service installed the three new tires; since they had already put one new, my first visit problem still existed decided to contact Nissan and launch a formal investigation into the matter. A new vehicle is not supposed to ride like this. Has anyone experienced this? Also, I only had the car less than a month of writing this. Do I have to go to Nissan corp?
I purchased my 2022 Nissan Pathfinder in August 2021. Overall the vehicle has been great, but the lift gate does not always latch consistently. The lift gate motor works fine, but when closing it will not latch/lock.
The dealer has looked at it multiple times, but has not been able to replicate it or diagnose any issues. However outside of the dealership, the issue happens most of the time. Most recently, I replicated it right before going to the dealership and after leaving the dealership was able to replicate it 4 times in a row, but when at the dealership, it was working fine.
I noticed others seem to be experiencing the same issue – posted here: [https://www.]pathfindertalk.com/threads/issues-with-the-power-lift-gate.37948/
I bought a 2022 Pathfinder in August of 2021. Fast forward to Oct 1, 2022 and I was driving down a flat newly built road and all of a sudden I hear things coming loose and then a big boom. My whole front wheel assembly and suspension detached from my wheel. Here we are a month later and Nissan is finally thinking about having a tech look at the issue. They keep calling it an accident and there is not a blemish to the body of my Pathfinder.
I purchased a 2022 Nissan Pathfinder in February 2022. 6 months and 6k miles later not a single issue. This vehicle does have a lot of technology so there are many options to learn to use. My only complaint is the start/stop option. Stops and starts in traffic as designed. Many manufacturers putting this on their vehicles. You have to turn off this option every time you start the vehicle. Annoying at first but I am used to it now. I love this SUV ride. Smooth and comfortable on long drives. I have had lemons before and feel for anyone that have one in their new Pathfinder. Good luck!
Have a Nissan Pathfinder 2022. Replaced the battery twice and prob w alternator and electeical charging sysyem.
Car wont start. Had to tow it 3 times in 6 months
We bought our 2022 Pathfinder in November 2021…Has anyone figured out how to get a passenger out of the 2nd row door? The child lock is unengaged and we cannot get anyone out of the drivers side second row… We also are frustrated with the “auto” start feature.. I try to start it from inside the store and it just won’t start.. Very frustrating.. we drove it to AZ this winter with a bike rack and ebike behind.. The darn emergency back up and camera’s would not allow us to back up without going through a whole lot of screens to turn the thing off.. and… where the heck is 4 wheel drive, high and low.. images of cactus, snowflakes and sand is just too wierd.
If you are thinking of getting this car don’t. The runner pannels on the roof are coming off and the rubbers holding the windshield leave gapping holes. Bought the car in September and I am not happy.
I purchased a 2022 Nissan Patherfinder in August 2021 and I was wondering if anyone else is having issues with the automatic liftgate? Sometimes mine will close when i push the button but normally i have to close it myself.