2008 Nissan PATHFINDER - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2008 Nissan Pathfinder has solid crash safety ratings, with a 4-star rating for both the front crash driver and passenger sides, and a top score of 5 stars for both the driver and passenger sides in side crash tests. It also comes equipped with standard electronic stability control, which is a great feature for helping drivers maintain control in challenging situations. Unfortunately, this model does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

In terms of overall safety, the rollover rating is 3 out of 5, indicating a moderate risk, but without a specific combined rating, it is difficult to provide a comprehensive assessment. Additionally, there have been 326 complaints filed and 5 recalls issued for this vehicle, suggesting some potential issues that may need to be addressed. Overall, while the Pathfinder offers good crash protection and stability control, potential buyers should be aware of the reported complaints and recalls associated with this model.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

326

Recall Count

5

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2008 Nissan Pathfinder 4-DR Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder 4-DR

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2008 Nissan Pathfinder 4-DR Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder 4-DR Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2008 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 4 4
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2008 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2008 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 3 3 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2008 Nissan PATHFINDER

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"a coolant hose leaked in transmission and shorted tcm causing total transmission failure and totaling out vehicle"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-11-01

Complaint:
"crack in defective radiator allowed coolant to mix in with transmission fluid. coolant caused transmission to fail while driving it. transmission changed gears on its own and would not shift properly and engine just shut down"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-08-10

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated while driving 45 mph, the vehicle downshifted independently. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. the contact was able to continue driving to his destination. the contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the transmission fluid needed to be changed. the contact took the vehicle to a second independent mechanic and was informed that the radiator and the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. a dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 116,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-04-07

Complaint:
"while driving, from a stop, a loud clunk occurred and the vehicle would not shift out of low gear. upon arrival at home and inspection, it was noted that the coolant was contaminated with a dark fluid. the vehicle will not engage any gear at this time and is not drivable. research indicates that suspected cause is cross contamination between coolant and transmission fluid, most likely due to radiator deficiency."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2021-11-11

Complaint:
"transmission failure due to coolant being leaked into transmission housing causing failure of transmisson and causing module to blow fuse to keep from harming engine. the engine died at signal light and had to be towed to mechanic. there i was told transmission and radiator had to be replaced."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2020-03-09

Complaint:
"transmission overheating, tool to mtn view nissan chattanooga ten & they replaced the fluid & anti freeze fluid. i mentioned that i had read of this type vehicle having these issues with the radiator coolant getting into the transmission fluid & causing this problem. the service rep told me that my vehicle was not designed like that & just the fluid needed changed. i had them do that & the next day driving it overheated again. i took the vehicle to east ridge transmission & they told me that the transmission fluid contained radiator fluid & that the transmission, radiator & fluids all needed replaced. i had them do that & it did repair the problem. nissan knows of this defect & should reimburse me for it."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2019-10-05

Complaint:
"while driving, the vehicle started to stumble for a second, then all of a sudden felt like it had almost no power. wouldnt accelerate well, didnt shift normally, and didnt feel like it was running as well as normal. when we parked the vehicle, i turned it off to hopefully "reset" whatever may have malfunctioned. when i tried to restart the vehicle, it wouldnt start. the starter wouldnt even try to start the motor, like it wasnt even getting power. being a mechanic by trade, i jumped out to see what was going on, and had my wife try to start it while i watched & listened... as she turned the key to start it, i could hear the starter relay click to send voltage to the starter, but the starter wasnt responding. after further examination, i found a blown fuse in the fusebox under the hood. it was the "a/t ecu" fuse. this is where things get bad. i replaced the fuse to get us home, but as soon as we got home and shut the vehicle off, i tried immediately to restart it. again, nothing happened... no crank, no start. same fuse was blown again. after a little research, i found that fuse is on the circuit to the transmission control module. this module had malfunctioned and now blows the fuse every time it is replaced. that led me to drop the transmission pan to check it out, and what did i find? transmission fluid all clouded up and contaminated with radiator coolant. how did that get there? after inspecting that, i found that the radiator had failed and allowed coolant to mix with the trans fluid. this coolant is also damaging the clutches in the transmission, as it causes the vehicle to put extra stress on them due to the way the vehicle shifts now. then i realized numerous people with pathfinders, titans, and many nissan vehicles had the exact same problems. now i'm upset because i have a truck with an expensive problem that nissan should be liable for, and should fix."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2021-03-07

Complaint:
"transmission failure due to antifreeze coolant cross connection into transmission fluid cooling system. cost to repair $4,700.00. 2008 nissan pathfinder se 4.0 4wd. transmission failed while traveling a 4 lane divided state and federal highway moving straight. 03/08/2020"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2020-06-03

Complaint:
"radiator leaked and mixed with transmission. transmission oil looks like strawberry milkshake. gears now grind when shifting during normal driving."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2019-12-11

Complaint:
"transmission was slipping in first gear. has when into limp mode many times. have had the fluid change a couple times. once it was slipping in the middle of a busy intersection. had it remove and rebuilt. antifreeze was found in the transmission. how many reports before they recall these vehicles."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2020-08-08

Recalls for the 2008 Nissan PATHFINDER

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"nissan is recalling 242,720 my 2005-2009 pathfinder, frontier and xterra vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. in those areas of the country which use heavy concentrations of road salt in the winter, a mixture of snow/water and salt can enter into the front crash zone sensor (czs) housing. if this occurs, the czs may internally rust resulting in a signal interruption. if this happens, the red air bag warning light will illuminate to alert the vehicle operator."
Consequence:
THIS ISSUE COULD RESULT IN THE NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAGS IN A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy:

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT CZS WITH A REDESIGNED SENSOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 26, 2009. OWNERS IN THE OTHER STATES WILL RECEIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE SENSOR TO 10 YEARS. THESE OWNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION BY MAIL AND WILL RECEIVE A STICKER TO PLACE IN THEIR WARRANTY BOOKLET EXPLAINING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL
Date of incident: 2008-12-29

Recall:
"nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2008-2011 titan, frontier, xterra, pathfinder, armada, and 2008-2009 quest vehicles. the resin emblem on the driver's air bag cover may develop cracks and detach during air bag deployment."
Consequence:
A detached emblem can become a projectile during air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Remedy:

Dealers will replace the driver’s airbag cover. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed April 7, 2023. Second letters will be mailed once the remedy is available, anticipated December 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are PC944, PC945, and PC946.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL
Date of incident: 2023-02-10

NISSAN Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

NISSAN ranks 5 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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