Reliability, what owners report, and what it costs to keep.
AVOIR's read: the reliability record is poor enough to outweigh everything else here.
Owners have filed 573 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder, and it carries 11 recalls. These are owner allegations rather than confirmed defects, but the pattern of what people complain about is the most useful signal a used buyer has.
| Area | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power train | 152 | 27% |
| Air bags | 68 | 12% |
| Unknown or other | 63 | 11% |
| Visibility/wiper | 38 | 7% |
| Structure | 32 | 6% |
| Engine | 27 | 5% |
| Service brakes | 16 | 3% |
| Power train | 11 | 2% |
| Electrical system | 11 | 2% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 8 | 1% |
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint records, trimmed for length.
2014 Nissan Parhfinder FWD Premium: this vehicles CVT joint failed that shirt the engine down to about 10 miles an hour immediately. Which caused me the driver to find a place to pull it off the road quickly. If a person
NHTSA complaint: Suspension
I purchased the car July 2024 by November 2024 the transmission failed and had to be replaced. Replaced, not repaired. By October 2025 it failed again. The car sputtered and then would not drive. This time the dealer s
NHTSA complaint: Engine
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that it had rained heavily for two days, and the contact became aware that there was a significant amount of water accumulated on the front passenger's and dr
NHTSA complaint: Structure
Rear Door / lift gate will not go all the way up or stay up without manual assistance, causing 2 head injuries and 2 arm injuries on recent occasions. We have confirmed with the dealer & one Nissan Certified Mechanic tha
NHTSA complaint: Power train
I bought this vehicle and it has about 5,000 miles on it, I added about 60,000 more miles on it and I have to replaced the automatic transmission paid from my pocket since the manufacturer warranty does not cover all th
NHTSA complaint: Power train
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated and shuddered. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving. An unknown warning
NHTSA complaint: Power train
Vehicle has known CVT judder issue. Now they (Nissan) claim the only way to remedy is a complete transmission replacement. The car is my wife’s vehicle and can be very touchy often causing distracted driving in reality.
NHTSA complaint: Power train
Driver's side (left) rear trailing arm broke away from the rear subframe mount due to excessive rust and corrosion. In addition to the failed trailing arm mount location, the mount to the body in the same location also r
NHTSA complaint: Suspension
NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns for the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder. Recalls are free to have fixed at a franchised dealer regardless of who owns the car now, but only if they were never done, so check the VIN of the specific car rather than trusting the model.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano
Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Alti
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may
Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted)
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Pathfinder vehicles manufactured June 20, 2012, to June 13, 2013. The brake light switch may have been installed incorrectly causing the relay to make intermittent contact and repeatedly cycle. This may result in the rel
Risk: If the brake override is activated, the driver will not be accelerate normally, increasing the risk of a crash. If the brake lights remain illuminated, other drivers may fail to stop when the vehicle
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake light switch and, as necessary, replace the relay, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 Pathfinder and Rogue vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 vehicles. The right side wheels of the affected vehicles may have one lug nut each that was not properly tightened.
Risk: If the lug nut becomes loose from not being properly tightened, it may fall off, allowing the other lug nuts to become loose, possibly resulting in a wheel separation, and increasing the risk of a cra
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten any loose lug nuts to the correct specification, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by the end of June 2014. Owners may c
| Reliability raw | 40 | below average |
|---|---|---|
| Longevity est. | 59 | average |
| Maintenance | 76 | good |
| Depreciation | 59 | average |
| Performance | 67 | good |
| Efficiency | 40 | below average |
| Safety | 93 | excellent |
Percentile ranks against other SUVs in the catalog.
What stands behind each score for this car:
Owners have filed 573 complaints with NHTSA for this model-year, and power train is the most reported area with 152 of them (27%). There are 11 recalls on record. Check any specific car against its VIN before buying.
AVOIR scores its reliability 40/100 (below average) from NHTSA recall campaigns and complaint density. That figure is a raw complaint count, not yet adjusted for sales volume, so a high-volume model scores worse than it deserves.
AVOIR scores its longevity 59/100, but that figure is an estimate built from the powertrain and the brand's record, not a measurement. A 2014 car has no 200,000-mile population to observe yet, so treat it as a prior rather than evidence.
AVOIR's read: skip, because the reliability record is poor enough to outweigh everything else here. Its overall ownership score is 60/100. Condition, mileage and service history still matter more than any score, so get a pre-purchase inspection on the specific car.
Sources: NHTSA recalls and complaints, EPA fuel economy, IIHS awards, and live market listings. A score describes a model-year, not the individual car in front of you. Get a pre-purchase inspection.