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2012 Nissan Pathfinder Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Serious

35 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.31 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious11V592000

Engine And Engine Cooling

IF THERE IS AN ENGINE OIL LEAK, THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE WOULD DROP AND THE ENGINE COULD SEIZE, raises the risk of A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CONNECTOR BOLTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 30, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 INFINITI FX, MODEL YEAR 2012 INFINITI M, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN FRONTIER, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN XTERRA, MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 NISSAN PATHFINDER, AND MODEL YEAR 2012 NISSAN NV VEHICLES. SOME OF THE BOLTS THAT CONNECT THE ENGINE OIL COOLER AND THE ENGINE OIL FILTER TO THE ENGINE IN THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED TO BELOW SPECIFICATION STRENGTH. AS A RESULT, THE BOLT MAY BREAK AT THE OIL FILTER ATTACHMENT POINT AND CAN CAUSE AN ENGINE OIL LEAK.

Serious12V462000

Suspension:Front:Hub

If the vehicle is driven in this condition, the wheel hub may break, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.

Remedy & full details

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replaced the left and right side front wheel hub assemblies free of charge. The safety recall began on October 22, 2012. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra two-wheel drive vehicles manufactured from June 19, 2012, through July 12, 2012. These vehicles may have been equipped with front wheel hubs that may not meet the design hardness specifications. A wheel hub that was manufactured below hardness specification may wear prematurely and eventually crack.

Complaint volume

35 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

2Crashes
1Fires
1Injuries
0Deaths

Across 35 complaints. Severity Index 0.31.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine5 · 14%Unknown Or Other5 · 14%Air Bags4 · 11%Suspension4 · 11%Electrical System3 · 9%Power Train2 · 6%Steering2 · 6%Service Brakes2 · 6%
  1. Engine — 5 reports
  2. Unknown Or Other — 5 reports
  3. Air Bags — 4 reports
  4. Suspension — 4 reports
  5. Electrical System — 3 reports
  6. Power Train — 2 reports
  7. Steering — 2 reports
  8. Service Brakes — 2 reports
  9. Visibility:Glass, Side/Rear — 1 reports
  10. Engine And Engine Cooling — 1 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 · 1996 (5) · 1997 (4) · 1998 (4) · 1999 (5) · 2000 (6) · 2001 (7) · 2002 (9) · 2003 (7) · 2004 (7) · 2005 (4) · 2006 (5) · 2007 (2) · 2008 (5) · 2009 (4) · 2010 (5) · 2011 (2) · 2012 · 2013 (11) · 2014 (11) · 2015 (5) · 2016 (2) · 2017 (2) · 2018 (3) · 2019 (2) · 2020 · 2022 (5) · 2023 (1) · 2024 (2) · 2025 (1) · 2026

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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