2014 Nissan Pathfinder and Pathfinder Hybrid: Car Seat Check

Nissan redesigned its Pathfinder for 2013 and added a hybrid model for 2014. This seven-passenger family-friendly crossover has a comfortable, inviting interior full of impressive available features like a second-row seat that provides a clear path to the third row even when a forward-facing child-safety seat is installed.

More 2014 Car Seat Checks

Both gas and hybrid versions of the Pathfinder have the same dimensions, and since the hybrid model’s lithium-ion battery is under the third-row seat, it doesn’t impact cargo space or interior room. Thanks to plenty of passenger room and accessible Latch anchors, we had no trouble installing child-safety seats in the Pathfinder’s second and third rows.

How many car seats fit in the second row? Two

How many car seats fit in the third row? Two

What We Like

• The second row slides and collapses forward with ease for clear third-row access. The step-in height is high but manageable.
• The second row’s pair of Latch anchors are accessible and a breeze to use; the seatbacks also recline to provide better access. There are three tether anchors, which also work well, midway down the seatbacks.
• In both the second and third rows, our forward-facing convertible installed easily and fit well. We had to remove the head restraint in both cases to fit it correctly on the seat. This was tough to do in the third row.
• The booster also went in easily in both rows. The buckles are on stable bases so kids should be able to connect to them independently. The third row’s bottom seat cushion is flat, and we didn’t need to remove the head restraint to position the booster.
• In the second row, there was plenty of room for the infant-safety and rear-facing convertible seats. The front passenger didn’t need to move the seat forward to accommodate them.

What We Don’t

• There are no Latch anchors in the third row and only one third-row tether anchor, which is on the passenger-seat side. There are lots of hooks in cargo area, which could confuse parents when connecting the tether anchor.
• There’s not a ton of legroom for third-row passengers, so kids in boosters may end up kicking the seats in front of them.

A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn’t impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.

B: Plenty of room. One fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row when available.

C: Marginal room. Two fit or connection issues. Difficult to access third row when available.

D: Insufficient room. Two or more fit or connection issues.

F: Does not fit or is unsafe.

About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks

Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.

We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here. Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.

Editor’s note: This Car Seat Check is repurposed from our test of the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder, but our results apply to the 2014 models.

Cars.com photos by Evan Sears