2005 Nissan Pathfinder consumer reviews

I bought the car used with 28000 miles only had 2 recalls on it not many at all. it now has 122,000 on it with just a few little problem a coolant leak new rad. on internet 200.00 and 2 hours of my time not hard to do and tensioner pulley 150.00 to fix by my mech. never once did my check engine ever come on will definitly by another one. its funny that people complain about cars but they never buy a extended warranty its a 1500.00 peace of mind that only raises the payment by 25.00 wow think about that next time

2005 Pathfinder along with its successive model years is a sporty looking, rugged and capable off road vehicle. We liked the looks, versatility, 7 PAX seating, towing capability and off road performance. Like many that choose to own SUVs we have several children, like to drive on the beach, like to get around regardless of weather conditions and pull a boat and jet skis during the summer months. The Pathfinder fits these needs well in an overall nice package. The issue is quality and reliability. Our time owning this vehicle was beleaguered with numerous mechanical problems, break-downs, recalls and quality issues. The vehicle had chronic fuel pump and fuel sender failures (Google and read owner blogs). This resulted in the fuel gauge not working or fuel pump failing altogether. Fuel pump issues left us stranded twice (towed to dealer both times). We replaced the sender and fuel pump 3 times while owning. We had ball bearing and CV issues in the front end. We had the car battery explode once, leaving my wife stranded (towed to dealer again). We had the transmission slip out of drive a few times and one time out of 4WD while pulling the boat out on a ramp. The ECM (electronic control module) had to be fix/replace twice. The sliding moon roof rode off its track, became jammed and had to be completely replaced. The back lift gate pistons failed to keep the back gate open. The cargo board liner came undone (I fixed myself), passenger cup holders broke off (poorly placed by design). Styling molding covers on the roof rack came off on the highway. The banding on the exhaust heat shields rusted away resulting in a metallic rattle between the exhaust pipes and heat shielding which require re-banding (I fixed myself). The underbody shows far too much rust development for a modern make, this made me concerned about the vehicles long term handling of underbody rust. 2nd row passenger AC/heat control buttons kept coming off. The paint chips and scratches easily. The interior plastics are soft, also scratch easily and the lighter tone plastics are hard to clean. The font bumper cover cracked and tore pushing through a snow drift. Ride quality is lack luster. The truck resonates road noise while driving at any speed. The engine has a high rev/snarling during acceleration. The engine causes light interference in the radio speakers which makes a slight whine when the sound system is not on, this is distracting and annoying for front occupants. The cloth seats fray along the edged stitching near the doors. They don?t come apart but it makes the seats look very worn prematurely. When the 4WD is engaged (high or low), truck lacks the refinement of other manufactures 4WD/AWD engineering. When in 4WD the engine rev increases significantly even at idle, steering becomes considerably more harsh to manage, if you get stuck the limited slip differential/traction control actually make getting unstuck more difficult. The Pathfinder feels clumsy and handles poorly in city driving conditions. For the record we traded this at 89K miles. It was the worse vehicle I?ve owed in terms of quality and reliability. I?ve owned 11 vehicles over the last 15+ years. I?m meticulous about preventive maintenance and keep my vehicles longer than most consumers, usually getting well over 100K miles, in some cases close to 200K before trading or donating. If interested in a Pathfinder, do your research and read owner blogs.

Too many reacalls had a local dealer but they dropped Nissan, now I have warranty issues recall issues and Nissan does nothing to help out, and have to drive over an hour to get a recall fixed.

The radiators leak on ALL 2005 Pathfinders allowing the coolant to enter the transmission causing total transmission failure. Nissan is doing NOTHING to help the owners. I have a leaking radiator with only 50K miles. Actually, the problem was diagnosed 2 years ago by my friendly neighborhood mechanic. He said I could probably get by for a while without replacing the radiator. That would have been 20K miles earlier. I've owned Maxima's for 25 years and never had any problems. All they needed was oil changes and new tires. Now this!

Very stiff suspension, lots of squeaks and rattles. Very solid and heavy, which is good for me, I want to tow a camper. Strong engine, gas mileage a little low. Lots of options. Overall a good car.

this car is a vey nice car. i purchased the car brand new when it came out in 2005 and i still have it but after the car reached oer 100,000 miles we paid it of then everything went bad they couldnt fix the transmission we took it to amco first then to nissan and we had to rent a car for two weeks because it took them so long but the preformance os amazing this car is faster than my 2007 ford F-150 but i would not reconmend this car to a friend maybe if the car was a 2008 it wouldnt of had so many problems because we bought the first model that came out and that isnt vert intelagent to do.

I'm puzzled at all the "hate" reviews for this car. I've used and abused mine for nearly 5 years and have few complaints. The reliability has been rock solid, the mileage is to be expected for a 270hp, 5,000 lb. vehicle, and the ride is great for a solid-rear axle vehicle. If you have complaints about all these things you should be in a Highlander, not a Pathfinder. I have two gripes for which Nissan is truly at fault. First, the standard headlights are lousy. An SUV should have brighter, wider-discharge headlights than normal, but these are sub-par on any scale, even with the fog lights on. Boo. Second, chains will not fit on the front wheels because they're too tight in the wells. I live down a 26 percent, unpaved road that loads up with snow in the winter. 4WD is not enough, and I can only fit chains on the rear. Is this an SUV or isn't it? My antique Land Cruiser pounds the off-road far better. All that said, I'm pleased with the ride, the power, the interior ergonomics, the towing capabilities, the remapped throttle when in compound low, etc.

Have owned this car from new. Have had absolutely no repairs or issues. Completely trouble free. Have over 50K miles and have talked to other who have gotten over 150K trouble free.

I bought a new 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. I had never had a Nissan, but other friends have and most were pleased. The past pathfinder models looked good, seemed reliable, and only had a problem with rusting. The new design was much nicer and 270hp engine with the ability to switch off the 4WD seemed great. Bought it and made funny noise and problem shifting on downhills from beginning. After bringing it to dealer more times than I care to write, they changed belts and I just figured since the car was driving reasonably well, I would deal with the noise. Now, the car needs huge repairs. I'm over warranty by 3800 miles and company won't goodwill the repairs. The coolant valve broke and coolant flows into transmission. Don't believe me..google nissan transmission/radiator and you'll see many forums. Or, simply ask dealer and they'll tell you off the record. Believe me, STAY AWAY!

Bought this vehicle when I read the first reviews of Nissan and this model, drove it and was impressed with the power, I disliked the noise of the engine being this engine rated well I was surprised at the coarse sound, unrefined sound. Never the less I liked the utility and the ride was good so I bought it. Since then I replaced the engine due to faulty converters my Murano at bad converters too must be a Nissan problem. Then the rear aluminum cooling line somehow created a hole very expensive to fix, not under their terrible warranty, everthing that is covered last everything this is not covered breaks, not the Nissan quality I read about. Won't buy Nissan again, I've owned two and I'm not satified with the quality of these vehicles considering their price and heritage. I really think buying Japaneese is overly hyped, I've owned several foreign brand vehicles and they all had problems some even more then the domestics I've owned. Most of the brands out there are scams considering their prices, it's no wonder the car industry is hurting. Pay $30,000+ for a vehicle and pay near the same to fix and operate it, what a terrible way to spend our money. Welcome to America, where the cost never matches the quality.