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Selling a junk Nissan Pathfinder

Any Pathfinder sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.

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What owners report about the Nissan Pathfinder

NHTSA has 9,574 owner complaints on file for the Nissan Pathfinder, model years 1995 to 2022, the 49th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are transmission and drivetrain (2,431, 25%), engine (928, 10%), engine and cooling (841, 9%). 385 complaints involved a crash, 52 a fire, and 159 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 88,000 miles. The 2005 model year has the most complaints (1,560). Data as of 2026-10-12.

When the top complaint is transmission and drivetrain, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a bad transmission: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.

Nissan Pathfinder by model year

YearComplaintsMost reportedCrashFireRecallsMedian miles
1995218Body and structure1370130,000
1996214Suspension2405122,091
1997293Suspension2024120,000
1998194Suspension3114116,000
1999144Suspension2925130,000
2000166Suspension1326130,000
2001299Suspension2127102,000
2002206Suspension1919108,000
2003147Engine and cooling1647108,015
200486Brakes30781,693
20051,560Transmission and drivetrain2111493,000
20061,224Transmission and drivetrain160596,426
2007846Transmission and drivetrain1632102,000
2008458Transmission and drivetrain1005108,000
200951Air bags20490,500
201061Transmission and drivetrain305117,500
201159Air bags01247,950
201235Other212—
20131,209Transmission and drivetrain2611127,000
2014750Transmission and drivetrain3331152,000
2015437Other193547,395
2016130Engine140249,000
2017256Engine142244,000
2018124Other50320,000
2019124Other63241,616
202083Engine200—
2022200Brakes73513,843

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.

Nissan Pathfinder recalls

NHTSA lists 46 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (10), lights (6), brakes (6). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.

  • 2008 model year, air bags (campaign 23V067000, Feb 2023): 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 d…
  • 2022 model year, driver assistance (campaign 22V527000, Jul 2022): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Rogue, 2022 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Titan rental vehicles. When the Sirius XM subscription is set to "Not Subscribed," it may cause the infotainment he…
  • 2013 model year, latches and locks (campaign 22V420000, Jun 2022): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Pathfinder vehicles. On certain Pathfinder vehicles, the secondary hood latch may malfunction and remain in the unlatched, unsecured, position when the h…
  • 2022 model year, seats (campaign 22V111000, Feb 2022): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2022 INFINITI QX60 and Nissan Pathfinder vehicles. The second-row seat track may be missing a mounting bolt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requir…
  • 2022 model year, seats (campaign 21V742000, Sep 2021): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2022 Pathfinder vehicles. The third-row headrests may have an improper weld or misaligned internal components, which can allow the headrest to move or detach. As s…

What a Nissan Pathfinder is worth as a junk car

Buyers price a junk Pathfinder on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.

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Questions people ask

What is a junk Nissan Pathfinder worth?
What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Pathfinder gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
Will a junkyard buy a Nissan Pathfinder that doesn't run?
Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
Should I fix an open recall before selling a Nissan Pathfinder?
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
Where do these Nissan Pathfinder numbers come from?
From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.