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2006 Nissan Pathfinder Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 837 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Nissan Pathfinder, most often about the transmission (54% of complaints, typically around 101,500 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Pathfinder model year since 2000 and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2006 Nissan Pathfinder problems
Transmission
450 complaints · 54%Half of these problems showed up before 101,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
The 2005/06 Nissan Pathfinder has an issue with the radiator (coolant) leaking into the transmission. The defect causes the car to smoke once the transmission has completely gone out. This also at some points causes the car to switch gears violently on when going above 60 MPH.
Transmission stalling vehicle making vehicle jump. Called Nissan motors about transmission problems. Have read on boards this problem with transmission and radiator is very common in these vehicles. Vehicle just all of the sudden starts jumping which could cause an accident. Paid too much money for this Nissan to be…
Engine
331 complaints · 40%Half of these problems showed up before 103,000 miles. Parts named most often: cooling system, engine, exhaust system.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle would stall once it reached a speed of 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated that there was a hole in the radiator allowing radiator fluid to leak into the transmission. As a result, the…
When I try to accelerate, my vehicle shakes and the speed does not increase. I had the vehicle looked at and I was told the transmission fluid is mixing with the radiator. There is a purple slime under the radiator cap and there is corrosion under the cap of the overflow. This will cost thousands of dollars to fix…
Fuel system
231 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 67,500 miles. Parts named most often: storage, delivery.
Fuel sending unit in the 2006 Nissan Pathfinder broke and Nissan will not cover the fix. Wife was stranded at the side of the road. The part should be recalled as there are confirmation from mechanics that these fail too early.
2006 Nissan Pathfinder after filling up with gas--engine service soon light illuminated and fuel gauge does not read accurate level of fuel and has not worked since the initial incident 3 days ago.
Other or unspecified
43 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 99,000 miles.
I'm currently financing a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder which I purchased june 2012 at 78000 mi. In february of 2014 I went to get an oil change and the mechanic informed me that there is oil in the antifreeze compartment. A few days later I noticed that my car "shuttered"every time I shift gear to reverse or to drive. I…
Car started giving problems with transmission in that the vehicle doesn't move when you release the break, you have to accelerate in order for it to start moving. After taking it to a Nissan dealer it was confirmed that it is a factory issue that has happened to many Pathfinder models, in which the water from the…
Steering
41 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 74,500 miles. Parts named most often: column.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn and required excessive force in order to continue driving. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the engine was turned off. The vehicle was restarted and…
Tl contact owns a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving approximately 55 MPH he noticed that the steering column felt loose and was shifting about a quarter inch in each direction. He also noticed that the vehicle seemed to lose power steering while making left and right turns because the steering wheel would become…
Electrical
34 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 104,500 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the ECM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and they advised that her vehicle was not…
Have a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder se, while driving at 65 MPH the car shut off and I lost total power of the car and thankfully was able to pull over without getting killed. This has happened 2x I loos total power and the car shuts off. I called Nissan to see if there was a recall and they said no, however there is a…
Speed control
16 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 104,000 miles.
While driving on a very bust highway towing our 3000 lb boat our SUV began to shutter and slow down swiftly causing traffic to swerve dangerously around our boat and car and potentially cause a major pile up. Apparently, the defect in the radiator and transmission lines caused the fluids to mix, overheating and…
Check engine light came on, diagnostic for auto trans sensor. Mechanic flushed transmission then couldn't replace sensor due to on going problem with radiator leaking coolant to transmission
Air bags
14 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in the recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 08v690000 (air bags:frontal) and was repaired. After the repair, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic…
The air bag light will come on and the air bag system is showing a fault code. There was a recall for this problem. Nissan recall id: 08v690000, but according to the dealer, my VIN is not covered by this recall. So my vehicle is having the same problem as others, but it just happens mine is not covered by this recall.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Nissan Pathfinder recalls
Engine: engine and engine cooling
Risk: This could cause engine stalling increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the ECM relay inside the ipdm assembly. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on december 6, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 armada, titan, infiniti qx56 and model year 2005-2006 frontier, pathfinder and xterra vehicles. The intelligent power distribution module (ipdm) assembly contains an engine control module (ECM) relay that has a diode for electrical current noise reduction. The ECM relay may allow silicon vapor to form and, over time, the silicon evaporates from the diode molding which causes silicon oxide to develop on the ECM relay contact due to arcing.
Fuel system: auxillary tank
Risk: This could cause the vehicle to run out of gas and stall in traffic, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel level sending unit inside the fuel tank with a new one that has a modified float arm. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before march 22, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2006 and model year 2008 frontier, xterra and pathfinder vehicles. The molded fuel tank shells can deform, causing the fuel sender float arm to contact an embossment molded into the tank shell causing the instrument panel fuel gauge to show that the vehicle has approximately one quarter tank when the fuel tank is empty.
Air bags: frontal
Risk: This issue could result in the non-deployment of the driver and passenger front air bags in a crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front czs with a redesigned sensor. The recall began on january 26, 2009. Owners in the other states will receive extended warranty coverage for the sensor to 10 years. These owners will be notified of the warranty extension by mail and will receive a sticker to place in their warranty booklet explaining the extended warranty coverage. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan is recalling 242,720 my 2005-2009 pathfinder, frontier and xterra vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. In those areas of the country which use heavy concentrations of road salt in the winter, a mixture of snow/water and salt can enter into the front crash zone sensor (czs) housing. If this occurs, the czs may internally rust resulting in a signal interruption. If this happens, the red air bag warning light will illuminate to alert the vehicle operator.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Transmission failures
Summary
On february 29, 2012 the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) received a letter petitioning the agency to conduct a defect investigation into my 2005-2010 nissan pathfinder, frontier, and xterra vehicles [the subject vehicles] for automatic transmission failures related to failed transmission coolers.NHTSA conducted a comprehensive review of data related to this subject. Our report, documenting this review, is available in the document file for this defect petition.it will also be published in the federal register. Of the 2,505 referenced complaints, 638 relate to a potential hazard (unable to maintain speed, no motive power, engine stall) and 1,867 concern customer satisfa
Questions about the 2006 Nissan Pathfinder
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Nissan Pathfinder?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (450 complaints, typically around 101,500 miles); engine (331 complaints, typically around 103,000 miles); fuel system (231 complaints, typically around 67,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Nissan Pathfinder have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 28, 2010 (engine). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Nissan Pathfinder?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Pathfinder model year since 2000, with 837 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.