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Nissan Pathfinder, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

3,619 Nissan Pathfinders are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 55.7% of initial MOT tests, 16.6 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Pathfinder? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Nissan Pathfinder at the MOT

55.7% of 4,726 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Pathfinder 532nd of 575 models. Nissan Pathfinders aged 6 to 10 years passed 62.1% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 55.4%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Nissan Pathfinder55.7%
  • All Nissan modelsThe Pathfinder is 12.1 pts behind67.8%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Nissan Pathfinder tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years140 tests62.1%
  • 11 years and over4,580 tests55.4%

Where Pathfinders fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Nissan Pathfinder tests in 2025.

  • Suspension25.4%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment23.4%
  • Body, chassis, structure16.9%
  • Brakes10.5%
  • Visibility5.7%

The items testers recorded most often were ball joint excessively worn (7.3%), position lamp not working (4.9%) and coil spring fractured or broken (4.4%).

The MOT page lists every common Pathfinder MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Nissan Pathfinder MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Pathfinder's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.25.4% of Pathfinder failure items

  2. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.23.4% of Pathfinder failure items

  3. Body, chassis, structure

    Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels.16.9% of Pathfinder failure items

Nissan Pathfinders in the UK

3,619 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 66% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−66%from 10,728 licensed
Typical year of first use
2009half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2009 or earlier
Declared off the road
2,06936% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Nissan Pathfinders since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201410,728
End of 201510,527
End of 201610,253
End of 20179,650
End of 20189,130
End of 20198,604
End of 20208,021
End of 20217,394
End of 20226,551
End of 20235,627
End of 20244,704
End of 20253,948
End of June 20263,619

How old they are

Licensed Nissan Pathfinders by year of first use.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025
2014298
2013362
2012351
2011544
2010362
2009354
2008287
2007528
2006500
2005314

Pathfinder engine sizes

2.5 litre engines made up 99% of Nissan Pathfinder MOT tests in 2025. Diesel accounts for 100% of licensed Pathfinders.

Nissan Pathfinder recalls

8 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Nissan Pathfinder. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Pathfinder is affected.

  1. Jan 2020 R/2020/004

    Passenger air bag may not deploy correctly

    Pathfinders built Jul 2001 to Nov 2003 · 2 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace passenger air bag inflator

  2. Jan 2014 R/2013/144

    Seat belts may not perform as expected

    Pathfinders built Aug 2013 to Sep 2013 · 310 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Incorrect installation of the front seat belts has occurred where the position of the left hand side and right hand side seat belts may have been swapped. This incorrect installation affects homologation regulation and may potentially affect restraint performance.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to check and where necessary refit the front seat belts.

  3. Nov 2013 R/2013/128

    Ball joint may disconnect

    Pathfinders built Aug 2013 to Sep 2013 · 471 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The front lower suspension/steering ball joint retaining ring may not have been manufactured to specification. This could in extreme circumstances result in the detachment of the ball joint from its housing. This can then cause loss of control of the vehicle.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles to check and if required replace the lower link ball joint.

  4. Apr 2012 R/2012/036

    Driver seat fault

    Pathfinders built Nov 2004 to Nov 2009 · 29,866 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The Drivers power seat harness may become trapped between the metal seat bracket and the seat lifter Mechanism. If the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition damage to the harness may occur and this can result in loss of operation of the driver's power seat. In extreme circumstances unexpected self-operation of the driver's power seat base may occur.
    Remedy
    Inspection of the driver's power seat harness for correct installation rectify if necessary. If the harness is damaged it will be replaced with new.

  5. Nov 2010 R/2010/185

    Engine may stall & fail to restart

    Pathfinders built Jan 2004 to Jun 2006 · 83,777 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified that it is possible that the contacts in engine control module (ECM) and ignition relay situationed in the Intelligent Power Distribution Module (IPDM) may become contaminated with silicon oxide due to the evaporating of the silicon from within the units. In extreme cases this could result in the stalling of the engine and the failure to restart the engine.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles and replace the defective units.

  6. Jun 2010 R/2010/061

    Brakes may not operate correctly

    Pathfinders built Feb 2010 to Mar 2010 · 125 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The clevis pin may displace from the brake pedal/brake booster input rod assembly as the clevis pin securing clip may not have been fitted at the factory.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to check and where necessary fit a clevis pin securing clip.

  7. Feb 2006 R/2006/032

    Steering control may be lost

    Pathfinders built Feb 2005 to Jan 2006 · 7,812 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A concern has been identified relating to the fitment of the steering shaft lower joint. Should the joint become detached steering control will be lost.
    Remedy
    Recalled vehicles will have the subject joint inspected and the clamp bolt will be renewed if required.

  8. Dec 2005 R/2005/170

    Propshaft may detach from vehicle

    Pathfinders built Feb 2005 to Sep 2005 · 5,107 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Insufficient torque may have been applied to the propshaft securing bolts during production and this could lead to vibration. If the concern is not rectified the propshaft may detach from the vehicle.
    Remedy
    Affected vehicles will be recalled and inspected if necessary the propshaft securing bolts will be replaced.
How to check a specific Pathfinder for recalls

Other Nissan models

The most-tested Nissan models in 2025, against the Pathfinder's 55.7% MOT pass rate.

All 25 Nissan models

Nissan Pathfinder FAQs

How many Nissan Pathfinders are there in the UK?

3,619 Nissan Pathfinders were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 2,069 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Nissan Pathfinder reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 55.7% first-time pass rate for the Nissan Pathfinder across 4,726 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Nissan Pathfinder had any recalls?

8 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Nissan Pathfinder. The most recent was published in January 2020. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Nissan Pathfinder?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and body, chassis, structure. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Nissan Pathfinder's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a Pathfinder?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Nissan history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Nissan VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.