The first year the CVT settlement no longer reaches — a quieter car on paper, but its transmission was never covered beyond the base warranty.

Recall 19V807 covers 2017–2019 Pathfinders in which the anti-lock brake actuator pump — the ABS unit that pulses the brakes to stop the wheels locking — can allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal circuit board, causing an electrical short and increasing the risk of a fire. It both expands and supersedes the earlier 18V601 campaign, which did not include 2019 cars, and its remedy is to replace the actuator outright rather than inspect it. Free. NHTSA marks it with a park-outside warning and gives a clear tell: if the ABS warning lamp stays illuminated for more than ten seconds after you start the engine, park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles and structures and do not drive it. The original notice promised replacement parts 'during summer 2020,' so a car that only received an interim notice is worth checking carefully.

The signature 2019 complaint, and the year's largest cluster. Owners describe the anti-lock brake, traction-control and forward-collision warning lights illuminating simultaneously, sometimes with the emergency braking system engaging on its own. Several tie it explicitly to the recall: one filing notes the vehicle had the antilock/traction control recall repair performed in March 2021 and the automatic braking problem followed. Others report the forward-collision system bringing the car to a complete halt in traffic, or cruise control failing to brake for an object ahead. Nissan publishes a bulletin covering intelligent cruise control going inoperative with an emergency-braking warning light or a 'front radar obstruction' message on 2017 and later Pathfinders, so there is a documented diagnostic path — but no recall covers the recurrence. Because these lights sit on top of a fire-risk brake recall, do not accept them being cleared as a fix.

Fewer filings than the 2017, but the severity is high and the maintenance histories are good, which is what makes them worth flagging. One owner had metal shavings found in the engine during a routine tune-up and was told by two shops the engine needed replacing. Another reports complete engine failure while doing oil changes every 4,000 miles, the last one early at 3,200. A third describes fast oil burning, white smoke and sludge after two oil changes at 88,000 miles. The 3.5-litre V6 has a good long-term reputation — a community source describes it as a proven engine good for well over 200,000 miles with proper maintenance — but it runs a timing chain on plastic guides that wear when servicing is stretched, and the failure announces itself as a metallic rattle at the front of the engine on a cold start.

Recall 19V654 is a fleet-wide Nissan campaign covering 2018–2019 vehicles across almost the whole range. The backup camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible, and the system retains that setting the next time the car is put in reverse — so the camera never comes back. NHTSA treats this as a failure to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111 on rear visibility, and dealers apply a free software update; the campaign began in November 2019 and NHTSA notes all affected VINs should be activated. Separately from the recall, several 2019 owners report the rear camera display going black intermittently — showing an image at first and then dropping out, or working again only after the tailgate is opened and closed. That behaviour is a hardware fault, not the recalled settings problem, and a software update will not cure it.

One 2019 owner reports the transfer case failing completely at 25,800 miles of ordinary street and highway driving, forcing the family onto the shoulder. Another describes a loud popping or clunking from the steering when turning at a standstill. Nissan has a long-running bulletin covering a clicking noise from the front or rear axle during take-off and acceleration on Pathfinders of this era, and a community source advises specifically asking a mechanic to check for leaks from the transfer case and from the transmission cooler lines during a pre-purchase inspection. On a four-wheel-drive example, use all three drive modes during the test drive rather than leaving it in auto.

Two separate 2019 owners report front airbags firing at highway speed with no impact of any kind. One was driving at 75 mph, heard what they describe as an explosion, and had airbags deploy with no collision and no front-end contact. The other reports the steering-wheel airbag deploying as the car broke down on the highway, again with no impact. There is no recall covering this on the 2019 Pathfinder and the filings are too few to call it a pattern, but an uncommanded deployment is severe enough to record. If a car you are looking at has any history of airbag replacement without an accident, ask what the diagnosis was.