The fourth-generation Nissan Pathfinder (R52) marks a radical break in the model's history. Abandoning the ladder frame chassis of its predecessor (R51) for a unibody structure (D platform shared with the Murano and Altima), it transitions from a hardcore off-roader to a large 7-seater family crossover. This change in philosophy prioritizes comfort, interior space, and fuel consumption at the expense of off-road capabilities. While its V6 engine is renowned as indestructible, this generation saw its reputation heavily tarnished by the catastrophic failures of its JATCO continuously variable transmission (CVT) on 2013-2016 models, which led to class-action lawsuits in North America. The 2017 facelift brought major fixes to the gearbox and direct injection to the V6, making late-model versio
The 4th generation Nissan Pathfinder (R52) is a vehicle with two faces. Its 3.5L V6 engine is a marvel of reliability and smoothness, capable of handling immense mileages. Unfortunately, this brilliant engine was mated to a dramatically fragile JATCO CVT transmission between 2013 and 2016. The premature failures of this gearbox are extremely well documented (Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, class-action lawsuits). Our advice: Absolutely avoid 2013 to 2016 models, unless the transmission has been replaced very recently by Nissan with a supporting invoice. If you are looking for an R52 Pathfinder, you must target the facelifted models from 2017 onwards. The CVT gearbox was made much more reliable, the engine gained direct injection, and the handling was improved. For total peace of mind, the next generation (Gen V R53, 2022+), which replaced the CVT with an excellent 9-speed automatic gearbox, remains the ultimate choice.