Problems with 2005 Nissan Pathfinder FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

I was stranded in a parking lot because my car would not start. after having it towed to the dealership, i find out it is the "intermix" between the radiator and the transmission. i never received any information about this from nissan, but now understand it was a known and frequent failure - by design. essentially, after 90,000 mile, the car is worthless because of this issue. after paying $5,000 for the repair, i drove off the lot only to have my fuel pump fail. literally, i drove off the lot and the engine began misfiring. unbelievable. *tr

Ran out of gas b/c fuel gauge keeps showing empty even when it is full. *tr

The fuel gauge is saying "empty tank" even though i pumped $50 worth of gas. *tr

I'm one of many victims that have endured faulty fuel sending units and inaccurate gas gauges that cause me to run out of gas while driving down the road. with such a widespread problem, it is a pure scam that no recall has been issued. nissan simply extends the warranty to 72,000 miles, which does nothing to help the thousands of victims with more mileage. just as they did with the radiator defect that contaminated the transmission, nissan is getting away with offering help up only to the point when the problem begins to appear. this makes them appear they are doing something, but they are doing nothing for the vast majority of victims. how can you let them get away with this approach? it leaves victims without help, and leaves obviously defective cars on the road. it's dangerous to run out of gas on the side of the road, especially when you live in cold climates and have small children. help. *tr

After filling the vehicle up with gas-the fuel gauge dropped to empty and check engine light came on. when i checked the distance to empty on fuel gauge it showed blanks. as i began to drive the distance to empty started to increase but the fuel gauge never moved to the full position as it should have been. upon stopping and turning the engine off the fuel gauge finally moved into the full position. the owners manual said to drive the vehicle several times and the check engine light should go off but has not. took the vehicle to oreillys and had them run a diagnostic test on it and it showed to be the fuel level sensor was bad. the fuel gauge is still not working and this is only one of many problems that i have had with this vehicle. recently had to have transmission replaced and u joints several times. the nissan pathfinder is a lemon and nissan refuses to work with their customers. i suggest that no one buy a nissan product. the company is a joke and will try to get out of warranty work and get every penny out of you that they can. *tr

My car would not start one morning so i had to call a tow truck to take it to my mechanic, he called me to tell me that the radiator was allowing moisture or water to go into the electrical part of the transmission and the transmission has completely fried. i got a quote of $4000 to $6000 to fix or rebuild it. he then told me there are thousands of articles online about the problem and that since my car was at 109,000 miles there was nothing nissan would do about fixing it even though there was nothing i did to cause the problem!!! i still owe $8500, as i have only had the car for 2 years, and i sure can't go buy another car. i have 3 small children so now i have no car, can't afford another and nissan will do nothing to help. *tr

I was driving towards reno, nv and every time there is an uphill roadway the engine would rev up and the transmission shifts to another gear,i would feel a thumping sound and on every 3 to 6 miles of driving the vehicle would feel like it is running on an unpaved road. i took the vehicle to the dealership and that is when they informed me that my transmission fluid and engine coolant are mixing. not to mention that my fsr is no longer functioning properly. it turned out that the fsr (fuel sensor relay) is not on the recall list unless it is a 2006 and up. i don't mind the fsr, because i can work on this but the coolant and tranny fluid mixture should be a recall since a lot of people are experiencing this issue. *jb

My wife observed issue with gas or brakes for last couple months. i thought it was brakes and i had just bleed and replaced fluid which helped. on 6/20/13 i made left turn on my home street and transmission did not respond. i was stuck in middle of road and luckily no cars were approaching. at first i thought car stalled and tried to restart but realized the engine was still running. at that moment i knew what it was (failed transmission from cross contamination). i drove directly to reliable nissan in albuquerque where they verified the bad news. this really proves this is a manufacturing defect. my car has all proper maintenance and only has 54600 miles. i am the original owner. the vehicle looks brand new. i had just talked to both service managers from both the local dealers about my fears about this possibly happening. even had them check and they said the radiator was ok. i am only 50 days past my 8 years and with only 54600 miles nissan refuses to provide any good will. i am still stuck paying 2500 dollars. nissan keeps insisting this is not a safety issue. loosing propulsion is a safety issue. even in driving school i was trained that power, can avoid a possible disaster just as well as brakes. this is fact. too many close calls reported on this issue and its sad that our government only acts when cars explode and people die. i have noticed that this issue is increasing exponentially putting the risk of death and injury a more probable outcome. from last february almost 29 percent more cases reported in just 4 months. i worked with my dealers trying to avoid this. did all the trans oil changes, radiator flushes and asked if i could do anything to avoid this disaster and also had them inspect my radiator just a few months back. and yet, my brand new looking, meticulously maintained pathfinder needs a new transmission and radiator. *tr

I just bought this car, and had a problem with transmission to begin with, following with the fuel level sensor (just started), i had to replace the transmission, radiator, now i have to replace the fuel sensor, and 2 days ago the plastic heater receiver that is located in firewall of car had melted, and all anti-freeze had gone and the motor got overheated (why plastic made?, instead of brass???), so the dealer said that i had to replace the whole piece ($250.00) plus labor, it is incredible how this car company called nissan is loosing their prestige since started to assembly in us, it is just making more money out of the people with all these crappy parts they are using. we need the federal government to be involved and give us back the money spent on these manufacturing defects as soon as possible. *tr

My 2005 nissan pathfinder has on numerous occasions, just stopped running and turned off. it does this while sitting idle, say in line. it does this while driving down the street. it just turns off! now i'm having trouble re-starting it! *tr

Car would just die while driving. the gauge would read empty even with a half tank or more of gas, i also called nissan dealership to check on recall of the fuel sending unit, the dealership told me there was no recall. so i started doing the work myself, got halfway done and asked a buddy for help and he informed me that there was in fact a recall on that part. so i went to the dealership and then they all of a sudden had a recall and did the work for free. since then (before) 100,000 miles, my radiator fluid filled my transmission and ruined it, and my transmission fluid filled my radiator and ruined it too. so out of pocket for transmission rebuild and rerouting of the coolant line ($3000). now i just drive because i have too, anytime i stop i have to kill it to keep it from overheating. but i have no other vehicle so nothing i can do. nissan continues to just not care at all. i will never have another nissan. you could give me a nissan for free and i wouldn't touch it. straight garbage company. *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder. consumer writes in regards to technical service bulletin recommended that fuel level sending unit be replaced and requests assistance for repairs. *smd the consumer stated he took the vehicle to the dealer, because the instrument panel fuel gauge was giving an incorrect reading. he explained to the dealer, the instrument panel showed the vehicle had approximately one-quarter tank of fuel, when in fact the fuel tank was empty and the service engine light had illuminated. he also pointed out to the mechanic, that due to the inaccuracy and erratic movement of the fuel gauge reading, it could stall, at any time a resent an unsafe condition of the vehicle and compromise the life and safety of his passengers. after a careful review was conducted by the nissan technician, it was determined that the problem was due to the fuel sending unit malfunctioning, which was discovered earlier by nissan, in which a technical service bulletin was issued. nissan denied the consumers request to have the fuel sending unit replaced free of charge, because the vehicle was outside of the new vehicle limited warranty. the consumer stated nissan has since issued a safety recall regarding the fuel sending unit and extended the primary warranty.

The fuel gauge sensor has gone up in my truck. it happened in december 2012. i cannot tell whether i have gas in the truck or not. i have been unable to get this problem fixed as i cannot afford the repair. i have noticed that other 2005 pathfinder owners have had the same issue. *tr

My wife was driving to a road,for charity, while getting on the highway, the car would not go forward, the more you gave it gas the car took off like a rocket. i took the car out for a test ride, the same thing happen,at the stop sign the car would raveup.and take off like a .rocket. took it to the dealership. the dealership told me it is going to cost a lot to fit this problem. *tr

The vehicle has faulty fuel gauge sensor which seems to be a very very common problem and i contacted nissan consumer affairs and they said that i must pay that out of pocket. i researched online and found out that not only does the pathfinder have the problem but so does the xtera. nissan is very well aware of the problem and so they should fix it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that fuel gauge displayed incorrect readings. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the fuel level unit needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 90,000. updated 4/1/13 *cn updated 04/23/2013 *js

Faulty fuel sensor gave me impression i had more gas causing me run out of gas in traffic. i have read many complaints online of this happening to other nissans with this same fuel system and nissan needs recall this system. i filled the tank and now the fuel gauge is not working. *tr

The fuel quantity indicator upon filling up the tank froze at one half a tank mark on the indicator. the next time the fuel tank was filled up on 5/3/2012, the tank indicator went from half a tank level reading to a empty tank reading when the tank was filled up. the low fuel light came on, as did the service the engine light came on and has stayed on ever since. since the fuel quantity indicator now shows an empty tank, you could very easily think that you were going to run out of fuel, when in fact you have a full tank of fuel. to a driver who did not fill up the vehicle, this could lead to an attempt to fill up a tank that was already full. *tr

Failed emissions test because of failed fuel level sensor,can suddenly run out of gas on full gauge or overflow when gauge says empty when filling up tank. *tr

My 2005 nissan pathfinder engine service light came on and was told by auto zone it was the fuel sensor and could only be fixed by nissan as they did not have parts. nissan wants between 500 to 700 dollars to fix the problem. after research, i found this to be a rampant problem. why hasn't nissan issued a recall to fix the problem? is it designed to increase their revenue? what can be done to have this fixed by nissan at their expense? this could be a huge safety issue if you run out of gas on a busy freeway. *kb

The fuel sensor reads inaccurate fuel levels and has caused me to run out of gas while it was driving. i had to walk in the cold to the gas station to get a container to fill my car up. the sensor reads "-----" and the gauge shows an empty tank. their is a recall for the 2006 nissan pathfinder but their is no recall for the 2005 pathfinder when it comes to the fuel sensor. this is shameful considering this is an all too common problem that people are experiencing as noted by the raves online. nissan should be helping their consumers and keep the owners safe. *js

Noticed that fuel and oil pressure gauges would not register fuel or oil levels correctly, the miles till empty will not work. we have no idea when we are going to run out of fuel, started getting worse, than notice the check engine light came on, had vehicle diagnose, turned out that both the fuel and oil pressure sending units needed to be replaced, there are numerous pathfinders with the same problem but there are no recalls on these issues. this repair is very costly and is dangerous to be driving without the fuel and oil sending units. why are there no recalls? please help! *tr

My car had 1/4 fuel, i filled the tank to full, the gas gauge do not set the car to full tank, i read the book and made the instructions but the gauge do not change, when i run the car for 2 hrs. and i turn off, it began to change to full tank. the other issue was when i had a 1/2 tank of gasoline...i stop for 5 minutes and i leave the car on, when i returned saw the gas gauge in empty... actually i have the check engine light on for some days and off for the others days. *tr

The fuel system gauge will not register the amount of gas in tank. after fueling, the warning light still appears and don't go off and it's a big inconvenience for as driving an not knowing if your going to run out of gas. very disappointed with the nissan products simply because there are two many problems going on with this particular vehicle and cannot get anybody help for mistakes they made. the whole vehicle need to be recalled because trying to replaced all these problems are very expensive. wish i would have know of all the problems before i purchased it. *tr

The fuel level sensor shows partially full tank all the time and service engine light comes on. this is very dangerous and the first time it happened, we did not realize it and ran out of gas and ended up stranding my family on a busy highway. apparently this is a common theme among all 2005 - 2009 nissan pathfinder, xterra and frontier owners and there needs to be a service recall for this! i have seen numerous forums and this sensor has failed anywhere from 40k miles onwards and costs anywhere from 400 - 600 dollars to fix. please ensure that nissan takes care of this issue as soon as possible. thanks. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that the fuel gauge stopped functioning. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 70,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that the abs light illuminated on the instrument panel while the vehicle was stopped at a stop sign. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the mechanic stated the actuator of the anti-skid assembly needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 60,900. updated 10/5/11 *cn also, the fuel tank and fuel level sending unit were replaced. updated 11/04/11

20005 nissan pathfinder ses light comes on and fuel gauge does not show correct amount after refueling. this seems to be a problem with all 2005 cars and should be corrected by recall to ensure no one over fills and spills gas. *tr

This car has had one issue after another. my fuel sensor went out, had a recall on the relay (was stalling as i was driving), had my transmission and radiator mix fluid and cause both to fail and my catalytic converters are defective. i need the catalytic to be changed so i can pass a smog check... it has been such a pain, expense and concern for safety. when is nissan going to realize that they made faulty vehicles? do people have to have horrific accidents before they do anything about it ? i paid good money, hard earned money for this vehicle, brand new. the costs to repair are ridiculous. my husband has a car older than me, more wear and tear and has never had an issue. the catalytic issue needs to be fixed before it kills the motor and makes it a useless box. to me, nissan doesn't care about its customers or their safety. the relay and transmission issues almost caused us huge accidents. without quick thinking and quick reflexes we could have been seriously hurt. something needs to be done !!! thank you for your assistance. *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder. consumer writes in regards to a ecm relay, sensor and fuel standing unit. consumer states there should not be a charge for replacement of a defective or malfunctioning unit *tgw

Timing chain and fuel sending unit on 2005 pathfinder is defective. while the manufacturer recognizes this as an ongoing problem, they are only willing to cover those vehicles up to 72,000 miles. a claim was filed and rejected on both problems as my vehicle has 82,000 miles. *tr

I have a 2005 nissan pathfinder 4x4 se off road with 115,000 miles . beautiful vehicle but beginning to have problems the fuel gauge will go to empty when full , also having hesitation about 40 miles an hour .i read about the horror story with radiator problem causing transmission problem . i have an appointment at a nissan dealer this weekend for the recall on the ecm so i will have further info on the hesitation , nissan recalled the fuel gauge problem but limited to 72,000 miles vehicle only ,i think they should up hold the nissan rep and take care of these problems also the transmission problems due to faulty parts . these problems are not normal wear and tear . *tr

Fuel indicator shows that the fuel tank is empty when it is actually full. also the check engine light is always on when it is reset and service has been done. the indicator registering empty puts the driver at risk for accident and death. *ln

Fuel sending unit in my wife's 2005 nissan pathfinder went bad not allowing her to know how much fuel was remaining. *tr

At about 40,000 miles fuel gauge stopped working. and started having intermittent electrical problems. headlights going on and off when in park. fan starting when key is turned but not cranked. anti-theft system locking me out from starting the truck. 70000 miles vehicle would intermittently not start. it would crank but not start. took it to nissan and was told nothing could be done on their part. i was told it was the ecu, bmu,tmu, and ipdm were all bad. i replaced the ipdm and bmu and ecu. truck still ran rough. at 91000 miles nissan now says my transmission is bad due to the radiator coolant leaking into the transmission but i am out of the 80000 mile warranty. nissan said they will pay half to fix if i pay half of the $4600 transmission repair. nissan can not explain why this happened but acknowledged that this is a big complaint of the 2005 pathfinder. *tr

I received a recall letter from nissan on november 23, 2010 stating the fuel sending unit may cause the fuel gauge to inaccurately display the amount of fuel in the tank, which it did, but when i took my car to the nissan dealer to honor, they told my that i had to call corporate, called corporate and they gave me a file number and told me that my car was not in warranty for this recall. this problem has been going on for about 2 years now and now they will not honor there own recall.

Vehicle shuts off while driving and has faulty fuel gage and sending unit

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated the fuel gauge was faulty and he was unable to determine how much gasoline was actually in the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that a fuel sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer advised the contact that his vin was not affected by any recalls. no repairs were performed. the current mileages were 88,000. the approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that the ipdm (intelligent power displacement module) had failed as the vehicle stalled while being driven 40 mph. the ipdm controlled the amount of gas provided to the engine. the engine sputtered before it stalled. the failure and current mileages were approximately 58,000.

My 2005 nissan pathfinder fuel sending unit was not working properly. you did not know exactly how much gas was in the vehicle therefore could have caused severe injury if driving and ran out of gas and didn't know it! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 nissan pathfinder. when the check engine light illuminated he noticed that the gas gauge failed. the gauge reads empty whether the fuel tank was empty or full. the vehicle was taken to the garage to diagnose the failure in the fuel level sensor. the manufacturer took report 68729973 and they advised him that he had to take the vehicle to the dealership to be diagnosed for them to consider assisting with the repairs. he also experienced a failure with the transmission due to the defective radiator which caused the radiator fluid to leak into the transmission. the failure and current mileages were 80,000.

The fuel sensor went out on my 2005 nissan pathfinder and it is the same part that was recalled in the 2006 pathfinders!!!! *tr

I own a 2005 nissan pathfinder, and i am the original buyer. at approximately 92,000 miles my vehicle developed the fuel gauge failure where the gauge reads a 1/4 tank even if full or empty, and the dte indicator is just ----. i took it in with 93,855 miles in august 2010 for an extended warranty repair. this repair was declined for coverage (not a nissan warranty) and i paid $408.65 to have it repaired at the nissan dealer. in december 2010, i received from nissan a letter relating this exact problem/failure and that all 2005 thru 2008 pathfinders were being issued a warranty extension of up to 6 years and 72,000 miles. from doing research, i understand nissan originally did this for just 2006 thru 2008 vehicles, but there was such an outcry from owners of 2005s that they were later included. in the nissan letter, it stated that if you had this fault and had it repaired at your expense, you could send in documentation for a refund. there was no mention of the 6 year or 72,000 mile limitation in the letter for prior repairs. i sent in my documentation. it makes no sense that a fault of the manufacturer does not cover all repairs, but it appears that those who bought the early vehicles with obviously more miles than the newer ones are being discriminated against since my refund was denied. i have read on your site that many others with 2005s are also being denied. nissan should do what is right and pay for these repairs. it is a safety issue since one can run out of gas at an inopportune time, or even pump in gas and have it overflow due to the tank being full and the driver not knowing it. they could try to force in fuel due to a 1/4 tank indication, and while refueling, after putting in 3 gallons, the automatic pump cuts off the flow. the driver knows that 3 gallons did not fill a 1/4 full tank so they keep pulling the handle trying to fill the tank. they would then be rewarded by having fuel shoot out of the tank possibly on them , and possibly having it ignite. *tr

8-9-2010 i began having difficulty getting my car to shift into reverse. within 2 weeks, while driving down a crowded highway, my car wouldn't shift from 3rd to 4th, and i could smell something burning. when i finally found a spot to pull over and park, a large puddle of fluid leaked all over the ground. i was alone, in an area i didn't know, and nearly got rear-ended several times when it wouldn't shift gears. i took it to several shops, and the transmissions was ruined. it would have to be rebuilt or replaced, both totaling thousands of $ i don't have. i borrowed money to have it rebuilt. within 2 weeks, i started having the same issues. when i took it back to the shop, the technician said radiator coolant had leaked into the transmission and it would have to be rebuilt or replaced again. after looking online, i see hundreds of complaints for the exact same issue. for the fuel system, approximately 5/2010, the fuel gauge will drop to empty, even though there will still be fuel in the tank. sometimes it will stick to mid-full when there is no fuel. adaptive equipment, when i start the vehicle and try to warm it up, it will only blow cold air, never warm no matter how long it runs. *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder, service engine light is on due to the fuel level sensor (fuel tank is full, gage read 1/4 or half) and this leads me to not know how much fuel is in the vehicle. the vehicle has 51,000 miles. *tr

Our 2005 nissan pathfinder had an issue with its fuel gauge recently where the gauge would not work properly and tell us the correct amount of gas in the car. i googled the problem and based on the forums and responses it is a known problem. it seems that all pathfinder models from 2005-2008 has this problem occur. which seems to be a safety issue, because you cannot tell how much gas is in the car and you could run out on the highway. nissan recalled titan, armada, qx56, quest (2005-2008), and also fountier, xterra, and pathfinder (but only cars manufactured jan-marc 2006 and oct 2007-jan 2008) for this issue. we took our car to nissan of eastside to get this looked at and it is going to cost us $535 + tax. nissan of eastside said they don't know why 2005 pathfinders were not recalled, and it is the same part that the other cars that were recalled had replaced. can you help us find out why 2005 pathfinders were not part of this recall? i called nissan consumer affairs and they know that this is same part for 2005, but were not reimbursing for repair since it was not part of recall. this is a safety hazard and seems to effect 2005. *tr

2005 nissan pathfinder fuel sending unit first noticed check engine light on then would go out, started getting worse, fuel gauge would not register correct fuel level, the miles till empty will not work. we have no idea when we are going to run out of fuel . have talked to dealer they said the fuel sending unit needs replaced, there are numerous pathfinders with the same problem but will have a recall on this issue. *tr

The fuel level sending unit has failed on my 2005 nissan pathfinder causing the fuel level gauge to provide inaccurate readings. the failure occurred one month ago. since then my fuel gauge has provided inaccurate gas level readings potentially causing me to run out of gas while on the highway. i have not yet attempted to get the part fixed, but after doing some on-line research i have learned that it will cost about $500 to fix. the problem is, apparently, relatively widespread. *tr

We own a 2005 nissan pathfinder. about 6 months ago, the gas gauge started working erratically. we would fill up the tank and it wouldn't register at all and then the next time we got in the car it would register something, but the miles to empty was never accurate. eventually it got to where it didn't work at all and just stayed on empty. i finally had to learn how many miles i would get per tank and fill up based on that number. then one day after a long trip, i got a little off on the mileage and ran out of gas completely on a major freeway in the inside lane with no shoulder. fortunately, i did not have my two children in the car and within about 10min of running out of gas, a state trooper pulled up behind me and pushed me out of harms way. however, had that state trooper not shown up, it would have been very bad and it certainly was dangerous for all involved. it turns out that nissan has had issues with the fuel level sending unit on several of their models through multiple years. for some reason, they did not include the 2005 model on their recall of this defective part. our car did fail its recent inspection because of the faulty part and my husband ended up replacing it himself at our cost. i hope something is done to correct this issue. *tr

Radiator developed internal crack leaking coolant into transmission. radiator had to be replaced, transmission needs replaced. fuel level sensor failed and replaced at 70,000 miles.