GMC Acadia vs Nissan Pathfinder: which is more reliable?
The GMC Acadia and the Nissan Pathfinder are level on the federal record — 68/100 against 71/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
GMC Acadia
- 15 model years scored
- 4,249 owner complaints on record
- about 39 complaints per year on the road
- 50 recall campaigns, 28 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (87/100) · worst 2017 (36/100)
Nissan Pathfinder
- 14 model years scored
- 2,708 owner complaints on record
- about 30 complaints per year on the road
- 49 recall campaigns, 30 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (95/100) · worst 2013 (26/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Acadia against Pathfinder
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
| Year | Acadia | Pathfinder | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 56 CAUTION | 65 CAUTION | -9 |
| 2024 | 81 BUY | 68 CAUTION | +13 |
| 2023 | 87 BUY | 75 BUY | +12 |
| 2022 | 86 BUY | 71 BUY | +15 |
| 2021 | 75 BUY | — | — |
| 2020 | 81 BUY | 94 BUY | -13 |
| 2019 | 49 AVOID | 89 BUY | -40 |
| 2018 | 53 CAUTION | 86 BUY | -33 |
| 2017 | 36 AVOID | 82 BUY | -46 |
| 2016 | 77 BUY | 89 BUY | -12 |
| 2015 | 74 BUY | 67 CAUTION | +7 |
| 2014 | 51 CAUTION | 38 AVOID | +13 |
| 2013 | 84 BUY | 26 AVOID | +58 |
| 2012 | 76 BUY | 95 BUY | -19 |
| 2011 | 79 BUY | 92 BUY | -13 |
What owners actually complain about
GMC Acadia
- Power Train — 1,017 complaints
- Electrical System — 949 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 759 complaints
Nissan Pathfinder
- Power Train — 782 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 471 complaints
- Engine — 467 complaints
Both nameplates have Power Train as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
GMC Acadia — avoid: 2017, 2019.
Nissan Pathfinder — avoid: 2013, 2014.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used GMC Acadia prices at about $40,800 and a Nissan Pathfinder at about $40,800 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 21.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the GMC Acadia or the Nissan Pathfinder more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Pathfinder scores 71/100 against the GMC Acadia's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which GMC Acadia and Nissan Pathfinder years should I avoid?
GMC Acadia: 2017, 2019. Nissan Pathfinder: 2013, 2014. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the GMC Acadia and the Nissan Pathfinder?
The largest complaint group on the GMC Acadia is Power Train (1,017 complaints); on the Nissan Pathfinder it is Power Train (782).
Is the GMC Acadia or the Nissan Pathfinder cheaper to own?
A recent used GMC Acadia prices at about $40,800 and a Nissan Pathfinder at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.