Nissan Pathfinder vs Nissan Murano: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Murano is ahead of the Nissan Pathfinder on the federal record, 79/100 against 71/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
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)
Nissan Murano
- 15 model years scored
- 1,074 owner complaints on record
- about 8 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 18 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (94/100) · worst 2015 (37/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Pathfinder against Murano
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 | Pathfinder | Murano | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 65 CAUTION | 64 CAUTION | +1 |
| 2024 | 68 CAUTION | 91 BUY | -23 |
| 2023 | 75 BUY | 92 BUY | -17 |
| 2022 | 71 BUY | 93 BUY | -22 |
| 2021 | — | 94 BUY | — |
| 2020 | 94 BUY | 83 BUY | +11 |
| 2019 | 89 BUY | 89 BUY | +0 |
| 2018 | 86 BUY | 92 BUY | -6 |
| 2017 | 82 BUY | 65 CAUTION | +17 |
| 2016 | 89 BUY | 63 CAUTION | +26 |
| 2015 | 67 CAUTION | 37 AVOID | +30 |
| 2014 | 38 AVOID | 70 BUY | -32 |
| 2013 | 26 AVOID | 89 BUY | -63 |
| 2012 | 95 BUY | 80 BUY | +15 |
| 2011 | 92 BUY | 80 BUY | +12 |
What owners actually complain about
Nissan Pathfinder
- Power Train — 782 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 471 complaints
- Engine — 467 complaints
Nissan Murano
- Unknown Or Other — 214 complaints
- Power Train — 201 complaints
- Service Brakes — 124 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Pathfinder's complaints concentrate in Power Train, the Murano's in Unknown Or Other. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Nissan Pathfinder — avoid: 2013, 2014.
Nissan Murano — avoid: 2015.
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 Nissan Pathfinder prices at about $40,800 and a Nissan Murano at about $40,800 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 23.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Nissan Pathfinder or the Nissan Murano more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Murano scores 79/100 against the Nissan Pathfinder's 71/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Nissan Pathfinder and Nissan Murano years should I avoid?
Nissan Pathfinder: 2013, 2014. Nissan Murano: 2015. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Nissan Pathfinder and the Nissan Murano?
The largest complaint group on the Nissan Pathfinder is Power Train (782 complaints); on the Nissan Murano it is Unknown Or Other (214).
Is the Nissan Pathfinder or the Nissan Murano cheaper to own?
A recent used Nissan Pathfinder prices at about $40,800 and a Nissan Murano at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.