[Blesm]

I bought a used pathfinder. I’ve now had it for 6 months just hit 38k miles. Husband was driving down the freeway at 80mph and all of a sudden the oil light pops on flashes car starts shaking and loose all brakes lights power steering etc.. car won’t turn on no lights are on. Had to get it towed to dealer ship. They are now telling me that there is medal particles in the oil, engine and radiator. that the computer failed. And the engine seized. I’m at such a loss of why this would happen. I’ve only gotten to drive my car for 6200 miles. ive owned 6 different Nissans still own 3 always traded to upgrades I’ve never had this happen to me. Is there something going on with the 2017 pathfinders?

 

[Tutti57]

Nope, either someone didn't change the oil in it much, the level has been very low, or the oil suddenly came out.

 

[Blesm]

They just called and said that they are going with the engine seized because they took the oil pan off and it had massive big chunks of metal in it.
they still don’t have any codes because the car won’t turn on at all..just a waiting game. I don’t know if I feel like this car will ever be safe again for my kids n I..

 

[jman]

Start looking for receipts and ways to prove the oil changes were done within the recommended intervals. If you have that, anything should be covered under warranty.

 

[Blesm]

Start looking for receipts and ways to prove the oil changes were done within the recommended intervals. If you have that, anything should be covered under warranty.

I don’t have those. I was scheduled for my first oil change since buying the car. It’s at the dealership that I bought it from with warranty.

 

[jman]

Ok. Good think you got it from a dealership. You should be covered.

 

[Blesm]

Ok. Good think you got it from a dealership. You should be covered.

Have you ever heard of this happening before? My step dad has been a mechanic for Toyota for over 30 years and he has never seen this happen before? I’ve owned many Nissans prior to this one and three of them I still have.
the mechanics at Nissan now still have not pulled some codes the car won’t start at this point. Waiting for warranty company to kick in 🤷‍♀️ Will this car still be reliable after all this? I’m at a loss. wanting to know from other Nissan owners

 

[Klbrnr]

Yes this can happen with lack of proper maintenance, specifically not doing oil changes. My guess is whoever had the vehicle before you likely neglected having oil changes done within the first 38000 miles which eventually leads to catistrophic failure. Oil breaks down over time losing its ability to provide the proper lubrication of internal components and causes sludge build up. Sounds like you happened to buy this thing when the damage was already done, there was likely nothing you did with the limited mileage you put on to cause this. Unfortunately when buying used vehicles things like this can happen and can be a crap shoot if the previous owner kept up with the required maintenance. Did the dealer provide you with any history or car fax report? Car fax can help a buyer see what maintenance was completed including oil changes if service was completed at a dealership. It’s entirely possible this could have been a lease vehicle or maybe a rental in its early life which would be a huge red flag for me to stay clear of.

 

[jman]

Have you ever heard of this happening before? My step dad has been a mechanic for Toyota for over 30 years and he has never seen this happen before? I’ve owned many Nissans prior to this one and three of them I still have.
the mechanics at Nissan now still have not pulled some codes the car won’t start at this point. Waiting for warranty company to kick in 🤷‍♀️ Will this car still be reliable after all this? I’m at a loss. wanting to know from other Nissan owners

There have been about 2 or 3 cases of engine failure on the 2017+ reported in this forum. All linked to oil gunk buildup, most likely to improper oil change intervals.

 

[PoManzPathy]

There have been about 2 or 3 cases of engine failure on the 2017+ reported in this forum. All linked to oil gunk buildup, most likely to improper oil change intervals.

More like 5-6 reports that I can think of on the 2017+ DD series engine.

 

[Ianh]

so you have had it for 6200 miles and not changed the oil ?
Oil change interval for my 2018 is 5,000 miles or 6 months.
Good luck, I think you are going to need it.

 

[Blesm]

You seriously think that me going over my oil change for the first time ever by 1200 is what blew up the engine???

 

[Tutti57]

It doesn't help your case. They aren't going to want to shell out $12k to replace the engine without wanting to know exactly what happened here. You don't want to give them a reason to say no. Remember that the warranty only covers manufacturing defects.

It may have been your first time going over the mileage but you don't know if it was the engines first.

 

[oz212]

You can still purchase a carfax report and see if any maintenance was done to the vehicle before. If you purchased it from a dealer they should have given you the report, but even if you didn't, I would still get one for $5 on ebay so I could have some idea of what Im going up against. If you see there are no records of maintenance, then you have a tough decision to make on whether to repair this vehicle yourself or argue until your tongue goes dry with the warranty company. All in all, this should not stop you from going forward and getting a report.

 

[rtinder]

I bought a used pathfinder. I’ve now had it for 6 months just hit 38k miles. Husband was driving down the freeway at 80mph and all of a sudden the oil light pops on flashes car starts shaking and loose all brakes lights power steering etc.. car won’t turn on no lights are on. Had to get it towed to dealer ship. They are now telling me that there is medal particles in the oil, engine and radiator. that the computer failed. And the engine seized. I’m at such a loss of why this would happen. I’ve only gotten to drive my car for 6200 miles. ive owned 6 different Nissans still own 3 always traded to upgrades I’ve never had this happen to me. Is there something going on with the 2017 pathfinders?

It could be a couple of things. Firstly, what was the prior maintenance history? Too many people are not diligent with maintenance. Next, it could have been in an accident which too often is not reported. I got rid of my 2015 Pathfinder after an $18,000 accident. I traded for a 2017 a year later and the dealer reduced my trade-in value by only $1,000. Did the next buyer know it was in a substantial accident? Maybe not.

 

[PoManzPathy]

You seriously think that me going over my oil change for the first time ever by 1200 is what blew up the engine???

It's unlikely, but like said, for paper trail purposes, this is all the ammo they need.

I feel for you. I hate to see this happen to anyone, but like said above, having followed this issue the past 2yrs, I've read of at least 5-6 reports now that I can link to where owners of 2017+ vehicles equipped with this specific VQ35DD engine have suffered this same fate. It's not enough where Nissan techs see them every day, but I believe they're going to see more and more of them as time goes on.

Do you know if your 2017 had been a previous rental? If so, It likely saw maybe 2 oil changes at best when it was in rental service.

My 2019 was a previous rental that I bought a year old with 24K miles on it. We like ours, but I do have some regret in not properly researching my purchase before hand. I had no idea about this DD series engine until after I bought it. I've been so paranoid, I do oil changes myself every 3000-3500mi and use synthetic 5w30 instead of the Nissan recommended 0w20.

Please keep us posted on how things go so hopefully we can help others out.

 

[Tutti57]

I would actually prefer a rental over a lease any day. In my experience, rental companies use fleet maintenance plans and maintain the vehicles wayyyy better than most owners. They do all of the recommended services. Nobody does that. Even if it was driven "hard" I'd rather have the schedule followed instead of what most owners do, which is nearly nothing. A good amount of people leasing know they can hand off any problems to the next owner and ignore all recommendations.

 

[PoManzPathy]

I would actually prefer a rental over a lease any day. In my experience, rental companies use fleet maintenance plans and maintain the vehicles wayyyy better than most owners. They do all of the recommended services. Nobody does that. Even if it was driven "hard" I'd rather have the schedule followed instead of what most owners do, which is nearly nothing. A good amount of people leasing know they can hand off any problems to the next owner and ignore all recommendations.

I don't buy ex-rentals every time, but I've bought them since about 1994 and I've never been burned. I know the ones I've bought over the past 20yrs typically won't show oil changes having been done per the CarFax. If they do, it's one or maybe two (if you're lucky) in that first ~24K miles. Obviously this does not mean oil changes weren't done.

I actually worked for Budget rent-a-car, but it was ~30yrs ago. I know for fact then that oil changes and maintenance did follow a schedule/matrix of sorts and the PM work for the most part was done in-house, but that schedule was just a guideline and was tossed out the window if that vehicle was needed for rental. That was back in the day when the fleets were huge and vehicles typically accumulated less miles.

 

[Tutti57]

Yeah, I think it's the way to go really. There are companies that help them maintain them, sort of like a warranty, and they get everything done when they come in.

 

[CaptainBlaze]

I don’t have those. I was scheduled for my first oil change since buying the car. It’s at the dealership that I bought it from with warranty.

I purchased a 2017 about 18 months ago for my wife with a warranty. They did warn us that warranty claims are very dependent on strict adherence to the mfg required maintenance schedule and must be done by a dealership. They could possibly be within their rights to deny your warranty coverage since you ran 6200 miles. However, this should still be under Nissan drivetrain warranty. My warranty covered the transmission 6 months in. You running one tme 6200 miles is not the damaging issue, but the prior history that is unknown to you may be. If previous service was done at dealerships and/or one of many certified service centers, your service history should show up on a Carfax report.