2006 NISSAN Pathfinder

Love her durability, hate her defects

Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4 Safety Rating: 4 Technology Rating: 1 Value Rating: 3

Don't get me wrong, my Nissan Pathfinder has literally been a valued member of my family for 10 years. It has transported my family very well, and she has only put me down on the side of the road (in another state, mind you) once. I have had to have numerous and costly repairs, though, but I did give her a run for her money in commuting and travel miles. I would buy another one of these (at a price at which I could afford the fixes) because of its durability, safety, nice look, spacious cargo area once third row of seats is folded down, family friendliness and powerful engine. Here's the ugly: The transmission/radiator issue (cost me $2,500) mentioned by others is very real, as are the issues with constant brake repairs (my second or third set of rotors and pads) and O2 sensors (cost me $500)/catalytic converters (I'm scared to find out how much that is going to cost me, but the repairman's facial expression said it all as he recommended another mechanic to fix it). I also had a problem with my battery cables corroding (fixed that a couple times) and a tire going up and down (but I changed out the rims & tires, which was a costly fix for that problem). The cigarette lighters I use for my phone charger never really worked right (one may have a blown fuse, other seems to have a short). The front seats are very uncomfortable, my leg seems to rest against the bulky side of the center console. And I didn't realize how difficult the steering was until I drove other cars and nearly oversteered because of the ease. These things have aggravated and maybe even help lead to aches, pains and even a wrist surgery I've had (I spend a lot of time in my car). It's a great car if you get it at a good price that takes into account that you'll need to replace the transmission, 02 sensor and cats at some point.