The Pathfinder is a grand car for many reasons. It has one of the best EPA ratings of any car on the market. It is efficient, gets great gas mileage, and has a beautiful interior.
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However, one problem that many owners have had with their Pathfinder is that the heater isn’t working properly. This can be a problem if you are stuck in the middle of winter and need to warm up your car to drive it home.
So, how do you fix it? Here are some simple steps to take when your heater isn’t working properly on your Nissan Pathfinder.
The signs that your Nissan Pathfinder heater is not working properly include a cold interior of the vehicle, especially when you start your car in the morning. This may be because of a faulty heater blower motor or a blown fuse that is causing your heater to not work.
If you suspect your heater is not working properly, first check to see if there is any unusual heat coming from the vents.
If you find no heat coming from the vents and you have checked all fuses and have turned on the air conditioning and lights to make sure they are functioning properly, then maybe there is a blown fuse in your fuse box under the hood of your Pathfinder.
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If there are no signs of blown fuses and your Pathfinder has just recently been serviced by an authorized Nissan dealer, it may be possible that a vacuum hose has come loose and is causing air leaks into the cabin of your vehicle.
This would cause cold air to be drawn into the vehicle as it tries to keep up with warm air blowing through all open vents in the car’s cabin.
Causes
There are several reasons your heater may not be working properly. You can check the most common problems below.
Faulty Fan Motor—The fan motor is on the bottom of the heater vent and can become damaged if there is too much weight on it. It’s also possible that there may be debris in the fan motor which is preventing it from turning properly or working at all.
If this is the case, you will need to take off the entire top part of your car, and then clean out all the junk that may have built up inside of the fan motor before putting it back together.
Thermostat Problem—If you leave the heater on for too long, the thermostat may be damaged. Usually, you should replace your thermostat to stop this from happening.
Temperature Sensor—If your temperature sensor is damaged, it will not allow the car to turn on the heater properly. To fix this, you will need to replace your temperature sensor.
Wiring Problem—If there is a problem with your wiring, then you won’t be able to turn on your heater at all. This is a very common problem with older vehicles and can be caused by many things, such as an electrical short or a faulty fuse.
Failed Heater Blower Motor Resistor—If your heater blower motor resistor is broken, then it cannot properly heat your car. To fix this, you will need to replace the blower motor resistor.
Max Anthony
Max is a gizmo-savvy guy, who has a tendency to get pulled into the nitty gritty details of technology and cars. He attended UT Austin, where he studied Information Science. He’s married and has three kids, one dog and a GMC truck and a Porsche 911. With a large family, he still finds time to share tips and tricks on cars, trucks and more.
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