Engine overheats on a short drive.

Hi this is Dusty, I'm one of the auto experts on RepairPal's Car Genius team! I totally understand your frustration with this situation The spike may have been the result of a bad temperature sensor, but taking into consideration the entirety of your inquiry, it may have been an air pocket in the cooling system. With it sounds like you may have a leak, possibly from the radiator (the condenser is part of the air conditioning system so we can eliminate that) or another component nearby. My first recommendation would be to clean the area using a drain pan to catch and recover the lost coolant and allow the area to dry. Use your No-Spill funnel to top off the coolant with water (after repairs use the appropriate coolant and distilled water), as your filling squeeze the coolant hoses to promote movement of any air pockets. Once the Pathfinder stops taking in more water, use a flashlight to look for any drips, if you don't see anything, then you'll need to locate a cooling system pressure tester (some parts stores may rent them). Follow the instructions to setting it up, and attempt (you have a leak so it's not going to hold for long) to build pressure (follow the pressure listing on the radiator cap) in the system to pinpoint the leak(s). If you have any other questions or would like to help with finding a RepairPal Certified shop in your area, give us a call! 877-913-1554