CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2013 has a growing number of transmission complaints at low mileage. The issue is part of a class-action lawsuit that says the transmissions shake violently during acceleration between 15mph and 30mph.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,889 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Nissan Pathfinder engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Nissan Pathfinder Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #44

Jun 272022

Pathfinder

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My vehicle has a CVT transmission problem, It would shake when driving the car, when I made turns or went down hills. On the interstate it shook so bad a had to pull over. I got stuck in the parking a lot one day, the gears were stuck. I tried to go in reverse and the vehicle was moving forward. Then I tried to put the car back into park and try to put it in drive it was still stuck. SO I cut my vehicle off and cut it back on just to move. My vehicle would stall out in traffic, there would be no acceleration of the vehicle and the vehicle would jerk, shudder and pull. It felt like its going to cut off. The shaking of the vehicle terrified me the most because it felt like my tires would fly off on the interstate or any road I was driving on.

- Greenwood, SC, USA

problem #43

Jun 122021

Pathfinder

  • miles
I was driving down the road and the car wouldn-€™t shift into second gear. The speed limit was 35 mph and my car would only go 20 mph. I couldn-€™t drive home safely, no warning lights came on or anything. Dealership said my CVT transmission needs to be replaced. This sudden drop in speed became a hazard for me and my passenger.

- Rowley , MA, USA

problem #42

Apr 102021

Pathfinder

  • 30,000 miles
Transmission problem transmission shakes badly when pick

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #41

Mar 042020

Pathfinder

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle loses acceleration when driving, and even with full gas pedal doesn't pickup speed. This is very unsafe when driving and prone to causing accident or death risk. The dealer couldn't trace the issue after performing standard diagnostics. This issue is happening very frequently, with no remediation or resolution by dealers. This same vehicle has brakelight issues. The brakelights stay even though no brakes are in use and/or vehicle is parked. The brake and acceleration has to be pressed frustrating number of times before they turn-off. This issue may potentially cause on-road accident risk or drain the battery. There is no error message nor diagnostic displayed in teh vehicle.

- Santa Clarita, CA, USA

problem #40

Aug 202019

Pathfinder

  • 65,000 miles
Brake lights stay on and vehicle has loss of power when trying to accelerate and the when brake lights go off it goes back to full power. This is a known issue with this model but it appears my VIN number isn't covered although it has the same issues as other 2013 Nissan Pathfinders. I have less than 61000 miles on the vehical.

- Ft.Gibson, OK, USA

problem #39

May 292019

Pathfinder

  • 44,384 miles
When I driving my vehicle at the time to accelerate my car just do not response...I press the acceletor pedal to the floor and still with no power...this happened to me many times in the highway and a local roads....I just panicked...I feel unsafe in my car now, I may finished rear ended on the road.

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #38

Jul 232018

Pathfinder

  • 49,200 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Problem #1: several instances where the unit loses acceleration while in motion (driving) or when trying to accelerate from a complete stationary at a light. I press the pedal to accelerate with no response, cero acceleration. In order for me to get acceleration back I have to park and put in on parking and try the pedal again. I have taken my car to Nissan where the diagnose can't be determine because the lack of warning signs on the control panel. The unit did not show the condition at that moment and they were not able to replicate it. After taking the unit out of the mechanical workshop, a warning sig was revealed as follows: P0603: Internal control module keep alive memory (kam) error. I called the workshop and they told me no recalls were claimed for that reason (error code). Problem #2: the warranty was over (36months) and both visors went permanently down. They were replaced at my own cost. Problem #3: the brakes lights are keeping on even when the unit is off. This is making the battery runs out!

- Yabucoa, PR, USA

problem #37

Dec 012014

Pathfinder

  • 35,000 miles
Vehicle loses acceleration upon take off. It has happened various times but basically if im at a light or a complete stop and press the pedal to accelerate, the car jerks to accelerate then loses acceleration completely. In order for me to get acceleration back I have to press the brakes. It also happens around 40mph the accelerator wont work anymore and I javw to brake. Ive taken my car to Nissan and they can never duplicate. One time I took it & they found another problem so they replaced my transmission even then its still happening.

- Raeford, NC, USA

problem #36

Aug 102018

Pathfinder

  • 112,000 miles
65 mph, vehicle failed to accelerate but rpms went up to 7000 vehicle shuddered for 25 seconds. Next day while makig a left turn at 10 mph thru an intersection from a stop light, same exact thing happened. Got to side of road, car refused to go forward. Works in reverse but not forward. Towed to shop where new transmission was found to be the only fix. Vehicle has only 112K miles.

- North East, MD, USA

problem #35

Aug 052017

Pathfinder

  • miles
I brought this vehicle in April of 2017, with 41,000 miles. I did not even have the vehicle a year before I noticed that when I am driving the vehicle it starts to stall at times, it does not pick up speed at all I have to push the accelerator two or three times before it picks up, and this happens at traffic lights and even when I'm on the interstate. I am really fearing for my life, because this is the only vehicle I have right now to drive. When I go to park the vehicle, and shut it off the brake lights stay on, and they don't go off. I have to get back in the vehicle move the vehicle and then shut it off. Sometimes I have to do this three or four times before the brake light goes off. I reported this issue to the Nissan dealership, who have told me there is no recall for this problem, and since it happens periodically through the day I have to keep making appointments, so they can try to find the problem. Very frustrating.

- Greenwich, CT, USA

problem #34

Jan 242018

Pathfinder

  • 24,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Loss of power when accelerating RPM's stay around 1200ish.

- Roseville, CA, USA

problem #33

Nov 132017

Pathfinder

  • 2 miles
On 08/16/2016 I purchased a motor vehicle from star Nissan located at 5757 w. touhy ave., niles, il 60714 (2013 Nissan Pathfinder SUV VIN). On October of 2016 I was driving in the express way going 60mph and my vehicle suddenly stopped accelerating and came to a complete stop while I had other vehicle passing me by at 60+ mph. I had to pull to the side to avoid getting hit in the rear. The vehicle finally took off but not without jerking and rattling noises. I immediately came off the express way. I took the vehicle to star Nissan and they admitted my car on 10/22/2016. I was contacted by Nissan and was told that they replicated the problem and the cvt would need to be changed and everything should be fine. The changes were made and on 10/28/2016 I received the vehicle back. My vehicle has been back to the dealer on 11/12/2016, 11/16/2016, 04/22/2017, 07/12/2017 7/28/2017 with the same symptoms and the problem has never been rectified. On 07/01/2017 my vehicle was driven by a Nissan service technician for 237 miles in order to replicate the problem again. They were successful but now stated that the problem was a relay light. They gave me the vehicle back on 07/06/2017. My vehicle was admitted again on 07/25/2017 with the same problems. The technician had to drive my vehicle 344 miles to replicate the symptoms once again. However my vehicle was admitted until 08/17/2017. The Nissan Consumer Affairs office sent out an engineer who made recommendations. The recommendation was to remove brake light relay and replace brake switch. I was given the vehicle back and the problems has persist. On 11/13/2017 my car jerked and came to a stop in the middle of a busy intersection this has been a nightmare and I have almost been a part of an accident on several occasion due to this problem. I am now car-less because this vehicle is not safe to drive.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #32

Jun 252017

Pathfinder

  • 58,000 miles
Vehicle does not respond when the gas pedal is depressed, resulting in no acceleration. This has been an ongoing problem and happens at random, and at varying speeds: Including acceleration from a complete stop, acceleration at highway speeds, and acceleration at city speeds. When this happens, rpms do not rise while the gas pedal is depressed and the vehicle becomes totally unresponsive. This problem began occurring after the dealer replaced the cvt and torque convertor ' both deemed bad by the dealer. Vehicle has been back to the dealer on several occasions to address this concern, but the dealership cannot replicate the problem, and there are no codes appearing during diagnostic testing. The problem is ongoing and there has been no resolution. Nissan corporate has not formally acknowledged this to be a systemic problem, but is 'aware of some concerns'.

- Grand Island, NY, USA

problem #31

Mar 012017

Pathfinder 4WD 6-cyl

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. While accelerating from a stop the vehicle hesitated to respond without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000. Updated 04/28/17 the consumer stated the issue of the delay in acceleration was related to the existing brake light relay modulator recall. The consumer was concerned that there is no indicator to warn the driverof accelerating across an uncontrolled intersection. Updated 7/31/2017

- Afton, MN, USA

problem #30

Jan 302015

Pathfinder

  • 41,056 miles
Vehicle jerks/hesitates when trying to accelerate after stopping at stop sign and/or red light, going through a yield sign, and when making turns.

- Pelham, AL, USA

problem #29

Apr 112016

Pathfinder

  • 33,000 miles
Issue has happened multiple times in 1 day. When pressing the accelerator vehicle does not react. It has happened while moving at multiple speeds or stopped. I press the brake and go to accelerate again and it will not accelerate. Or I can be stopped at a light and press the accelerator and vehicle will not react. Issue is happening about 4-5 times during a 15 mile drive. This is happening on flat surfaces. It looks like the RPM increase very little but even if I continue to press down further on the pedal it will not accelerate.

- Richmond, TX, USA

problem #28

Apr 022016

Pathfinder

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, while driving at 60 mph. In addition, the vehicle rpms increased to six and seven. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated that failure occurred on two separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000. The VIN was not provided.

- Appalachia, VA, USA

problem #27

Mar 162016

Pathfinder

  • 59,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle vibrated, decelerated, and momentarily accelerated. There were no warning indicators. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and called a local dealer who advised her to drive the vehicle to the shop. The following day, the failure recurred. The technician kept the vehicle for a couple of days, but was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but stated that nothing could be done. The failure mileage was 59,000. The VIN was not provided.

- Ft Worth, TX, USA

problem #26

Sep 012015

Pathfinder

  • 38,000 miles
My 2013 Pathfinder studders like it's not getting gas. It has completely stalled while driving in busy traffic. I took it to the dealership which stated they could not get it to duplicate the problem. This can happen on inclines and when I got to stop or slow down then go to accelerate against it studders really bad. It sometimes will not start due to not recognizing the key fob.

- Logan, OH, USA

problem #25

Sep 102015

Pathfinder

  • miles
The vehicle stops accelerating even after pushing the accelerator to the floor. Then start to go back to normal very dangerous on the highway.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

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