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:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
21,363 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 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2013 Nissan Pathfinder Owner Comments (Page 4 of 17)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #277

Aug 102018

Pathfinder

  • 112,000 miles

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

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 #276

Aug 092018

Pathfinder

  • 112,000 miles
While driving on a highway, I accelerated- my rpms went up to 7 yet my car didn't accelerate at all but the car shuddered for about 25 seconds. One day later, while making a left turn after sitting at a stop light the same thing happened. Luckily I had just enough power to get through the intersection and to the side of the road. I put the car in park to catch my breath after that scary scene. After two minutes of the car still on I tried to drive but the car wouldn't move and it shuddered again. I restarted the car and had the same results. The car was towed to the Nissan dealership where they found that a new transmission would be necessary.

- North East, MD, USA

problem #275

Apr 292018

Pathfinder

  • 106,000 miles
We recently replaced the transmission under warranty and now the vehicle will not shift from park. The override from the brake pedal to the transmission does not function. Don't know if this is a solenoid or mechanical issue. Dealership says replace mechanism and see if this $1000 fix corrects situation

- Leesburg, VA, USA

problem #274

Mar 092018

Pathfinder

  • 103,000 miles

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

Jerking motion an slipping when accelerating from stop. Also jerking will driving.

- Warren, OR, USA

problem #273

Jan 012018

Pathfinder

  • 100,000 miles
Since brand new transmission shudders on acceleration occasionally. Nissan is aware and has been made aware of problem and issue but will offer nothing more than discount on next purchase. Has been back to dealership many times over issue and transmission has been reprogrammed but problem continues. Makes for dangerous situation when entering highway

- Leesburg, VA, USA

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problem #272

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 #271

Nov 012017

Pathfinder

  • 88,825 miles

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

Seal on transmission leak and can not get out of park

- Jacksonville, TX, USA

problem #270

Jul 062017

Pathfinder

  • miles
Gear shift assembly recall. The gear shift stick got stuck in parking, in order to get the car out of park I need to use the emergency park release button which creates a safety risk because when you use the emergency release button the break needs not be applied which may cause a crash, injury or death. In Nissan service shop it was determined that the entire gear shift assembly needs to be replaced, cost - $850. Switching gears safely is an essential vehicle function and the gears shift stick is not a wearable part for which malfunction I should pay.

- Allen, TX, USA

problem #269

Oct 182017

Pathfinder

  • 77,000 miles
Intermit - vehicle fails to accelerate after depressing gas pedal. After releasing the gas pedal - intermit operation still present. This issue occurred when the vehicle was in motion on local streets, parking lots and highways. Current speed of vehicle does not appear to be factor, only when trying to accelerate.

- Laguna Niguel, CA, USA

problem #268

Jul 282017

Pathfinder

  • 56,000 miles
My 2013 Nissan Pathfinder has experienced 8 incidents of no acceleration, sometimes at critical moments, like merging from one highway to another in heavy traffic. One incident involved a semi-truck nearly rear-ending me on a flyover ramp while my Pathfinder was stuck at 40 mph. It was like a funeral procession stuck behind me until I was able to get on a shoulder of the highway, after the flyover ramp. All 8 incidents have happened after the car was serviced on 2/14/17 by the Nissan dealership for recall PC500 (dealing with the transmission). We had no problems with our Pathfinder before the warranty/recall work was done. The car tends to get stuck in lower speeds, between about 15-40 mph. It has done this twice from a dead stop at a red light. When it finally did accelerate from the red light, it shot off like a rocket and caused us to go over a median and off the road. It does it on local streets and also on highways. The severity of the situation seems greater when it happens on the highway, however, it could be deadly on local roads as well. I am scared to turn left without an arrow for fear of it not accelerating. I have to drive differently, allowing tons of space/time to pull out of parking lots, in case it doesn't accelerate. I have all of my service records and have done everything to service the car that it requires.

- Prairie Village, KS, USA

problem #267

Jun 282017

Pathfinder

  • 82,500 miles

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

The car began jumping and jerking as it accelerated on both the interstate and city streets. I was certainly not in control. The tachometer kept accelerating and decelerating on its own. After I accelerated to above 45-50, it stopped jerking and became smooth again. Upon stopping at a stop light or sign, the vehicle was jerky and had trouble engaging and shifting. It was extremely dangerous.

- Opelika, AL, USA

problem #266

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 #265

May 012017

Pathfinder

  • 55,000 miles
Nissan Pathfinder 2013 revs engine and jerks vehicle while firmly pressing brake (at a stop light). At first, I thought it was just the wind, but it kept happening for weeks. Then I noticed the rpms jump when it happened. Furthermore, the vehicle would slowly roll forward if stopped on a hill, requiring pressing the brake pedal all of the way to the floor. Just yesterday, it revved and jerked about a dozen times. The vehicle has the latest recalls done as of April/may when I took in in for service (rosen Nissan) and they verified the brake system was ok. Vehicle should not be revving and trying to turn tires while it is stopped.

- Edgerton, WI, USA

problem #264

Jun 012015

Pathfinder

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The dealer diagnosed that the cvt transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact indicated that the cvt was replaced on two previous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.

- Leesburg, GA, USA

problem #263

Apr 032017

Pathfinder

  • 58,000 miles
Vehicle will not respond when accelerator is pressed occasionally. This poses great safety issues. Vehicles shakes tremendously when accelerating up a hill under 30 mile per hour

- Decatur, GA, USA

problem #262

Mar 252017

Pathfinder

  • 83,500 miles
Transmission shudder at lower speeds when accelerating into traffic. First transmission replaced by Nissan at ~5400 miles. The second event: Transmission shudder at low speeds, accelerating in city (atlanta) traffic. Noticeable shudder on deceleration as well. The second transmission is going in 03/31/17 at ~84000 miles.

- Statesboro, GA, USA

problem #261

Mar 012017

Pathfinder

  • 10 miles
When driving the vehicle it stalls when pressing the gas to accelerate. When at a stop or turning when switching from braking to accelerating you have to press the gas several times to get the car to accelerate. Nissan Consumer Affairs will not assist and the dealership cannot replicate. I dont know what to

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #260

Jan 282017

Pathfinder

  • 65,400 miles
While driving the RPM and speed of the vehicle will not go past 1500 thus causing very slow acceleration. Especially when trying to turn into any street where you need to accelerate faster. Trying to de press and re press the gads pedal does nothing. Our Nissan dealership has said the transmission valve body assembly is to blame.

- La Porte, TX, USA

problem #259

Jan 182017

Pathfinder

  • miles
I was given a new transmission when purchased because it had jerky gear changes. Inside door handles are breaking, trapping passenger in car.

- Bethel Park, PA, USA

problem #258

Dec 022016

Pathfinder

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the driver's side door handle was fractured. The contact had to roll down the driver side window to open the door from the outside. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that a plastic ring inside the door fractured and needed to be replaced. The repairs were not completed. The contact also mentioned that there was a flipping noise under the vehicle. The dealer was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 14V142000 (power train), but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 60,000.

- Stone Mountain, GA, USA

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