2013 Nissan Pathfinder Problems

Severe Issues

Real NHTSA owner complaints for the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder.

20122014
Complaints
1,204
per 10K Sold
135.8
US Sales
88,632
Crashes
26
Fires
1
Injuries
30
Fatalities
Recalls
11

Worst 2013 Nissan Pathfinder Problems

Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.

#1367 complaints

Transmission / Drivetrain

Avg mileage:26,400 mi
Crash-related:1
#2176 complaints

Airbags

Avg mileage:23,267 mi
Crash-related:6
#3105 complaints

Engine Problems

Avg mileage:36,262 mi
Crash-related:2
Fires:1
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All Problems by Category

Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder.

Transmission / Drivetrain
367
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
26,400
Airbags
176
complaints
Crashes
6
Fires
Avg Miles
23,267
Engine Problems
105
complaints
Crashes
2
Fires
1
Avg Miles
36,262
Brakes
61
complaints
Crashes
10
Fires
Avg Miles
35,239
Body Structure
61
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
51,576
Electrical Faults
47
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
32,990
Unintended Acceleration
47
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
28,080
Wipers & Visibility
46
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
48,234
Suspension Failures
27
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
72,738
Fuel System
18
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
27,009
Seat Belt Issues
13
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
6,491
Seat-Related Issues
12
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
1,937
Steering Defects
12
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
30,140
Electronic Stability Control
10
complaints
Crashes
3
Fires
Avg Miles
35,310
Headlight/Taillight Failures
9
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
63,116
Gasoline Fuel System
8
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
6,831
Structural Problems
8
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
58,600
Wheel Issues
7
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
46,815
Engine & Cooling
5
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
16,496
Structure:Body:Hood
5
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
26,085
Exterior Lighting:Brake Lights
4
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Hydraulic Brakes
4
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Structure:Frame And Members
4
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Structure:Body:Door
3
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Tire Defects
3
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Visibility
3
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking
2
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Latches / Locks
2
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:Latch
2
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles

Search Owner Complaints

Read what owners actually reported to NHTSA for the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. Type a keyword (e.g. “transmission”, “stalling”, “brakes”) to filter.

Recalls for 2013 Nissan Pathfinder

11 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~5,381,243 vehicles.

22V420000Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch
~322,671 affected

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Pathfinder vehicles. On certain Pathfinder vehicles, the secondary hood latch may malfunction and remain in the unlatched, unsecured, position when the hood is closed.

21V020000Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
~264,431 affected

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles. The location of the brake light switch may cause the brake light switch relay to repeatedly open and close. Overtime, this can cause the relay to stick in the "ON" position, with the brake lights remaining illuminated even when the brakes are not applied. Additionally, this may interfere with the brake-shift interlock, allowing the driver to shift the vehicle out of the "Park" position, without depressing the brake pedal.

16V380000Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
~79,853 affected

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Pathfinder vehicles manufactured June 20, 2012, to June 13, 2013. The brake light switch may have been installed incorrectly causing the relay to make intermittent contact and repeatedly cycle. This may result in the relay remaining in the "ON" position, causing the brake lights to remain illuminated even when the brakes are not applied. Additionally, the brake light switch may interfere with the brake-shift interlock, allowing the driver to shift the vehicle out of the "Park" position, without depressing the brake pedal.

16V244000Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification
~3,296,947 affected

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.

15V681000Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification · Air Bags:frontal
~919 affected

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

15V033000Structure:body:hood:hinge And Attachments
~170,665 affected

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles manufactured June 20, 2012, to November 18, 2013, 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid vehicles manufactured July 18, 2013, to November 18, 2013, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles manufactured November 29, 2011, to June 14, 2013, and 2014 QX60 vehicles manufactured May 16, 2013, to November 18, 2013, and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles manufactured July 18, 2013, to November 18, 2013. In the affected vehicles the hood release cable assembly may have been installed incorrectly preventing the latching claw from fully engaging. The secondary latch may remain in the open position when the hood is closed.

14V142000Power Train:automatic Transmission:cooling Unit And Lines
~3,065 affected

Nissan North America (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013 Pathfinder vehicles manufactured April 18, 2012, through October 3, 2012, and equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). In the affected vehicles, the internal oil cooler (ITOC) hose may detach from the cooler due to inadequate clamping force, allowing transmission fluid to leak.

14V138000Electrical System:software · Air Bags:frontal
~989,701 affected

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

13V445000Electrical System:software · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip
~151,695 affected

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles manufactured April 18, 2012, through September 20, 2013; model year 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles manufactured September 15, 2011, through January 16, 2013; and model year 2014 Infiniti QX60 vehicles manufactured January 17, 2013, through September 20, 2013. In the affected vehicles, during light braking on rough roads, the antilock brake system (ABS) brake pressure output software may lead to an increase in stopping distance.

13V139000Brakes
~19,258 affected

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Pathfinder and Infiniti JX vehicles manufactured December 3, 2012, through January 29, 2013. The front brake torque member was improperly cast resulting in structural weakness. This can lead to premature failure and cracking.

+ 1 more recalls

Other Nissan Pathfinder Years

2013 Nissan Pathfinder — FAQ

Answers based on real NHTSA complaint and recall data for this specific model year.

Is the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder reliable?
Verdict: Severe Issues. The 2013 Nissan Pathfinder has 1,204 NHTSA complaints, 26 crash-related, and 11 recall campaigns. The most common issue is Transmission / Drivetrain with 367 complaints. Source: NHTSA via VinItel.
What are common problems with the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder?
Top reported problems: Transmission / Drivetrain (367 complaints, avg 26,400 mi); Airbags (176 complaints, avg 23,267 mi); Engine Problems (105 complaints, avg 36,262 mi). Every complaint is filed by an owner with NHTSA — this is raw reported data, not editorial opinion.
At what mileage do problems start on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder?
The weighted average mileage at time of complaint is about 31,495 miles. Some components fail earlier, some later — check the "All Problems by Category" table above for per-issue averages.
How safe is the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder?
NHTSA complaints for the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder include 26 crash-related reports, 1 fire reports, 30 injuries, and 0 fatalities. These are owner-reported incidents, not official crash-test ratings — a complaint being filed doesn't confirm a defect, but clusters around specific components are worth investigating.
Does the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder have any recalls?
Yes — 11 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 5,381,243 vehicles. Recalls are free to fix at the dealer. Always verify by VIN whether the specific car you're looking at has had its recalls addressed.
Should I buy a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder?
Proceed with extreme caution. The 2013 Nissan Pathfinder shows significantly more complaints than average for its class. If you're buying one, a pre-purchase inspection and a VIN history check are essential — skip them and you're gambling.

Source: NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) complaint and recall databases, aggregated by VinItel.

Wider context: See the full Nissan Pathfinder reliability report with year-by-year comparison and generation analysis.

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