2013 Nissan PATHFINDER - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2013 Nissan Pathfinder SUV FWD received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5, which indicates above-average safety features. It scored well in most crash tests, including front and side crashes, with ratings of 4 and 5 respectively. The vehicle also has stability control as a standard feature, which enhances its safety on the road. However, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

In terms of specific ratings, the Pathfinder performed exceptionally well in side crash tests, receiving a score of 5 on both the driver's and passenger's sides. The rollover rating was also relatively good at 4 out of 5, with a low rollover possibility.

On the downside, the vehicle has a somewhat high number of complaints, with 827 reported. Additionally, there have been 11 recalls issued for the 2013 Pathfinder, indicating potential issues that need to be addressed. Overall, while the Pathfinder boasts good safety ratings and stability control, the number of complaints and recalls is something that potential buyers should consider.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

827

Recall Count

11

Investigation Count

4

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2013 Nissan Pathfinder SUV FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder SUV FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2013 Nissan Pathfinder SUV FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder SUV FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2013 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 5 4
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 3 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2013 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2013 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 3 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2013 Nissan PATHFINDER

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2013 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shook violently and stalled. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-11-09
Complaint:
"vehicle shakes, jerks, shudders when accelerating quickly.... i.e. merging onto highways, after slowing down or stopping"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-01-05
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2013 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that she noticed a spot had started to form underneath her vehicle. additionally, she had noticed that the vehicle was hesitating and jerking into gear while accelerating. the contact also stated that she heard an abnormal whining sound while starting the vehicle and shifting into drive(d). the contact stated that while shifting into reverse(r) there was no abnormal sounds. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the contact stated that the failure had become more frequent. the contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. the contact researched online and related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 14v142000 (power train). the failure mileage was approximately 110,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-10-04
Complaint:
"the contact’s niece owns a 2013 nissan pathfinder. the contact stated that while his niece was driving at various speeds, the transmission hesitated, and the vehicle stalled. no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle became inoperable and was towed to the residence. the vehicle was then towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the continuously variable transmission (cvt) needed to be replaced. the contact was made aware that the warranty had expired, and the vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2021-01-01
Complaint:
"the transmission won't go into gear and when it does go into gear it shudders. the trans is a cvt . the original trans was replaced at or around 100,000 miles"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-07-04
Complaint:
"only 78 k and transmission stopped working on the highway"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-02-04
Complaint:
"-the transmission failed and yes it is available to inspect -we were driving and all of a sudden we lost acceleration momentarily, we were not far from home so we made it home but is was scary and unsafe. -it was inspected by a local transmission repair shop and then towed to the dealership. -no warning lights came on, no computer messages, there was no warning whatsoever. the transmission was working perfect one moment and then all of the sudden it wasn't."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-06-09
Complaint:
"the transmission is shuddering and bucking. after numerous research it appears this is a common issue and should be made a recall by nissan. to repair this issue it will cost more than what the vehicle is worth."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-01-05
Complaint:
"this issues started about a year ago. the vehicle jerks and shudders at low rpm's. when the vehicle transmission is in "drive" and i press the gas pedal, the vehicle jerks and the whole body shudders badly. the only way to stop it is to move the selector to "low" and lightly press the gas until the rpm's increase. this is dangerous because it causes me to have to drive at lower speeds and take off at lower speeds to avoid the jerking/shuddering. recently the vehicle seemed like it didn't want to move. i was at a red light and followed the low take off speed procedure i have developed but the vehicle lurched forward then stopped then lurched forward then stopped again. the car behind me almost rear ended me because of it."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-07-07
Complaint:
"cvt transmission is having issues. when i put the car into gear it jerks and makes loud noises. the dealership wont help."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-06-07

Recalls for the 2013 Nissan PATHFINDER

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
If the brake override is activated, the driver will not be accelerate normally, increasing the risk of a crash. If the brake lights remain illuminated, other drivers may fail to stop when the vehicle actually brakes, increasing the risk of a crash. If the driver inadvertently shift the vehicle out of the "PARK" position without depressing the brake, the vehicle may rollaway, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy:

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake light switch and, as necessary, replace the relay, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Component(s) Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING > BRAKE LIGHTS > SWITCH
Date of incident: 2016-05-31
Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
Continual illumination of the brake lights can prevent other drivers from realizing the vehicle is actually slowing down, increasing the risk of a crash. With the brake override activated, the driver will not be able to accelerate normally, increasing the risk of a crash. The driver can shift the vehicle out of the "PARK" position without depressing the brake, allowing the vehicle to rollaway, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy:

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, either re-install the brake light switch or swap positions with the Automatic Speed Control Device (ASCD) switch; depending on the model year vehicle. In addition, the brake light relay will be replaced with a new one. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall PC786. Note: this recall supersedes 16V-380.

Component(s) Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING > BRAKE LIGHTS > SWITCH
Date of incident: 2021-01-20

NISSAN Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

NISSAN ranks 5 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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