2013 Nissan Pathfinder Complaint Log

After a quick fish tail in the rain of the car and figuring it was just a hydroplane, I noticed rear tires were worn out to the cords on inside of rear tires, So i purchase a new set and while changing , it was obvious that the rear subframe was broken off at the stabilizer and would allow the rear end of car to shift forward and back, Thank God we were only at around 30mph, or this could of been real bad, the car is in very wonderful condition in and out, with no visible rust, I hope that this is addressed by Nissan before someone is killed , especially as these are family cars, These rear subframes should be recalled and replaced as it is a major part of the frame that can cause a car to go out of control at high and low speeds, it puts lives at risk!

After owning this vehicle from brand new, it now has a rotting rear subframe. Nissan customer support is not interested in providing good will or recall for this issue. My mechanic has reported that the same model and year vehicle showed up a week prior with the exact same issue. A core part of the frame should not crumble due to rust within a 10 year timeframe. Searching on the internet has revealed multiple other people reporting the same issue. [XXX] I believe many others will be registering this complaint in the coming months as they fail their inspections or come to their mechanics with a complaint of noise. I would be happy to provide pictures of my rotted subframe, but it looks very similar to the pictures referenced above. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Front subframe rusted through. This is a similar issue across a wide range of Nissan Pathfinders. This is a major safety issue.

The front subframe is almost rusted through and could break. This is similar to the 2002-2005 Altima, for which Nissan issued an extended warranty. If the subframe fails, it will cause a massive risk.

There is a transmission issue, no longer available for inspection. The car shudders when changing gears. There was a service campaign bulletin for this check engine light code but it only extended the warranty.

The vehicle was pulling to the right when driving or breaking. Brought to the mechanic and he discovered that the rear passenger side subframe is totally rotted. Appears to be a common problem with Nissan from my understanding now. He suggested I just trade it in. I don't have that luxury so will attempt to have it repaired. I have looked for a recall and so not see one but I do see numerous complaints regarding this issue on various Nissan boards. Some have said they registered a complaint as well. Since this appears to be a common Nissan problem, their corporation should be responsible for the repair. I'm told not to drive unless necessary.

In September 2020 there was a recall on the CVT transmission for several cars. I was not notified whatsoever, so consequently I had to pay for a replacement at my local dealership in February 2021. I was told that I was receiving a new transmission. In December 2023, I was informed that I would need a whole replacement. I went back to my local dealership and they informed me that they would be willing to fix it with a replacement from the factory if I did the labor. They stated I would have to do a claim with NISSAN USA for the replacement. I called and was informed that I did not qualify because of the mileage and warranty period. I went back to the dealership and explained the issue, they said they could do nothing also. I HAVE DOCUMENTS WITH ALL THE DETAILS I WOULD LIKE TO SEND IN. The link to upload was not working for some reason. I tried several times.

The subframe on 2013 Nissan Pathfinder was completely broken from rot. I brought it to a shop because it was pulling to the left and making a clanking noise. I was told this is a common problem with 2013 Nissan’s. Car started pulling to the left about a month ago. Car was inspected about 2 weeks ago. After doing research it was learned that the 2013 pathfinders were never sprayed properly with some kind of rust protection. The pathfinder made a newly designed model for 2013 and never properly sprayed it. There are multiple places you can find others with 2013 pathfinder’s that have rusted out in the same area once the car get to about 140000 miles. Mine is just over 140000 miles

The sunroof exploded while the car was in motion. There was a loud boom distracting me while I was driving, in addition to glass falling on me and around my car putting me in danger. Glass also landed in the street, putting the safety of others at risk. There are remnants of shattered glass in my car and where the sunroof used to be. There were no warning lights or messages prior to the issue. The problem has not yet been confirmed or inspected by any of the above. Most of the glass flew out of the car, meaning that the sunroof was not hit by a foreign object.

When Accelerating from a stop, or increasing speed from a turn, the car sputters, power fluctuates, and sometimes it vibrates and feels like I am driving over a grid. The car sometimes feels like it's going to stall. I have owned this car for 10 years and this problem has been ongoing. It has been happening alot more recently. I have not been in an accident but I feel very unsafe when this happens and afraid it could cause an accident. I have been told it could be a known CVT issue but in the past, Nissan dealers always dismissed my complaints about the issue. No warning lamps or messages have ever appeared regarding this.

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving 40-44 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. Additionally, the contact stated that there was play in the rear wheels and the rear wheels seemed misaligned. The contact also stated that while coming to a complete stop and depressing the brake pedal, the rear wheels and the trailing arm seemed to move forward, then backward. The contact stated that the failure recurred while making a left turn. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear subframe was corroded. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist due to the manufactured date of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

I noticed a metal on metal noise when I would hit a bump in tge road. I had it checked thinking it was likely a tailpipe rattling. I was shocked when the technician show me the Crossmember SubFrame Assembly was rusted so badly that a hole had developed. When I researched this issue on line I discovered that this is a common issue for Nissan. Having purchased the car new and maintain the car in accordance to the manufacturer’s guidelines I feel this subframe rust-through is excessive. I wash the car routinely and always get the undercarriage option to prevent salt, or other undesirables building up underneath my vehicle. While part failure hasn't occurred am going to get the repair done before it does happen. Replacing the fore mentioned assembly at a cost of $2,300 is expensive and was preventable had Nissan only acknowledged the weakness and vulnerability in their design of subframe, and made the appropriate improvement.

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shuddering. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact about the transmission judder code. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to TSB: 15-015A (Power Train). The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

After being notified of NHTSA recall campaign 22V-420 by Nissan North America, Inc. we had the required service repairs performed by a qualified Nissan dealership near us, however Nissan has been unable to clear the open recall notice from their Nissan tracking system, so we continue to receive periodic open recall notices from Nissan for this same issue. The NHTSA website recall system correctly shows no open recalls for our vehicle. Several phone calls placed to the Nissan North America Consumer Affairs Department requesting they fix their recall system notification information has only resulted in being transferred between representatives, and then having Nissan drop the calls during those transfers.

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.

Rear Subframe/under body completely rusted out at cracked. My daughter and I drive a lot for her health condition to appointments. The Nissan Dealership said this could have been catastrophic driving down the freeway had it broke apart while driving. It completely fell apart in the mechanics hand after they removed it and were showing me what actually happened and what I was driving around on. Nissan dealership quoted me $11,000.00 for the part and labor. I had it fixed through an authorized mechanic for $5,000.00 Because it was wearing and I didn't notice because there were no signs or messages, it rubbed my tires almost bald to where the wires were showing. I had to replace those as well. I wash my car regularly and get 2 detail cleans a year, my car has been well maintained since I bought it. I asked the mechanic how this could have happened and the the Nissan mechanic stated that "this happened due to the fact that Nissan didn't powdercoat certain years of the pathfinder and that's why it rusted out. He said that had it been powder coated this wouldn't have happened."

The Subframe has rusted out and it’s causing my arm to move. It appears this is a common issue with Nissan vehicles in general. My mechanic stated that it should not have rusted out like that.

Hi, in 2018, Nissan replaced the passenger occupancy module as part of a recall. That module has now gone bad again (~5 years), and Nissan is charging its customers to replace. Maybe we are unlucky, but wondering if the repair with a faulty part is a pattern that is introducing risk and unnecessary cost to customers. Hoping the NHTSA can review data to determine whether this is a pattern or one-off. Thank you.

Subframe completely rusted through and has broken in the back portion of the car.

The 2013 Nissan Pathfinder that we own just had the subframe rust and collapse. The car only has 120,000 miles. This is not even close to the expectancy of how long a subframe should last.

Subframe completely rusted through and has broken in the back portion of the car. This risks catastrophic failure at highway speeds where the loose subframe can cause rear wheels to move outside of safe bounds. No warnings are given on the car and it is so hidden underneath that a normal inspection can miss it. Now car has dramatic clanging noise every bump and risks failure every time we drive.

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 93,653. It was later discovered that the mileage was approximately 209,000. The contact reported the fraud to the Secretary of State and had since found other vehicles to have been included in an odometer fraud ring.

Rear cross member corrosion making the vehicle unstable. not sure how can this happen on the vehicle that’s only 10 years old.

Vehicle shakes, jerks, shudders when accelerating quickly.... i.e. merging onto highways, after slowing down or stopping

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH and slowing down, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V020000 (Exterior Lighting). On another occasion while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. Additionally, the power steering, brake light, battery, check engine, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the steering wheel became firm. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 152,000.

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.

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

Sun visors on both driver and passenger side, have problems and keep falling down. It is a known recurring issue with Nissan, and it blocks vision of the road ahead, as well as when they hang down, it causes head injury thrust against the edge of visor. The dealership confirmed that this is a known issue yet Nissan has not issued a recall for this, it is a safety hazard. The visors will not stay up in place, and they fall down just enough to have the hard edge of the visor directly in front of the forehead, causing injury and impeding visibility.

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH around a curve at night, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the subframe and the vehicle unintendedly veered into another lane, and nearly crashed into the guard rail. The contact pulled to the side of the road but could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact was able to drive to his residence nearby at 40 MPH. The used car dealer where the vehicle was purchased was contacted but provided no assistance. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the corrosion warranty had expired in 2018. The failure mileage was approximately 149,620.

Only 78 k and transmission stopped working on the highway

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was veering to the left and became difficult to maneuver. The contact stated there was a loud banging sound underneath the vehicle when the brake pedal was depressed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe crossmember needed to be replaced; however, the part for the repair was on backorder. The local dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.

My daugther and myself were sitting at a stop light and the car would not move forward or backward. All of the transmission fluid was on the ground. I had to call the police for safety from being hit. I had the truck towed home.

Major subframe damage in similar places on both sides of car causing car to be unsafe

The rear subframe of my Nissan Pathfinder had rusted through and needed to be replaced. According to the mechanic, the subframe was not properly primed by NIssan during manufacturing, which led to rusting from the top (which is not visible without removing the piece). A google search shows that THIS IS INCREASINGLY COMMON ON NISSAN PATHFINDERS around this model year. The part was on backorder due to high demand. It was explained to me that if this part were to brake off, it could pull off the brake line which could have been catastrophic. There were no lamps or messages when this part broke. The first sign of an issue was a loud noise from the rear of the car whenever we went over the slightest bump.

The gas pedel is not responding. It goes down to the floor and nothing happens. I experienced this pulling out into traffic. I hit it several times to get it going. I made it to the turning lane. It kicked in. I turned out of the turning lane onto my street and it stopped working again. I made it home where it sits. I am terrified. This is danger to everyone around me.

Rear sub frame rusted. Front mount rusted. Side trailing is broken away from the frame. This vehicle is not safe to drive

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the rear sub frame was completely rusted through. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic and the subframe was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,850.

Three times our battery has ruptured. Two separate batteries, the second and third being a Nissan dealership battery because I thought maybe the aftermarket battery was the cause. I have purchased four batteries over the two years I have owned the pathfinder. The first battery that came with the car I did not see the battery condition as the car was towed in after it lost power while driving up hill. They assumed alternator however concluded it was the battery. When looking at the new battery the dealership installed I noticed corrosion from the splash of battery acid all over the engine bay. It wasn’t until I was in the car when the new battery once again ruptured, separating the whole top and bottom casing. That left acid dripping in my engine bay. So battery number three I made sure was an OEM Nissan battery that could handle the Platnium OEM options. Just months replacement the battery ruptured again. This time the dealer covered replacement. Well I brought my pathfinder in for its 60k mile service and sure enough the battery acid has caused the area around terminals to separate and have huge amounts of corrosion. The advisor even mentioned how the battery looks brand new and shiny except for all the corrosion. They got the battery holding a charge but can’t pinpoint the issue. I can not find a lot of info on batteries rupturing like this without being attached to an external power source - Like it someone is over applying voltage to the battery. That was not the case I have been actively driving when it pressurized the battery causing the rupture and spewing battery acid throughout the engine bay.

Reverse camera is so blurry, reset factory setting on radio and now says infinity and air went to 90f won't go down I reset it and nothing can't update radio at all. Can't even drive long without almost overheating inside car temp fine but inside hot even if windows down airbag lights blinking no crash or accident no passager airbag with passenger in it light indicates off

While pushing the auto button to slid the passenger front seat to vacuum the floor carpet the airbag sensor broke off. This made the airbag system to be non operational on the front passerenger seat putting any passenger in danger with no airbags. Poor design of such an important safety system that just sliding the seat would break such an important part!

-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.

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the hood unlatched and struck the front windshield. No one was injured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the hood latch was replaced but the failure reoccurred several times. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the sun visor failed to operate. The contact stated that the sun visor blocked her vision. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000. The consumer stated the sun visor was repaired at owners expense due to safety reasons.

Vehicle started to overheat. Informed by mechanic that one of the 2 electric fans that pull air thru the radiator had gone bad. This also caused the A/C compressor to shut off causing the interior of the vehicle to reach over 100 degrees in less than 15 minutes while driving thru town on a 95+ degree day with the windows rolled down.

Rear crossmember (K-frame) rusted through where dogbone links connect to rear control arms. Rest of vehicle is in excellent condition with little to no rust (surface at best), but rear cross member is completely rusted through at front right and left. This then lets the rear wheels loose toe and adjustment and causes skipping and alignment issues, potentially leading to a crash.

Passenger side airbag does not show as engage due to a faulty (OCS) sensor per inspection by Nissan dealership names #1 Cochran. This is a known problem covered under Nissan's recall PC216. This recall was performed on the vehicle in 2017. The sensor is faulty again. The fix that Nissan proposed is not a long term correction of the problem. Obviously, if the vehicle is involved in an accident with my wife in the passenger seat the airbag would not work due to a faulty sensor that registers no one being present in the passenger seat.

Hood latch failed. Yes, available for inspection upon request. Hood opened, hit and then shattered windshield while driving on busy road. Received recall notice from Nissan about faulty hood latch. Service tech at window repair company noted good safety latch looked very loose. Was looked at by the window repair/replacement company. No warning at all.

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.

Cvt transmission is having issues. When I put the car into gear it jerks and makes loud noises. The dealership wont help.

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.