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:
21,367 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 3 of 18)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #310

Jun 272020

Pathfinder

  • miles

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

Under light acceleration the transmission shudders till it gets to 40. Happens at every light. Have to keep pushing the pedal to try to avoid it. At other times it still shudders anyways. Sometimes when put in D or R it won't respond to pedal and will basically coast if at an angle

- Missouri City, TX, USA

problem #309

Sep 012020

Pathfinder

  • 147,000 miles
Hood flutters going down the highway. Has been previously adjusted under safety recall. Not repaired completely by dealership. Cvt transmission judder. Has been reprogrammed by dealership, did not repair problem. Bands now slipping and out of mileage warranty. Occupant sensor for airbag previously repaired by dealership. Still does not work. Replaced cushion. Still not repaired. Dealership refuses to repair. Liftgate scratches roof when opening. Dealership said the liftgate has a code. Brandon Nissan in brandon Florida. Will not repair any of the technical service bulletins on this vehicle.

- Brandon, FL, USA

problem #308

Jan 152020

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
Inferior differential/transfer case of the 4WD - there is a knocking noise when turning either direction when in 2wd - 4WD no longer functions. Substandard for them to use a car differential in a truck that is heavier.

- Shrewsbury, MA, USA

problem #307

Apr 222020

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 4 miles

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

The transmission was slipping your car was driving sluggish wooding go into gear had to stop going 20 to 30 miles an hour pull over to the side for about 10 to 20 minutes then restart the vehicle driving gears wasn't going into place revving high engine going slow.

- Troy, NY, USA

problem #306

Apr 212020

Pathfinder

  • 170,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the vehicle hesitated with the 4 wheel drive warning light illuminated. The contact pulled off the roadway and waited approximately 10-15 minutes before resuming driving to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 15 mph. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however; the mechanic was unable to provide a cause for the failure. The vehicle was then taken to destination Nissan located at 770 central ave, albany, NY 12206, where the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 14V142000 (power train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of failure. The failure mileage was 170,000.

- Troy, NY, USA

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problem #305

Mar 022020

Pathfinder

  • miles
I bought a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder on 2016 and in 2017 I took it to a Nissan dealership for having the shaking when accelerating, at that time the dealership told me that the transmission was the cause and that they fixed it. Now after two years have passed my car started to shake again putting me and my family in a risk of an accidents. I took it to the same dealership and I was told that it was the transmission again and now they are saying it has to be replaced since Nissan have had so many complaints for the same reason because they never notified the costumers about this issues in these SUVS. But now Nissan wants to charged me $4000 for the transmission because I'm over the 100,000 miles. But when I took the vehicle the first time it was under the warranty they knew already, by then, the problem with the transmissions and that was the perfect time for them to replaced it instead of fixing it. They chosen to put me and my family at risk of causing an accident. The vehicle at this moment is sitting there at the dealership.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #304

Jan 012020

Pathfinder

  • miles

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

When accelerating you can feel it vibrate or hesitation. This is the second time I have had this issue with it. The cvt transmission has been replaced once at 15, 000 miles. Now that it is not under warranty, Nissan will not fix or replace, even though I have had this problem before.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #303

Jan 112020

Pathfinder

  • 133,200 miles
Increasing engine noise, heavy highway vibration (almost like unbalanced tires) and very choppy start-from-stop exceleration caused me to have the car looked at by a mechanic. Diagnosed as a transmission problem. Only option is to replace. I thought there was an earlier recall on this model for powertrain issues, but my car shows "0 unrepaired recall items"

- Norton, MA, USA

problem #302

Dec 232019

Pathfinder

  • 84,114 miles
My car is failing to change gear and jerks every time I try to accelerate.

- Randolph, MA, USA

problem #301

Jan 022020

Pathfinder

  • 119,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving 50 mph, the vibrated abnormally. The vehicle safely exited the roadway and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to route 22 Nissan, 56 us-22, hillside, NJ 07205, (855) 586-9766, to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, case number: 38348755. The failure mileage was 119,000.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #300

Oct 092019

Pathfinder

  • 135,000 miles

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

The cvt transmission keeps shuddering and I was told it may cause the vehicle to suddenly shut down or loose power when driving Nissan says there aware of the problem but no solution unless I want to replace the transmission

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #299

Nov 182019

Pathfinder

  • 80,700 miles
Original transmission replaced in March 2018 with error code P17F0 due to transmission shuddering. Recently started having same issues happen again, while driving home from work, noticed sudden acceleration delay when at stopped positions/low speed positions. Vehicle noise has become very loud when idle or low speed. Took it into Nissan dealer, they were able to replicate error and identified same issue. Since no error code, the warranty department stated cannot be fixed because there's no code. Nissan has recommended driving around until error code pops up - 3000km/3mos left on extended warranty. If error code doesn't get stored, I'm told they can't fix. Taking back in for re-diagnosis as transmission noise is unbearable

- Bolton, CA, USA

problem #298

Nov 042019

Pathfinder

  • 115,000 miles
I am having transmission issues. I brought my car in they said I need to replace the hoses on vehicle. Now that that has been done they are telling me I am still having a transmission leak. Because of bad clamps. They have now told me they cannot replace just clamps and must replace radiator also. I have found that Nissan has a recall power train automatic transmission cooling unit and lines on 2013 Pathfinders. When I asked about the recall they said mine doesnt qualify.... even though same issue as other 2013 Pathfinders with recall

- Poland, ME, USA

problem #297

Sep 092019

Pathfinder

  • miles
Sometimes stays in park and I have to try for minutes to move to th letter D. T his happens maybe twice a week for 3 months already.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #296

Aug 222019

Pathfinder

  • 90,410 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact received a notice regarding an unknown manufacturer recall. The notice stated that there was a class action lawsuit that granted her a free repair for the vehicle's transmission and catalytic converter. The contact drove to carriage Nissan (2400 browns bridge rd, gainesville, ga 30504, 678-944-8663) to have the vehicle serviced and was informed that there were no failures associated with the vehicle; therefore, the recall did not apply. While driving 50 mph, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that she no longer qualified for the manufacturer recall and would have to pay out of pocket for the repairs. The manufacturer was contacted and stated the same thing as the dealer. No further assistance was offered. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 90,410.

- Lula, GA, USA

problem #295

Aug 052019

Pathfinder 6-cyl

  • 81,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle decelerated, the air conditioning did not work, and the transmission failed. Also, the vehicle shook while driving and all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact turned the air conditioning off and placed the vehicle in neutral. When the contact restarted the engine, the vehicle was able to drive normally. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,000. Consumer stated no. I had no idea about the defect until it was brought to my attention after asking a dealership what was going on and they advised me to check for recalls on the model and year for my vehicle. My concern is that I could be on the freeway and the transmission goes out with my grandchildren which I have adopted and someone not paying attention hits and kills us or/ and someone else. Thanks for at least listening. I bought the vehicle to have enough room to abide with the law and now, I was taken advantage of.

- North Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #294

Jan 012014

Pathfinder

  • 25,000 miles
Going uphills or accelerating, the car begins to accelerate then becomes jerky and loses power before resuming acceleration. This has been an ongoing problem since purchased but has gradually gotten worse. Also, recently have noticed fluid leaks occasionally.

- Boyd, TX, USA

problem #293

Nov 022018

Pathfinder

  • 93,000 miles
Cvt transmission replaced 5/2016, accident- 6/21/2018 unable to stop hitting an animal. Replaced for 2nd time 8/2018 told 7/2019 needs replaced for 3rd time told 11/2018 by Nissan dealer not transmission. Going uphills or getting on highway ramp accelerating sudden deceleration imposing serious safety threat that another driver will hit into me. If vehicle will not accelerate fast enough a risk of highway accident/accidents

- Avella, PA, USA

problem #292

Jul 012019

Pathfinder

  • 89,000 miles
While the vehicle is in motion if randomly becomes unresponsive to the gas pedal being pressed to engage the engine and continue moving forward. The vehicle doesn't shut down, the engine is still running, however, it doesn't respond when the gas pedal is engaged to accelerate. This occurs while driving on city streets and highway. The safety concern is when the vehicle is moving with traffic and doesn't respond to the gas pedal the vehicle begins to slow down and may cause an accident. The most recent episode occurred this afternoon (7/1/2019) while driving to the servicing dealership for a scheduled oil change. My wife merged to the left lane (also the passing line) in order to get off the left side exit to the dealership. The vehicle became did not respond to the gas pedal and slowed down to 45 mph nearly causing an accident because traffic on the left lane was moving approximately 65-70 mph. My 2 young children were in the vehicle at the time as they are most of the time when the vehicle doesn't respond to the gas pedal being pressed. We've had the vehicle diagnosed by the local Nissan dealership (crowley Nissan) and they've found nothing wrong with the vehicle. We were told that's how the cvt transmission is supposed to work ( it's not supposed to potentially kill you and your family). I've done some research on the web for similar issues and there are many Nissan Pathfinder experiencing the same concern. I also contacted Nissan of North America to express the concern and they had no resolution, the representative also said they can not take website input, or blogs of customer expressing concerns with their vehicle. The only suggestion is the take it to the dealership and have them diagnose the problem, but the dealership tells us they need a trouble code from the system that's failing. When this occurs no trouble code comes up, so, we're going around in circles.

- Oxford, CT, USA

problem #291

Jun 282019

Pathfinder

  • 92,000 miles
Brake lights found to be staying on while car was parked in the garage, this causes the engine to reduce power potentially causing an accident if it reduces power while driving, or by following vehicle thinking that you are braking when you are trying to accelerate.

- Bennington, NE, USA

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