CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2013 Nissan Quest is great in terms of low complaints, but it also has an abysmal crash test rating for one very common type of impact.

The IIHS' "small overlap" crash test rates the vehicle's ability to protect front seat passengers when the car is impacted across 1/4th of the front bumper.

This mimics hitting a pole, or an off-center crash into another car — more common in the real world than a full frontal head-on crash.

See our crash test page for the detailed results — As you can see from the IIHS' crash test video, the Nissan Quest does not protect intrusion into the passenger space & major injury to the front seat passengers is likely.

1.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
84,523 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 Quest drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2013 Nissan Quest Owner Comments

problem #9

Jul 272020

Quest

  • 95,852 miles

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

Cvt transmission complete failure

- Layton, UT, USA

problem #8

Jul 272020

Quest

  • 95,852 miles
Driving down the freeway, transmission gave out as we were pulling into the exit. Were able to cruise to a read. Cvt complete failure at 95,852 miles. Have always loved Nissan but have had two major issues in the last few months that have left a bad taste

- Layton, UT, USA

problem #7

Jul 222020

Quest

  • miles
I was driving and unable to accelerate. The vehicle judders at low speeds. There is a winning sound that comes from the engine. I have had multiple sensors replaced for the cvt but nothing has fixed this issue.

- Hephzibah, GA, USA

problem #6

Aug 172019

Quest

  • 121,000 miles

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

Cvt (transmission) began slipping/jerking and disengaging at approximately 121,000 miles. Upon initial start up the slipping/jerking can be noticed. Once vehicle reaches normal operating temperatures (driving conditions), its ability to engage is hit/miss leaving vehicle relatively motionless in middle of intersection after a stop/slow down. This condition leaves vehicle/occupants in a serious hazardous situation, especially attempting to turn through cross traffic.

- Mesquite, TX, USA

problem #5

Aug 182019

Quest

  • 101,000 miles
I was driving my 2013 Nissan Quest, when without any warning it stop accelerating, it would nit go forward or backwards. I was stuck in the middle of traffic with a car full of my family this is very dangerous. I noticed that when the A/C is on the car will move forward or backwards. This is dangerous and when moving and you turn right or left the van stops accelerating with out anywarning no check engine nothing. This problem needs to be fixed before a hole family losses there life due to faulty warning and the transmission not working like it should, it sounds like this is an issue with a lot of the same model vans.

- Dallas, TX, USA

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problem #4

May 052019

Quest

  • 118,000 miles
We purchased our 2013 Nissan Quest minivan six years ago, and the cvt transmission failed while driving home from church on Sunday, May 5th. After getting gas, I tried to accelerate and the entire front started vibrating and very minimal acceleration ability, 0-10mph. I went from parking lot onto city streets barely able to move forward/accelerate. Once I was on bigger street, speed limit of 40mph, I still couldn'tt accelerate over 5-10mph. Parked in the driveway;later in afternoon, independent mechanic came to our house to test control panel with code reader, he confirmed it was the trans. We test drove to determine if we could drive 20-30 minutes to Nissan dealer, but we barely got a half a block from our house before we lost total acceleration - could not move forward at all. We shut the van off, restarted it which allowed us to go 5mph & get home. The cvt transmission needs to be replaced in all Nissan models. 6 year old van, still owe 10 car payments w/limited warranty valid until April 2020, however we have 118,000 miles, surpassing 100K limit. We've read online 1ks of consumer complaints on cvt trans failure, Sentra, rogue, murano, Altima, Quest. Nissan refuses to recall for cvt trans replacement because it is not deemed a safety issue. Being unable to accelerate above 10mph in heavy traffic with our kids in the vehicle is a safety issue. Nissan us cust service rep gave us the run around: Tow van to dealer for Nissan test then the case would be reviewed (shell out $300) however there is no guarantee of replacement of cvt transmission by Nissan. I am a teacher, this minivan is my transportation to/from school. My husband works part-time as warehouse laborer, so we cannot afford to replace the cvt trans for $5000. Nissan corporate needs to address this safety issue involving the cvt trans & replace all cvts & develop new trans. Lives are at stake.

- Woodridge, IL, USA

problem #3

Jun 012018

Quest

  • miles

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

I'm experiencing whining noise while accelerating and decelerating. I did some research and lots of people complained about the same issue. Nissan did extend the warranty on the earlier models. However, it doens't include my model and year.

- Walnut, CA, USA

problem #2

Jan 032018

Quest

  • 130,000 miles
While taking my van out of parking lot, the van wouldn't accelerate despite the fact that RPM guage showed proper RPM. I tried to back the van, but same situation. I checked any warning sign such as check engine but there was no such sign. Eventually the van started accelerating very slowly and picked up some speed. I straight reached to glen burnie transmissions shop and their master technician conducted the diagnostic and a drive test. He then informed me that antifreeze from radiator has mixed into transmission and caused the transmission totally damaged. He told me that it need a new transmission and radiator. The estimated cast is $4595 plus tax. I then checked with the local Nissan service and theirik service technician said that it is a very common problem in pathfinder and Quest even without warning. He gave me the repair estimate of $ 7500. I am truly upset with this manufacturer major defect that cause so much economic loss to the customer. I would realy want Nissan to repair this for free. While driving to the transmission shop the van wouldn't pick up acceleration at the traffic lights after stop and all the vehicles behind me were jumbled up and it made a safety hazard for motorists as well as for the pedestrians in the crossing.

- Glen Burnie, MD, USA

problem #1

Dec 032017

Quest

  • 99,000 miles
We purchased a 2013 Nissan Quest in November 2015. It had around 48-49K miles on it and currently has 99K miles on it. While driving it yesterday, it began to violently shake upon acceleration between 0 and 45mph. It felt exactly like driving over rumble strips. We took it to the closest mechanic, who test drove it before pulling it into the garage to check the axels. When he went to put it in reverse to back it out of the garage, the transmission completely quit. The mechanic informed us at that point that Nissan with the cvt transmission were notorious for having these types of issues. No check engine or transmission lights ever came on.

- Saint Marys, GA, USA

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