Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Nissan Pathfinder owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
vehicle does not accelerates properly after a left turn it starts jerking violently and it correct itself after a few minutes or it can jerk repeatedly before correcting. After awhile the brake-shift interlock started not working properly by getting stock in the parking position making it shift to the drive position.
While driving, vehicle looses power, acceleration, pressing on gas and nothing happens, shift car to neutral and press on gas and RPM"s go up, shift back to drive, press on gas and RPM's don't move, vehicle does not go. All the times that it has happened we had to coast either to the side of road, or to next light. This is a rear end collision waiting to happen, this is definitely a safety issue!!! Took car to Nissan dealer, but since car did not detect any error codes, dealership was unable to find fix, but there is definitely something wrong with car, http://www.carcomplaints.com went unto this site and found more than 100 complaint similar to mine, about car loosing power. Somebody has to look into this before someone gets seriously hurt or dies. This is my wife's car and I have a 3yr old and a 2yr old that she drives around, please, someone look into this.
Fuel gauge is inaccurate. Fuel tank capacity is approximately 19 gallons. Gauge abruptly changes. Shows close to full until 6 gallons in tank is left. Then shows half full. When shows one quarter full tank only has 2 gallons left in tank. This occurs whether driving or stationary, level or incline. This is a safety issue as the vehicle quickly runs low on fuel and does not allow for proper refueling planning.
Over the past two month I've had 4 incidents when I stop at a light or sign and when I hit my accelerator pedal to start moving again nothing happens. Sometimes I lift my foot off of the pedal and them back again and it starts working normally. Other times the accelerator starts working after a few seconds of being depressed.....more than a little nu-nerving when entering heavy traffic areas.
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"
Upon acceleration from idle or at traffic light, depressing the acceleration pedal produces no movement. You have to press the gas pedal all the way down, upon which no movement forward is created. Also, the passenger front airbag, even with a 160 pound passenger sits in seat, airbag light is still turned off, subsequently turning off airbag.
Brake lights stay on and vehicle has loss of power when trying to accelerate and the when brake lights go off it goes back to full power. This is a known issue with this model but it appears my VIN number isn't covered although it has the same issues as other 2013 Nissan pathfinders. I have less than 61000 miles on the vehical.
I had complained to trophy Nissan, progressive insurance, wells fargo, and platinum collision about the very problem that I just received a recall about. My complaints were treated as not having merit. I had specifically described the seemingly loss of control on pavement that was slightly rough. I also asserted that when I applied brakes the Pathfinder seemed to lunge forward. In this accident I was the interstate near downtown dallas moving one lane to my left as traffic slowed and stopped. I was aware of the slowing traffic and I reacted accordingly. As traffic actually stopped I recall not being overly concerned that I was a safe stopping distance but when I applied the brake my Pathfinder seemed to lunge forward and I struck the rear of the vehicle in front of me. I again stated my concerns after the fact and was not deemed accurate. …
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. …
Fuel System complaints in other Pathfinder years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder, 3% of the model year's 890 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Nissan Pathfinder fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder, though it has 11 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2013 Nissan Pathfinder fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 6,000 miles, and 81% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.