Model year guide

2013 Nissan Pathfinder

Recalls, most-reported problems, crash-test ratings, fuel economy and what a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder is worth — from official NHTSA and EPA data. 522 on record.

2013 Nissan Pathfinder — representative photo
Representative photo · via Wikimedia Commons

2013 Nissan Pathfinder at a glance

Safety recalls11
Owner complaints888
Overall safety4 / 5 ★
Combined22 mpg
Typical price$20,237

Free: specs, open recalls for that exact car, build sheet and fair price.

2013 Nissan Pathfinder recalls 11

Electrical System:software NHTSA Campaign #14V138000 · 25/03/2014

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Air Bags:frontal NHTSA Campaign #15V681000 · 20/10/2015

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front p…

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:cooling Unit And Lines NHTSA Campaign #14V142000 · 26/03/2014

Nissan North America (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013 Pathfinder vehicles manufactured April 18, 2012, through October 3, 2012, and equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). In the affected vehicles, the internal oil cooler (ITOC) hose may detach from the cooler due to inadequate clamping force, allowing transmission fluid to leak.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install an oil hose repair kit, free of charge. The recall began on May 12, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch NHTSA Campaign #16V380000 · 31/05/2016

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.…

Fix: 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.

Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification NHTSA Campaign #16V244000 · 26/04/2016

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these veh…

Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi,…

Structure:body:hood:hinge And Attachments NHTSA Campaign #15V033000 · 26/01/2015

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles manufactured June 20, 2012, to November 18, 2013, 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid vehicles manufactured July 18, 2013, to November 18, 2013, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles manufactured November 29, 2011, to June 14, 2013, and 2014 QX60 vehicles manufactured May 16, 2013, to November 18, 2013, and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hy…

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will modify the angle of the hood release mechanism to provide additional length to the release cable, free of charge. The recall began on March 9, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Air Bags NHTSA Campaign #13V069000 · 01/03/2013

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppress the passenger airbag.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ODS sensors and replace them as neccessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip NHTSA Campaign #13V445000 · 17/10/2013

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles manufactured April 18, 2012, through September 20, 2013; model year 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles manufactured September 15, 2011, through January 16, 2013; and model year 2014 Infiniti QX60 vehicles manufactured January 17, 2013, through September 20, 2013. In the affected vehicles, during light braking on rough roads, the antilock brake syst…

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ABS, free of charge. The recall began on November 18, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Service Brakes NHTSA Campaign #13V139000 · 12/04/2013

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Pathfinder and Infiniti JX vehicles manufactured December 3, 2012, through January 29, 2013. The front brake torque member was improperly cast resulting in structural weakness. This can lead to premature failure and cracking.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the manufacturing date of the torque members and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 20, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch NHTSA Campaign #21V020000 · 20/01/2021

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, …

Fix: 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 rep…

Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch NHTSA Campaign #22V420000 · 13/06/2022

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Pathfinder vehicles. On certain Pathfinder vehicles, the secondary hood latch may malfunction and remain in the unlatched, unsecured, position when the hood is closed.

Fix: Dealers will replace the bell crank assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 26, 2025. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall are R22A2 R22A3 and R24B7.

Source: U.S. NHTSA. A recall applies to a model year, but only a VIN check shows whether a specific car has had the repair done.

2013 Nissan Pathfinder common problems

The most-reported problem areas from 888 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — and what to check before you buy.

Power Train
Drive through every gear: watch for slipping, hard or delayed shifts, and shudder. Check for transmission/driveline leaks and noises.
Electrical System
Test every electrical feature: windows, locks, infotainment, charging and all lights. Watch for flickering, dead accessories or warning lights.
Air Bags
Confirm the airbag light turns on then off at startup — if it stays lit there's a fault (costly, and a safety risk). Check for signs of prior deployment.
Service Brakes
Brakes should feel firm and quiet — no grinding, pulsing or pulling. Check for an ABS light and uneven pad/rotor wear.
Structure
Inspect for rust, fresh undercoating, mismatched paint, uneven panel gaps and any sign of prior collision or frame repair.

2013 Nissan Pathfinder safety ratings

Overall★★★★★
Frontal crash★★★★★
Side crash★★★★★
Rollover★★★★★

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP), tested as the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder SUV AWD. Ratings can differ by body style and drivetrain.

2013 Nissan Pathfinder MPG & running costs

Combined22 mpg
City20 mpg
Highway25 mpg
Est. annual fuel cost$2,875

Source: U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov, averaged across trims.

What's a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder worth?

Low
$16,700
Typical price
$20,237
High
$25,100

From 515 comparable 2013 Nissan Pathfinder listings.

Estimated 5-year cost to own

A rough guide to what running a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder costs over five years and 75,000 miles.

Fuel (5 yrs)$14,375
Depreciation (5 yrs)$11,550
Total$25,925
Per mile$0.35

How this is estimated: fuel is the U.S. EPA annual cost at 15,000 miles a year. Depreciation compares today's typical asking price for this model year ($20,237) with the same model 5 model-years older ($8,669), from CarLogs listing data. Not included: insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, registration and finance costs. Treat it as a comparison guide, not a quote.

2013 Nissan Pathfinder trims & engines on record

Trims
SV · SL · S · Platinum
Engines
3.5L

2013 Nissan Pathfinder vehicles on record

Other Nissan Pathfinder model years

2013 Nissan Pathfinder — frequently asked questions

Does the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder have any safety recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 11 safety recalls for the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN.

What are the most common problems with the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder?

Based on 888 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most-reported problem areas are power train, electrical system, air bags.

What is the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder safety rating?

NHTSA gives the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder an overall crash-test rating of 4 out of 5 stars (frontal 4★, side 5★, rollover 4★).

What gas mileage does the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder get?

The U.S. EPA rates the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder at about 22 mpg combined (20 city / 25 highway).

How much is a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder worth?

Comparable 2013 Nissan Pathfinder listings run roughly $16,700–$25,100, typically around $20,237 (from 515 vehicles).

Sources: NHTSA (recalls, complaints, crash tests), U.S. EPA (fuel economy). Vehicle data only — CarLogs never shows owner information.