Problems · by component
2013 Nissan Pathfinder vehicle speed control problems
47 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder cite vehicle speed control, 5% of all 891 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
47
5% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the vehicle speed control
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“My car powers off as I am driving it. The brakes work but nothing else. The dials go crazy and all the warning lights on my car turn on with all the other lights remaining off. I’m not sure what component stopped working when it shuts off but I would be okay with it being inspected. My safety was put at risk because I could no longer drive the car and the gas pedal doesn’t work so I don’t gain any speed leaving me stranded on the street having to pull over which could lead to an accident. The problem has been confirmed by an independent service dealer. The first sign I know the problem is gonna happen when driving is when I turn on the car and the emergency brake light turns on and the battery light.”
“I started having issues with my brakes. I had recently had the front rotors and pads replaced, but I still heard squeeking, and a little fishtailing on my back end. I figured I needed my brakes in the rear checked, so I took it to Pep Boys for a free inspection. The mechanic showed me that my rear control arm on the left was very loose, and the compartment that connected to it was severely rusted thru. He told me this was across the whole back end and it was actually part of my FRAME. He said it is called a K-Frame and it should not be rusted through with my car being barely 11 years old. There are massive holes all the way across. He said that is why I thought that I might need my struts replaced because of a thunk sound when pulling off. There was no connection at all. He says I should not drive it AT ALL because my whole back end could fall off literally!”
“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.”
“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.”
“I was driving down the road and the car wouldn’t shift into second gear. The speed limit was 35 mph and my car would only go 20 mph. I couldn’t drive home safely, no warning lights came on or anything. Dealership said my CVT transmission needs to be replaced. This sudden drop in speed became a hazard for me and my passenger.”
“VEHICLE LOSES ACCELERATION WHEN DRIVING, AND EVEN WITH FULL GAS PEDAL DOESN'T PICKUP SPEED. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE WHEN DRIVING AND PRONE TO CAUSING ACCIDENT OR DEATH RISK. THE DEALER COULDN'T TRACE THE ISSUE AFTER PERFORMING STANDARD DIAGNOSTICS. THIS ISSUE IS HAPPENING VERY FREQUENTLY, WITH NO REMEDIATION OR RESOLUTION BY DEALERS. THIS SAME VEHICLE HAS BRAKELIGHT ISSUES. THE BRAKELIGHTS STAY EVEN THOUGH NO BRAKES ARE IN USE AND/OR VEHICLE IS PARKED. THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATION HAS TO BE PRESSED FRUSTRATING NUMBER OF TIMES BEFORE THEY TURN-OFF. THIS ISSUE MAY POTENTIALLY CAUSE ON-ROAD ACCIDENT RISK OR DRAIN THE BATTERY. THERE IS NO ERROR MESSAGE NOR DIAGNOSTIC DISPLAYED IN TEH VEHICLE.”
Showing 6 of 47 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.