2013 Nissan Pathfinder Structure Problems
Owners have filed 83 complaints with NHTSA about structure problems on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder, 9% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 45,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “door handle” (17% of reports).
- 83structure complaints
- 45,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $1,800typical repair cost reported by owners
- 50%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Door handle: mentioned in 14 of 83 complaints (17%)
- Rear subframe: mentioned in 8 of 83 complaints (10%)
- Rusted through: mentioned in 5 of 83 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical structure repair on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder at $1,800, and half of them between $1,100 and $1,850.
Based on 5 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2017–2024), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do structure problems happen?
Based on 58 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 83 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Nissan Pathfinder structure complaints by model year
| Model year | Structure complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Pathfinder | 5 | 9% | — |
| 2024 Pathfinder | 6 | 7% | 17,500 |
| 2022 Pathfinder | 7 | 5% | — |
| 2020 Pathfinder | 2 | 4% | — |
| 2019 Pathfinder | 6 | 8% | 6,000 |
| 2018 Pathfinder | 1 | 1% | 7,537 |
| 2017 Pathfinder | 5 | 3% | 36,884 |
| 2016 Pathfinder | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2015 Pathfinder | 12 | 4% | 33,000 |
| 2014 Pathfinder | 48 | 8% | 51,500 |
| 2013 Pathfinder | 83 | 9% | 45,000 |
| 2012 Pathfinder | 2 | 9% | 144,500 |
| 2009 Pathfinder | 1 | 3% | 38,000 |
| 2008 Pathfinder | 4 | 1% | 72,000 |
| 2007 Pathfinder | 3 | 1% | 144,000 |
| 2006 Pathfinder | 6 | 1% | 104,600 |
| 2005 Pathfinder | 14 | 1% | 60,500 |
| 2004 Pathfinder | 4 | 6% | 65,000 |
| 2003 Pathfinder | 12 | 11% | 155,000 |
| 2002 Pathfinder | 18 | 12% | 118,000 |
| 2001 Pathfinder | 30 | 13% | 117,000 |
| 2000 Pathfinder | 29 | 26% | 135,000 |
| 1999 Pathfinder | 18 | 17% | 156,250 |
| 1998 Pathfinder | 14 | 9% | 112,000 |
| 1997 Pathfinder | 17 | 8% | 124,000 |
| 1996 Pathfinder | 11 | 7% | 126,168 |
| 1995 Pathfinder | 58 | 34% | 140,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Structure:body:hood:hinge and attachments
Problem: 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 Hybrid vehicles manufactured July 18, 2013, to November 18, 2013. In the affected vehicles the hood release cable assembly may have been installed incorrectly preventing the latching claw from fully engaging. The secondary latch may remain in the open position when the hood is closed.
Risk: If the primary hood latch is released and the secondary latch fails during operation of the vehicle, it could cause the hood to open during vehicle operation impairing the driver's vision, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Rear subframe rusted through and unable to be repaired. Contacted Nissan and would not assist even though some VIN # of the same year were recalled and replaced. Having a hard time finding a replacement even with a family friend who is a service advisor looking. Vehicle has not been in an accident…
See attached document for complaint.
Rear subframe on the passenger side cracked because of excessive rust making it dangerous to drive so it's now stuck at the repair shop. Repair shop said this is not expected for a vehicle with this mileage and the other sides of the subframe are far from being in the same condition as this one.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2013 Nissan Pathfinders have structure problems?
No. NHTSA has 83 owner complaints about structure for the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder (9% of the 890 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder structure?
Yes: 1 safety recall list structure. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do structure problems start?
The median reported mileage is 45,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix structure problems on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,800 (half paid between $1,100 and $1,850), from 5 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about structure problems on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder?
The most frequent phrase is “door handle”, in 14 of 83 complaints, followed by “rear subframe” (8).
Other 2013 Nissan Pathfinder problems
- Power Train problems (370)
- Air Bags problems (177)
- Engine problems (105)
- Service Brakes problems (62)
- Electrical System problems (50)
See all 2013 Nissan Pathfinder problems or structure problems across all Pathfinder years.