2013 Nissan Xterra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (1) · Suspension (1) · Service Brakes (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Xterra model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (101)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Air Bags 2024-07-08 · NTB23-081C · Service Campaign
voluntary safety recall campaign 2005-2013 frontier, pathfinder, and xterra; driver air bag cover campaign id #: pc945 and pc948 applied vehicles: 2005-2013 frontier (d40) 2005-2012 pathfinder (r51) 2005-2013 xterra (n50) check service comm or dealer business systems (dbs) national service history t
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-027D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication – network diagnostic flow chart this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB10-066C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication codes – diagnostic tips and guidelines this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 101 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2019-06-04 · Suspension · 150,000 mi“this vehicle was never heavily loaded and was always driven on paved roads. the bottom leaf in each of the rear leaf springs broke within one year of one another. the first time i noticed the broken leaf and had it repaired before the broken piece of leaf could come out of the assembly. the second time the broken piece of leaf came out of the assem…”
2019-02-05 · Service Brakes · 90,000 mi“very soft brake pedal observed progressively getting worse over period of about 15k / 1 month triggering increased braking distance especially during wet conditions and at higher speeds occasionally pedal goes almost to the floor prior to vehicle coming to complete stop. hot pads/rotors observed during even cold and or wet conditions above normal …”
2018-09-20 · Vehicle Speed Control · 19,150 mi“while traveling on a freeway, disengaged speed control using brake, but did not originally turn it off to be able to maneuver better in traffic near a city. vehicle originally slowed down, but after releasing brake in 3 seconds, car sped up on its own with an acceleration profile greater than the one when you are setting the speed. tried several ti…”
2014-11-14 · Power Train · 10,284 mi · 💥 crash“my 2013 nissan xterra pro4x accelerated on its own with me standing next to it. it is a manual transmission and the emergency brake was on. it reversed rapidly and caught me under it. i suffered permanent nerve damage in my arm and extreme scaring on both legs. after it ran me over, it crashed into my garage. nissan refused to take any responsibili…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.