Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
When control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure gets reported
Owners of the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder report control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure at a median of 50,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 35,000 miles and a quarter after 55,000 miles, from 8 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 92,000 miles. It is the 21st most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 15,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 85,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 72,784 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
25% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13,216 miles | 34,077 miles | 49,200 miles | 53,150 miles | 86,000 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $700–$3,000 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 7 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2015, at a median of 1 miles, and latest on the 2007 at 155,000 miles.
By volume the 2005 carries the most reports, with 21; the 2013 has 9. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
I noticed that occasionally when I was driving and my wife was in the passenger seat that the "front passenger air bag status light" was indicating "off." the problem happened with other passengers as well. Several times while this was happening I drove to the nearby nissan dealership and pulled into the service bay. A few seconds after I came to a stop and before a service representative could come over the light went off. I returned the pathfinder several times for repair including the recall. The problem persisted. The service manager had a dealer technical specialist (dts) look at the car. The dts said that when the vehicle is started the sensors determine if there is a child in the seat and "classifies" this to the air bag control module. There are 3 conditions that can be "classified" - empty, child, and adult. When the gear shift lever is moved from park the status ("classification") at that instant is retained. Subsequently if the vehicle comes to a complete stop (regardless of gear selection) for several seconds then this "classification" is repeated. The dts and the service manager were able to "manipulate" the car to…
2013 nissan pathfinder hesitated (shudder) when I accelerated the vehicle from a standstill in traffic on the freeway. The vehicle did not move for about 2-3 seconds. It sounded like the vehicles power just shut off. After 2-3 seconds, the vehicle then accelerated. This happens every so often from a standstill/pause at a traffic light or in traffic. I have addressed the problem to my nissan service dealer. The vehicle is currently at the dealer for service. I turned the vehicle in to the dealer on 12/30/14 due to an "ikey error code" only to find out that the body control module unit had to be replaced. Too many issues with this vehicle. Luckily I still have warranty. Do something before something major happens. *js
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 nissan pathfinder. While driving unknown speeds, the transmission shuddered and slipped. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (chapman nissan, 6723 essington ave, philadelphia, pa 19153, 215-492-1200) where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repairs would be at his expense. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Also reported on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
Other powertrain problem
CVT failure
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
Other engine problem
Other body or interior problem
Complete transmission failure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 9 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure happen on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder?
Across 8 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 50,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 35,000 miles and a quarter after 55,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder?
9 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed