2013 Nissan Altima
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Air bags is the leading concern among 2,312 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the highest complaint count among 26 Altima model years with reports.
Of the 2013 reports, 63 involved a crash and 9 involved a fire. 48 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchMay 28, 2020
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time.
Corrosion to the secondary latch may cause it to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. If the primary latch is inadvertently released again and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a stronger release spring in the hood release lever, a warning label near the secondary hood latch, and an Owners Manual addendum card with instructions on how to lubricate and maintain the secondary hood latch mechanism, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 30, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: Recall 16V-029 remains open for any unremedied 2013-2015 Altimas and this recall applies to all vehicles covered by 16V-029 even if those repairs have already been performed.
Campaign 20V315000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationDec 19, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.
If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 16V911000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationApr 26, 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 vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
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, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Campaign 16V244000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchJan 22, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
These vehicles were previously included in recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116, however the previous remedy plan may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk. To correct this issue, Nissan will re-notify all affected owners and dealers will replace the hood latch with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on February 17, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116.
Campaign 16V029000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontalOct 20, 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 passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
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.
Campaign 15V681000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasolineAug 4, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank.
If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 15V486000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchFeb 27, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 14V-565.
Campaign 15V116000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchSep 15, 2014
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to February 28, 2013. In the affected vehicles, interference between the hood inner panel and the secondary latch lever, in combination with debris and corrosion, may cause the secondary hood latch to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 20, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 14V565000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, softwareMar 25, 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.
If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
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.
Campaign 14V138000 on NHTSA.gov
Tires, temporary/emergency spare tireApr 24, 2013
Nissan North America is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima vehicles manufactured March 21, 2012, through March 26, 2013. The spare tires may have been significantly over- or under-inflated.
Tires that are significantly over- or under-inflated may fail without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and adjust the spare tire pressure, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 29, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 13V158000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bagsMar 1, 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.
If the vehicle is involved in a crash necessitating airbag deployment and the passenger airbag is suppressed, there may be an increased risk of personal injury.
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.
Campaign 13V069000 on NHTSA.gov
SteeringOct 10, 2012
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Altima vehicles manufactured from May 10, 2012, through July 26, 2012. These vehicles may have been equipped with transverse link bolts and power steering rack bolts that were not torqued to proper specification.
The affected bolts could become loose and fall out which may lead to a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the bolts to the proper torque specifications. The safety recall is expected to begin during November 2012. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 12V494000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: air bags
514 reports, newest first. Show all
Air bags, May 24, 2023
I took my vehicle in for assessment which costs around $160 as had many warning lights, including airbag. Nissan reviewed and informed my the passenger airbag needed to be replaced as the sensor was bad. There have been four previous recalls on Nissan Altima for airbag sensor issues and mine was not addressed. Now there is an issue and I'm told to spend money I don't have for an issue Nissan should fix. In the event somebody is hurt or worse, Nissan will be held responsible. Please take action and correct this issue and hold Nissan responsible.
Air bags, Engine, Apr 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, he noticed a burning smell coming through the A/C vents. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that unknown frontal air bag had deployed under the hood and burned; however, the mechanic could not repair the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to another mechanic who informed the contact that they could not repair the vehicle. An unknown dealer was contacted but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.
Air bags, Mar 20, 2023
My 2013 Nissan Altima had a malfunctioning air bag which "could or could not" deploy correctly, and at any time. I had to pay $2800.00 for replacement of this serious safety issue, and Nissan will not reimburse me. This air bag had simply stopped operating correctly, it had never been deployed. At the time of replacement the car had 86,000. I had no choice about replacing it unless I wanted my passenger to be at a serious safety risk.
Air bags, Feb 25, 2023
Driver air bag light remains on. Passenger air bag was supposedly fixed per recall years ago, but now the driver air bag seems to be faulty. Car has not been in an accident. Attempts by dealer and other mechanics to reset the light have failed, indicating there is a problem. Nissan refuses to remediate and says that it is the owner's responsibility. Dealer has said that Nissan does not know what the problem is and even if airbag is replaced for a tune of $3K they do not guarantee that the problem will be fixed! There is no option for us and this is extremely unsafe.
Air bags, Feb 8, 2023
Air bag sensors continue to come on even after repairs and reprogramming have been completed multiple times. Sensors do not recognize occupants thus causing a safety issue should there be a collision. Complaint was filed with Nissan Consumer Affairs and Nissan refuses to remediate even though recall was issued on this same issue several years ago. Nissan states outside of normal warranty. Nissan expects remediation costs ($800.00 plus) to be covered by consumer. I believe the sensor and airbag system is still faulty and was not properly remediated during the initial recall.
Air bags, Jan 18, 2023
This vehicle has never been in an accident and the driver air bag light came on. Per dealer it was the air bag modular and the who driver seat. Needed to be replaced. I called Nissan and they wouldn’t cover the replacement, because this part is only covered up to 50,000 miles. I’m very concerned and disappointed this is a safety hazard and should have been covered we are talking about air bag which saves lives. While in the dealership getting my car repaired another customer came in with the same issue. Can you please investigate Nissan before the faulty air bag modular they are placing on their cars? I can see the part going out on vehicles involved in accidents , it doesn’t make sense on non-accident vehicles.
Air bags, Sep 29, 2022
Airbag sensors are failing and Airbag warning light is on
Air bags, Sep 20, 2022
Airbag light ON displayed in Dashboard suddenly . Dealer not able to find the diagnosis code so it was reset and then after a month it came back again .
Air bags, Sep 20, 2022
Airbag sensors are failing and Airbag warning light is on
Air bags, Aug 10, 2022
The airbag light came on in my 2013 Nissan Altima randomly while in park. I had it checked at an official Nissan Dealership on the 28th of June 2022. The service center informed me that the right back seat assembly needed to be replaced (can provide documentation). I was informed that none of the airbags would be deployed if I were to get into an accident/ My vehicle has around 130,000 miles. It is a 2013, so this should not be happening in my opinion. I have a 2006 vehicle and I have had other vehicles that I have never had this happen. The repair itself will cost close to two thousand dollars. I bought the vehicle for this the safety features. I had airbag protection on all sides of each door to include the traditional airbag in dashboard and steering wheel. This problem is unacceptable for an over $20,000 vehicle. I have contacted to the manufacturer, and they refereed me to your website for further investigation. I hope that you find this, if applicable to be a nationwide recall on the airbags. Please urge them to recall this vehicle for this defective item, my safety is at risk. The airbag system is a must in a vehicle. Please contact me regarding this matter and I will submit documents or answer questions. Respectfully, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Air bags, Jul 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a faulty driver's side air bag. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
Air bags, Jul 26, 2022
Prior passenger airbag recalls on this year and model vehicle which have previously been “fixed”. However for the past 4 weeks, “passenger airbag off” light remains illuminated regardless of passenger being seated with vehicle seat belt latched. As well, the airbag red light is illuminated on driver dashboard continuously which results in none of the vehicles’ airbags being deployed in the event of a collision or serious collision. This is a huge safety concern for myself as a driver and all occupants of the vehicle.
Air bags, Jul 25, 2022
My driver seat airbag light is on red on the dashboard. I have not had any accidents. It's a safety issue, not safe. If I have an accident, the bag will not depoly and a risk to my life. I called Nissan today and they said the air bags are only under warranty for 3 yrs or 60,000 miles. That is not acceptable as compared to other car makers and their warranties. Some car airbags last 10 years or the life of the car. Nissan customer service said, the car is not under the recall list. My car model has had several recalls. Case #46890272. Nissan consumer affairs said, sorry not covered. What if a life was lost. The cost of replacing airbag vs. safety of customer's life seems to be not important. I took the car to Nissan dealer and in order for them to look at the air bag light on, they had me pay $189.95 for a diagnosis to let me know the whole seat needs to be replaced. Unacceptable, I have not heard "full drivers seats replaced new. My car has no other problems. I have had for 9 years with 77,000 miles. Thank you for logging my complaint of the driver air bag.
Air bags, Jul 17, 2022
The airbag light came on and I took it to the Nissan dealership and they reset it. A month later the light came back on and I took it back to the dealership now they say they can't reset it, it have to be replaced with a part that cause $2400 that I don't have. There was a recall on this problem but my vin# is not on the list as for many more which was stated that not all vin#'s were included at the beginning. I feel that Nissan should honor this recall especially in these trying times of our economy.
Air bags, Seats, Jul 14, 2022
When Adult sits in passenger seat, the passenger (Air bag off)light is on. Which means the Air bag is off and will not deploy in a accident. When a heavy weight adult sits in the seat, the light turns off. Sensor might be bad in seat. My wife is 140 lbs. light stays on when she sits in the passenger seat .
Power train, Air bags, Jul 9, 2022
1) Driver’s side airbag warning light is on all the time, constant red. 2) Transmission shift lever would not move out of park and had to be replaced @ 115,000 at a cost of $954. 3) The transmission failed and had to be replaced at 118,000 at a cost of $4,500. When I contacted Nissan about these issues, I was told that there was nothing they could do.
Air bags, Seat belts, Other or unspecified, Jun 28, 2022
The airbag light has come on on the dash and does not go out. It doesn't matter if someone is in the seat with or without the seat belt. It stays on. Now I'm worried the airbag won't work in an accident or it might go off/explode at any time.
Air bags, Engine and engine cooling, Jun 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving on the highway at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the roadway and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the air bag module and ECU module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Air bags, Mar 11, 2022
Update from previous complaint. On 1/24/22 I took the car for passenger air bag malfunction/OCS malfunction, the problem when there is a passenger on the car or not the passenger air bag light stays off and seatbelt light was on all the time. I brought the customer initiative related to NHTSA RECALL 16V-244 letter to the nearest dealership Nissan Duarte and they only performed zero reset calibration and it did the job for about 4 weeks and now the air bag light turns on and off intermittently. I tried to have a passenger on the car and turned the car on, the air bag light turns off, when I restart the car with just me in the car, the air bag light stays on, I was able to replicate this problem over and over. Safety is definitely at risk for everyone in the car, as the air bag system is malfunctioning. I tried contacting customer service to honor their customer initiative related to NHTSA RECALL 16V-244 and have them perform service bulletin NTB17-006 OCS system retrofit to no avail. I tried contacting Sarah Jay at 615-725-7585 Nissan specialist waiting her reply. Please investigate car is approximately 67000 miles.
Exterior lighting, Air bags, Mar 8, 2022
My passenger air bag monitor seems to have a shortage. If there is no one in the passenger seat it will show on the dash as being on or when no one is in the seat it will show on and then sometimes off. Most days there isn't any symbol on the dash when someone is sitting in the passenger seat. I never know if the passenger seat belt is on or off. My second concern is my exterior headlights, they are so dim that I have to use my bright lights to see the roads. I have basically tried to stop driving very early in the morning, or at night.
Air bags, Feb 14, 2022
Airbag sensor not working correct, which will cause airbags not to deploy.
Air bags, Seat belts, Feb 2, 2022
WARNING LIGHT ON DASH FOR PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG AND PASSENGER SEAT BELT.
Electrical system, Air bags, Feb 1, 2022
The airbag light came on the dash and stays on without the vehicle being involved in a crash. I took it to a shop to have it repaired and they stated it was a faulty airbag sensor.
Electrical system, Air bags, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 30, 2022
Unknown, but the issue is beneath the passenger seat where it seems a wire has shorted out and even became disconnected and i am unsure but pretty positive that it has something to do with the passenger side airbags because shortly after a diagnostic scan shows several airbag fault codes. Also since then my car’s performance has changed and now i am receiving diagnostic trouble codes for different electrical components such as mas air flow sensor low voltage and its causing my car to stall at random times while driving and even on freeways. It also has caused my car to slow down while fully accelerating on the pedal. Very big safety concern as im driving on the freeway with my family in the car as well.
Air bags, Jan 13, 2022
After OCS recall 16v-244. The system is malfunctioning again around 2019. The OCS light will stay off and the passenger seat belt light turn on as it register the seat as occupied and the only solution at that time was to click the seat belt in to simulate someone wearing the seat belt. No child can sit in the front due weight sensors not working. The safety of everyone is at risk at this point due to malfunctioning OCS. After several online research I found many Altima owners complaining about the problem but not able to afford the initial cost of checking the problem and the high cost of repairing the problem in the thousands, only Altima owner still under warranties are able to get relief and thus was not reported. Due to covid pandemic, I drive less and tried to stay away from dealerships as to do my own oil change, I was unable to solve the problem due to high cost they charge to fix it. I mention to them there was a recall recently and it should replace the ECU unit and provide similar fix free of charge. I am guessing the air bag still works as the air bag light is not on at this time. I tried contacting Nissan Customer service and was provided with a case #45568871, I was urged to contact NHTSA for further help with a campaign initiation. Thank you