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
2,312 reports, newest first.
Power train, Electrical system, Mar 11, 2022
THE CAR STARTS GOOD ENGINE SOUNDS GOOD BUT WHEN YOU PUT IT IN DRIVE OR REVERSE THE CAR TURNS OFF
Other or unspecified, Mar 9, 2022
CVT Transmission failed, they know the 2013 model has a bad transmission and instead of recalling it they only did an extended 2 year warranty in a class action lawsuit. The car should not be on the road we just paid our car off not knowing about this issue and the car stopped in the middle of traffic and would not drive. We got it towed to a Nissan Dealership to find out it needs a new Transmission and that's when we learned about all the issues of the CVT Transmission issues on the 2013 model. Uploaded towing bill, do not have the invoice from the dealership yet but they are stating 5900.00 to replace the transmission which is crazy now seeing everything online knowing it's a faulty part.
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.
Suspension, Feb 28, 2022
While driving through a residential street at 20 mph, the rear driver side control arm of my 2013 altima broke off suddenly. I was lucky that I wasn't on a freeway when this happened. The vehicle has been towed to a nearby mechanic, and I'm waiting to hear back about the mechanic's assessment.
Power train, Feb 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power without warning. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle however, after several attempts the vehicle failed to start-up. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who replaced the transmission fluid; however, while the contact was driving home, the failure recurred without warning. The contact attempted to notify the manufacturer but was unsuccessful. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Other or unspecified, Feb 21, 2022
secondary hood latch failed. while driving on the street at about 35 MPH, hood flew open causing very limited visual. upon pulling over, damage was visible on the fenders of left and right side. dealer claims not liable for any repairs.
Air bags, Feb 14, 2022
Airbag sensor not working correct, which will cause airbags not to deploy.
Other or unspecified, Feb 14, 2022
I had driven the car less.than one half mile when car stalled.. When I tried to restart the car it continued to stall When I shifted to drive. No prior warning was given
Steering, Suspension, Wheels, Feb 8, 2022
I took my car in for an alignment and the mechanic discovered excessive and sever corrosion on the lower suspension link in the rear, the corrosion is so bad that the entire subframe is holding on by a corroded approximately 1/2 inch section, one bump and the entire rear end of the vehicle will fall off. This car is less than 10 years old, has 80,000 miles on it and is for the most part kept in a garage. The corrosion is so bad that the car has been deemed unsafe to drive. Individuals who are experts in automotive parts have indicated that the corrosion that has occurred would be expected for a car that is over 50 years old and has been sitting in water or subjected to extreme use of salt/water/road chemicals to corrode to the degree that this entire unit is showing. I found that Nissan has put in place a "warranty extension to replace this exact part of the lower rear suspension due to excessive corrosion for the year/make/model of car I am reporting, however Nissan is refusing to honor that on my car simply because my VIN number didn't show up as one that should be experiencing this KNOWN issue. Searching the internet I have found hundreds of people that have had their back end fall off while driving due to this corrosion, ALL are same year, make and model. I will attach photos that show the extensive corrosion that is on the lower rear link of my 2013 Altima, reflecting that my car is in fact impacted by the very issue that Nissan supposedly was voluntarily extending the warranty on in an effort to prevent having to do a recall. Based on my brief internet review with a simple Google search this part is DEFECTIVE on more cars than Nissan is covering and someone is going to die as a result of Nissans failure to recall and/or fix the issue when it is brought to their attention despite knowing that this is a prevalent issue on the year/make/model of this car. There lack of taking responsibility will cost someone their life.
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.
Exterior lighting, Jan 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at night with the low-beam headlights activated, the illumination from the headlights was extremely dim, causing a visibility hazard for the driver. The headlight bulbs were replaced on several occasions, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the headlight assemblies needed to be replaced to fix the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 86,000.
Exterior lighting, Jan 19, 2022, crash
I had been pulled over for not having my lights on but they were, then pulled over again while driving with brights on,(had to drive with brights on to see road), Another day, I had turned off my brights to avoid getting pulled over for having them on. When I arrived at my destination I could barely see the road & hit a parked car. It just so happened I was in front of my daughters house, my destination , & it was her car I hit. I cant drive at night which has caused many other problem. Headlights might as well be off while driving at night cause they look same on. & WORSE in fog cause you cant use brights to help see either.
Power train, Jan 18, 2022
Known issue of cvt transmission needs replaced... original owners did not receive notification and was denied warranty when presented the issue
Suspension, Jan 14, 2022
On the morning of Thursday January 13th I pulled in my place of employment which had a small pot hole at the entrance. Upon entering the parking lot I hit that hole and noticed that my car had a bit of a sway, but did not understand what the issue was. After working 8 hours I was going to leave and noticed the same issue with the vehicle. I then exited my car to inspect my tires thinking I had a flat. Upon further inspection I noticed that my fender well was sitting on top of my tire. I then looked under my car to confirm that the lower linkage arm for the passengers rear tire had sheared from the subframe. The car at that time was un-drivable so I called a tow truck to transport it to a Nissan dealership. On January 14th I received my diagnosis report that stated the lower linkage arm had rusted and sheared because of this issue. They also inspected the drivers side part and confirmed the same issue was taking place with the other linkage. The vehicle is only 8 years old at this time and the part has rusted so severely that it caused the part to fail. In my opinion this is a very detrimental issue that Nissan will not acknowledge or offer assistance with fixing. My biggest concern with the whole situation is that I could have been driving the vehicle at 70mph on the highway and have this part fail. Should that have happened I could have been seriously injured or even killed. In my opinion I think that Nissan needs to do an investigation on part corrosion since this is an issue they are combating already with the secondary hood latch, which I have had a representative from Nissan say was because of corrosion of that secondary latch. This does not seem like an isolated issue, but more of a larger concern that Nissan should be looking into with corrosion on very important parts to the vehicles integrity.
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
Exterior lighting, Jan 8, 2022
The low beam headlights are to dim. The light from the fog lights projects further then the low beam headlights. I have changed the bulbs but there has been little to no improvement.
Exterior lighting, Dec 26, 2021
HEAD LIGHTS ARE SO DIM THAT I HAVE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT WITH MY BRIGHTS ON.
Suspension, Dec 18, 2021
I have a 2013 Nissan Altima. I have always had my car serviced by a Nissan dealership. I recently had my serpentine belt replaced and when the multi point inspection was conducted the tech found discovered the rear control arm is rusted, cracked and close to breaking apart. I was told by another Nissan dealership that an service campaign was out in reference to that same part, he put my VIN and said my car is not apart of that campaign. I purchased the part so that my dealership could do the repair. The Campaign is for (certain) 2013 and 2014 Altima's. Rear lower link salt states. I live in Illinois which is one of the salt states and have the corrosion and rust. Campaign is P9324. I contacted Nissan Corporate office and they issued a case #. This is a huge safety issue and Nissan should fix this issue. I see there is an attorney in California handling this very issue.
Exterior lighting, Dec 18, 2021
HEAD LIGHTS ARE SO DIM THAT I HAVE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT WITH MY BRIGHTS
Suspension, Dec 10, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, he heard an abnormal sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated when exiting the vehicle, he noticed that the rear driver’s side tire was slanted. The contact stated while inspecting under the vehicle, he noticed the rear lower control arm was disengaged. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact went to the local dealer and showed them pictures of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with Manufacturer recall number P9324 however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.
Exterior lighting, Dec 8, 2021
Dimmed headlights
Exterior lighting, Dec 5, 2021
The lights on the car are very dim it had halogens at first so I put leds and saw that it did not a make a difference at all. I’ve been pulled over 1 once for them being very dim. I feel like it could put me and someone else at risk at night. I have to use my high beams to see all the time because the low beams are extremely dim. Me and a lot of people are at danger because of the headlight housing being too dim and lots of people are not liking the lights being dim.
Other or unspecified, Dec 2, 2021
Unknown