CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2013 Nissan Altima has multiple problem trends including the CVT transmission, and now that this model is out of warranty, it earns our "Avoid Like The Plague" badge.

Owners complain about vibration and transmission failure related to the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), a whining noise from the power steering pump, and constant windshield problems that appear to be the result of poor design.

Be warned: the 2014 & 2015 Nissan Altima appears to share these same problems.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
56,164 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Nissan Altima brakes problems

brakes problem

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2013 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #31

Jun 012018

Altima 4-cyl

  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Airbag warning light indicates faulty electronics. Began about 50,000 miles. This is not due to misuse. It's companion to earlier recall for a faulty airbag, which was corrected. Reported to dealer. Cost estimate to repair from $800 to $5,000 depending the level of defect. Owner believes this should be Nissan's responsibility, as it's not due to negligence.

- Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA

problem #30

Dec 152019

Altima

  • 132,000 miles
While driving my car and merging onto a busy interstate, the check engine light, traction control, and blind spot monitoring error lights all came on the car would not accelerate. The RPM gauge would go up and the car would try to go, but it just wouldn't. I almost got rear ended by a semi truck because my car wasn't able to go or move out of the way. I left it in a shop for over a week and apparently it's something to do with the cvt transmission and speed sensors. I contacted Nissan and all they would tell me was that they did an extended warranty on those transmissions up to 130,000 miles, however my car was roughly 2,000 miles over this and was not covered by that warranty. They told me all I could do was replace the transmission and that was going to cost me roughly $4,000. I'm almost scared to drive it anywhere there's lots of traffic or fast moving traffic for fear of someone running into me. Also when all of those dash lights come on, the traction control isn't working and I've had to drive in the rain several times. I just believe it's overall dangerous and Nissan isn't doing anything to fix the problem for cars that have somehow managed to make it over 130,000 miles. I know several people who've had similar things happen with their Nissan car that has this transmission. I do believe it is a safety issue because it malfunctions at any given time just randomly. I can be driving and it's fine one minute, the next thing I know all of these dash lights are lit up and the car won't accelerate.

- Sturgis, MS, USA

problem #29

Oct 092019

Altima

  • 130,000 miles
Right rear lower control arm broke while driving 2013 Nissan Altima. This caused difficult handling of the vehicle. I was thankful to be driving on a residential road only traveling 25 mph.

- Andover, MN, USA

problem #28

Jul 022019

Altima

  • 145,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When I first bought my car the headlights worked fine, now they are so dim you cannot see when driving at night or in the rain. I spoke with a mechanic to see what was going on with the light, and told me that the chrome around the light bulb is not reflecting the light of the bulb and that is why its so dim. He also advised me that this is a common issue that he sees in Nissan Altima 2012 and above. The cost for replacing the headlights is about 1200 dollars to fix.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #27

Jun 012018

Altima

  • 50,000 miles
One takata airbag was recalled and repaired. The second takata airbag has developed the same faulty readout on the dashboard and should be part of the recall. Dealer (rip-off) quoted nearly $5K to repair which is electrical, is not faulty through misuse, and should be Nissan responsibility. Please help this veteran's widow.

- Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA

problem #26

Jun 072019

Altima 4-cyl

  • 59,635 miles
Rear control arm on my Nissan Altima 2013 came apart on an interstate pushing me on to the left lane almost at 65 mph. Got really scared as I usually drive with my new born but luckily he was not in the car when this happened. The car has less than 60K miles and I had to replace them on both sides on the rear as they mentioned the other one too is going to break soon. Really disappointed as had to make a huge repair spending 1300 bucks for a car that is only used to run few errands over the weekend as I commute on train for work.

- Malden, MA, USA

problem #25

May 282019

Altima

  • 88,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving on an uphill street car would not go and I would have to push hard down on gas I had my son in the back seat I then pulled over to set car at park and turned off let it sit for about five mins turned car back on put it on reverse and it went forward I set it pack to park gear and then back to reverse and it complied not the first time now it's just more common and this time it freaked me out it wasn't a little burp as the other times had car for only about 6 going on 7 months and I restricted L myself from driving my own car that I just purchased to then being told transmission failing and 8 recalls

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #24

Jun 012019

Altima

  • 122,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the check engine and slip warning indicators remained illuminated when the vehicle was parked or when shifting out of drive. Also, while driving highway speeds, the vehicle lost power, the transmission gears failed to change over, and the vehicle shut down. The vehicle was coasted off the road and parked. Balise Nissan of cape cod (322 falmouth rd, hyannis, MA 02601, (508) 815-4010) was contacted and indicated that an unknown manufacturer campaign regarding the reprogramming of the continuously variable transmission (cvt) failed. The dealer recommended that the vehicle be diagnosed to determine if the cvt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was unable to be driven and the manufacturer did not volunteer to have the vehicle towed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.

- Harwich, MA, USA

problem #23

Apr 292019

Altima

  • 88,700 miles
I was driving my vehicle about 25 mph leaving work when I heard a thud/clunk from the passenger side rear of the car. The traction control light came on, I pulled over and looked at the car. I though I had a flat because the car had been handling 'oddly' for about 30 feet. I didn't see a flat, drove the remaining mile home and when I saw the car in the driveway the passenger rear tire was at an angle to the car. It was pointed to the right, while the other tires were aligned straight forward. I called my local Nissan dealership and they told me to not drive the vehicle, as they had one in last week with similar conditions (same year, same model) roughly same mileage. They arranged for a tow truck to pick up the vehicle and drag it onto the bed of the truck. They diagnosed that the right rear control arm had failed, causing the tire to disconnect from the control arm while I was driving. I requested that they check remaining control arm suspension components and they confirmed that the driver's side until was also cracked, but not completely broken through as yet. The Nissan manufacturer rep visited the dealership and stated that the repairs were due to rust, causing both control arms to fail, therefore not covered under warranty in place. The vehicle had fewer than 89,000 miles on it when the components failed, there were no indications of any problems previously, and the car was in the dealership three week's prior due to a transmission replacement. This is my sixth and last Nissan vehicle I have had no prior events like this with my other Nissan vehicles. This part failed without any warning, luckily at low speed in my own neighborhood 1 mile from my home.

- Vestal, NY, USA

problem #22

Apr 012019

Altima

  • 100,000 miles
I have a 2013 Nissan Altima and my transmisson has started slipping, I have 100,000 miles on my car and have stayed on top of my mantince. Out of nowhere I get in my car and started driving it and it started jerking, shifting gears slowly and vibrating. I have had transmission flushes during my maintance check-ups. I took it for a diagnostic check and was told it was my sensors going bad. I get that fix to find out I need a transmission and to find out nissian are known for transmission problems. I am very unhappy about this due to how well I have taken care of my car. I contacted Nissan to ask about transmission recalls and was told no.

- Henderson, NC, USA

problem #21

Feb 032019

Altima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Shift gear get stuck at parking mode while moving car. This is serious problem at it may occur while moving. We approach Nissan but no help from them. How come Nissan allow to not having recall on this as many owners are feeling this problem. We would appreciate if NHTSA comes in help. We have had this problem going since one month and vehicle is in motion. We are lucky that so far no major incident. I feel that this problem may cause a lot of problem if not fix proper by Nissan. While searching this problem at online, many owners are felling this issue. Also Nissan offering solution to problem at youtube.com. Here is video from Nissan. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=tq4untc8saw surprised that they have not taken any action even knowing this.

- Weston, FL, USA

problem #20

Oct 142018

Altima 4-cyl

  • 128,960 miles
The car shut completely down while driving (in motion). There where no indicators lights to warn us of any problems. We started it up again and it died again after a few seconds. We have no idea what causes the car to completely shut down while driving. We were parked and started the car a proceeded to exit the parking lot when it just stopped working. Just completely shut off. Unknown reason for the car shutting down....

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #19

Jul 302018

Altima

  • 77,000 miles
My vehicle stalled as I was going through an intersection. Would not start and I coasted to the side and had to get a tow. Check engine lite was on. No codes found. Car sat for a week and then started right up and drove fine. Check engine light turned off. Car started stalling again only when I put it into drive or reverse, and as long as I put it into neutral and gave it gas, then threw it into drive I would be able to drive it. Still no light on. Car drove semi good for a week or so, seemed to run a little rough but didn't stall out. A few days ago it started to not take gas and rev up on its own. I would start to go and the car would accelerate by itself. When I was on highway, or regular roads. Usually under 50 miles an hour. Tachometer would rev even though car didn't seem to go any faster. Then it just stopped taking gas all together. Now today it just stopped going. I would give it gas and it wouldn't go anywhere. I shut off and turned on and it would go for a little and then stop. Now check engine lite came on and the first code P0776 is for a bulletin that went out and the the other code is for P0965. Pictures are attached. I have been afraid to drive the car, worried that I will get into a crash. I googled the problem and saw that a lot of other people are having the similar problems. The mileage is at 77,000. The majority of the other people I read had around the same mileage. Is this a problem that Nissan should be taking care of?

- Marlborough, CT, USA

problem #18

Jan 012016

Altima

  • miles
Shift lock is not working.

- Santa Teresa, NM, USA

problem #17

Oct 302017

Altima

  • miles
My car doesn't pick up speed correctly I have had the car for 3 years the place closed down I couldn't take it back I'm stuck with it and also my compressor doesn't work as well it stopped working a couple months after I got the car I really want something else

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #16

Oct 082017

Altima

  • 88,904 miles
Reported to sheehy Nissan mechanicsville va foutr times. The vehicle braking system activates while driving at any speed (stability light activates). The brake light stays on when the vehicle is turned off. The accelerator touches the floor while traveling 45-60 mph loss of pressure. I was told to wait for the engine light to activate in order to use the extended warranty gold plan. I was charge $93 for a scan of the computer, then it was purged. The fob system is not recognizing the keys and I was charged for checking and reprogramming keys. Fob keys still lose the programs while driving.

- Henrico, VA, USA

problem #15

Dec 222016

Altima 4-cyl

  • 81,000 miles
To whom this may concern, I own a 2013 Nissan Altima 4 cylinder with roughly 81000 miles on it. About 2 weeks ago I was driving and the car kept stalling out when I would come to a stop light, but I was able to restart and move on. However, in the middle of the high way it completely shut off on me and didn't restart. Thankfully the truck behind me had enough room to swerve to avoid hitting me. Me and my car would have been totaled. I received no warning lights before this issue, it happened out of no where. I received a diagnosis of "bad transmission" and was given an estimate of $4200+ tax. I was told that since my extended warranty ran out that I would be responsible for the payment in total. I did my research on this problem and it seems that many people are having the same issue as I am. I am beyond disappointed in Nissan and their inability to warn customers about such a dangerous malfunction in their cars. This is incredibly unsafe and needs some type of investigation or recall done on the transmission. God forbid anyone has this issue and it costs their life. Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Canton, MI, USA

problem #14

Mar 252015

Altima

  • 80,000 miles
I finance a 2013 Nissan Altima S, I noticed that my engine light, air bag light, brake light and tire pressure light kept coming on all at once, and would stay on for a day or two and then would go away on it's own yet the car never gave any physical signs that a problem was going on. So I assumed that maybe there was a sensor problem. I was leaving from work when I approached a stop sign and came to a stop. As I proceed to step on the gas to go is when I noticed that the car had shut off on me yet the radio and lights were still working. I tried to start the car up when the warning symbol came on stating that my key pad was invalid.that continued until the tow truck driver arrived resulting in him towing the car away to cherry hill Nissan. It was there that I was told that at 80,000 miles my transmission had went yet no one could give me an explanation as to why or what caused the problem. Now as of 10/22/2016 I am having the same signs and symptoms that were going on before my transmission went the first time with all the warning symbols coming on for a few days then going back off all on their own. 10/26/2016 my car cut off on me as I was in route. After getting it to start back up I immediately stopped at auto zone where they hooked my car up to their diagnostic machine and reported to me that my computer brain was malfunctioning.I won't know for certain what is actually going with my car until Monday 10/31/2016 when I take it into Nissan of turnersville so they can run test. In which I was informed over the phone that beings though the warning symbols come on and off on their own they may not be able to diagnosis what the actual problem is. How do I handle this matter if they can't figure out what causing the problem? I've already contacted corporate Nissan and they couldn't even tell me if the recalls that occurred prior to me getting the car were ever address

- Lawnside, NJ, USA

problem #13

Sep 012016

Altima

  • 69,000 miles
I bought a Nissan Altima 2013. Back in February the car would start and would shut off when I put it on drive and reverse. This happen in the middle of the street. I took it to the dealership and left it there for a month and they still were not able to tell me what was wrong with the car. Even though a technician duplicated the problem the car computer would still say the car is fine.I took it to get a second opinion from a Nissan master technician and they weren't able to tell me what was wrong with the car. After about a month the car started working again. I was told by a 3rd place I took the car that it might be a sensor issue and the car literally decides when's going to work and not and that this is an on going issue iwth the Altima. A couple of days ago the car would took off with me at a red light when I just tap the gas. I was at a red light the light turn green I tp the gas the rpms jumped ad the accelarated in high speeds. Also the car would not go forward or backwards after I put it in reverse immidiately, it would stay idel for about 5 ten seconds than go. The Nissan dealership has not been able to diagnose that anything is wrong with my car he computers keeps saying the cr is fine. I have told Nissan headquaters that I feel unsafe when I'm driving the car. Looking online I see that this a on going defect with the Altima 2013 that Nissan refuses to address. I have called Nissan and told them that this car is defective and im starting to feel its putting my life and someone S with this carelse in danger and there response was basically tough luck. Right now the car is cranking but not start. I feel like Nissan did a poor job with this car and it should have been sold

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #12

Aug 212016

Altima

  • 90,234 miles
I recently purchased a Nissan Altima S from clay cooley March 2015 so I only had the car a year and some months and now the transmission is gone out I get my car serviced as I should and now this and no one wants to help clay cooley day I'm out of warranty due to miles over 24000 on the car and I'm stuck out to still fork out a 518 car payment it's not right I need help. I was leaving work my my car started vibration and started to decelerate and jerking like it was about to go dead I thought I had got some bad gas so I pulled over my car started jerking harder and cut off so I turned it back on and I shift it in reverse and it went dead so I cut it back on again and shift it in drive it cut off so I dit there for over an hour then I star it again and shifted it in drive and it didn't go dead I was able to drive home so the next day I went out to see if it would do it again and it didn't while driving my rpms went up high and my car made whining noise and started vibrations again and this time my check engine light came on so I was coming up to a light so I stopped but when I tried to drive it wouldn't move so I put the blinkers on and some guy came behind and pushed me over to the side and I say there for about hour and I started up and it moved so I went straight home and called around and explained what had happened so the man from amco told me to come down so I called for a tow and got towed there and he tested it and said that my transmission is bad and it's a cvt transmission do it cant be rebuilt it has to be replaced for as much as 4000 dollars

- Dallas, TX, USA

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