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:
3 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,669 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 1 of 8)

problem #153

Nov 012023

Altima

  • miles

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

I feel like my 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL sedan is/was Part of the Transmission Recall. I purchased my vehicle in 2017/2018-?? Since then I already replaced all the solenoids in 2020 for the transmission and it drove fine for 2 years. Then in October/November of 2023 the transmission code P0776 came on and it was taken to a Nissan dealership in Maine and was informed that the whole transmission was no good and needed to be replaced. I since bought a new Nissan Altima transmission that was never used before so, the transmission has 0 miles on it and had my personal mechanic place it in and now in early 2024 the transmission went from Driving 65mph on the highway and suddenly dropped to 30mph still on highway with no dashboard light notice at all-?? so now I have a vehicle that is broken and I don-??t know what to do next!!! Please advise. I was wondering if my Vin# was one that had the original Recall and was taken care of anlready before I bought it" And if I can get any help with this new transmission that is now no good"

- Swansea , MA, USA

problem #152

Apr 252023

Altima

  • miles
Steady Check Engine light came on April 25, 2023. Just had oil change/filter done day before. Had tune-up done May 25, 2023. Had mechanic who replaced my catalytic converter and (2) O2 sensors a year ago check my car. Found that the inside of the catalytic converter was melted. They checked for a fuel leak in engine, none found. Replaced catalytic converter and front O2 sensor. As of today, no Steady Check Engine light has come back on. I think a Flashing Check Engine light should have displayed for something as serious as a fuel leak. What if my car caught fire while driving" Also, I was told several years ago by a local Nissan dealer that my driver side airbag would need replacing - that indicator light never came back on the dash board either. Faulty sensors" I notified Nissan in TN by mail.

- Valrico, FL, USA

problem #151

Nov 182022

Altima

  • 109,000 miles
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.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #150

Oct 122022

Altima 4-cyl

  • miles

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

doing 55 or 60 the car goes into limp mode and wont let me go more then 35 to 45 at times its a safety hazard as cars almost ran right into the back of my car if nissan dont fix the issue i will hire a lawyer and sue nissan its not worth losing my life or the life of others in my car GET THIS ISSUE TAKEN CARE OF NOW....i have called nissan in mansfield about this issue 3 different times ive emailed nissan and still to this day they have not reached out to

- North Fairfield , OH, USA

problem #149

Jun 102020

Altima

  • miles
Unable to engage automatic gear shift from park to drive or reverse. Must use small object, (screwdriver) with brake to place in drive.

- Magnolia , DE, USA

problem #148

Aug 012021

Altima

  • 67,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle started hesitating. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact parked on the side of the street for approximately 10 minutes before continuing driving to her destination. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and had an unknown component tied; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

- Owens Cross Roads, AL, USA

problem #147

Aug 012021

Altima

  • miles

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

car over heats passanger door latch suspention in front is messed up when they did the computer update as a recall my car tranny slips and jerks it sucks more gas

- North Fairfield, OH, USA

problem #146

Aug 022021

Altima

  • miles
my car over heats passanger door wont open from the inside its a latch issue ive told the dealer ship in mansfield and they done nothing about it front suspenction has issues still dealer does nothing about it every since they did the recall update with programing my car its like my tranny slips and jerks

- North Fairfield, OH, USA

problem #145

Aug 022021

Altima

  • 108,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was serviced by the dealer in 2016, for a recall repair for the mass airflow sensor however, the failure recurred. The contact had her nephew replace the mass airflow sensor on three separate occasions. The mass airflow sensor was also replaced once by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that recall repair was only performed one time free of charge. The failure mileage was 108,000.

- Yuba City, CA, USA

problem #144

Jul 082021

Altima

  • miles
The original transmission on this car failed and I had it replaced at a Nissan Dealership. In less than two years, the new transmission also failed. I was driving on the highway and transmission gave up and the vehicle would not accelerate putting my Life and others' life in danger/unsafe. I contacted Nissan consumer/customer service and the case manager was not helpful and literally, stonewalled my concerns. Gross negligence by Nissan about the vehicle owners and their safety. The Nissan Altima cars that were manufactured between 2013-2015 are pure LEMONS.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #143

Jun 232021

Altima

  • miles

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

Car stalled on highway in 1st lane. Car jerking, stalling, not starting. Found recall on cvt transmissions on car. Nissan consumer affairs refuse to honor recall. States recall closed. Car not drivable. Being fixed at Firestone repair. Begged Nissan consumer affairs because of my safety to please fix. Spoke with 2 managers who would not honor closed past campaign!!! Told them I am a 60 yr old woman now to scarred to drive car. Had no choice but to have it fixed which I cannot afford.

- Newton, MA, USA

problem #142

Feb 202020

Altima

  • miles
When pushing the gas on the highway or the streets it feels like the power of the car is holding back. Feels like the gears are messing up. And there's problem with catalyst converter. It's always showing check engine light even after I have tried other solutions on fixing that and the gas odometer is not reading the gas levels right either. Plus the passenger seat buckle is stuck and doesn't latch to the seat belt for a hold from a car accident. Like you have to really push hard for the seat belt to hold on.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #141

Dec 232020

Altima

  • 122,981 miles
Check engine light came on because of manufacturer defect with sensor circuit (noted in Nissan bulletin 16-030). Manufacturer special policy adjustment programs listed on dealer invoice states services regarding this defect will be at no charge to owner. However, dealer refuses to honor policy and charged for service.

- Upper Marlboro, MD, USA

problem #140

Jun 292020

Altima 4-cyl

  • 115,000 miles
While driving the vehicle on open highways the vehicle will experience a loss of power and engine shuts off resulting in loss of steering and breaking. Vehicle will also experience the same issues while driving in the city streets. When coming to a stop the vehicle will lose power and breaks will not work. This has been occurring since November 2019

- Castle Hayne, NC, USA

problem #139

Dec 052019

Altima

  • 122,000 miles
Complete transmission failure at nearly 122,000 miles in the middle of a major interstate wherein the vehicle could not turn back on. Prior to the failure, there were weeks of jerky shifting, the car was unable to coast, quickly accelerate, or come to a stop without jerking the car until stopped. The idle of the car was unusually high near the day of full transmission failure. After completely replacing the transmission with a brand new one, the car still is having trouble shifting smoothly.

- Cheneyville, LA, USA

problem #138

Mar 012020

Altima

  • 96,045 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while attempting to shift gears, there was a lag in between when the vehicle responded and the RPM at the time the transmission shifted to the next gear. The contact stated that with the vehicle on cruise control the vehicle revved up with the transmission slipping. The contact stated that while making a left turn at approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was push to the side of the road. Additionally, while driving, the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard however, the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 96,045.

- Dripping Springs, TX, USA

problem #137

Nov 212019

Altima

  • 95,000 miles
When I bought the car I had to replace the transmission 2 times in one year, the suspension is giving up and the driver seat is always braking

- New Bedford, MA, USA

problem #136

Feb 222020

Altima

  • 107,600 miles
Purchased my car in 2014 with 36000 miles. Around 55,000 miles the gear shifter completely went out. Now I'm at 107,000 miles and my car is stalling when stopped. The car is not reading anything on the diagnostic tests at the dealership and no one is able to tell me what is wrong with the car. I live in a high traffic area so this is a very big deal.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #135

Jan 032020

Altima

  • 75,000 miles
I was driving my 2013 Altima with 73,000 miles on the interstate going about 85mph and all of a sudden I fell a sudden surge in power the RPM went from 2,400 to 5,300 simultaneously and the I smelled something burning and my engine died I almost got into a horrific accident but luckily the person behind me wasn't on there phone but they had to slam on the brakes beacause my car was slowing down quickly probably beacause of the jatco cvt but once I am pulled over I am going through my glove box to find the roadside emergency card with a number on it but I found a recall notice from 2 years ago that said that the computer that controls your transmission does not work and I need to take it in to service immediately or damage will occur well when I had the recall performed I had 55,000 miles on the car and that is 55,000 miles of damage happening to my transmission so I called Nissan and told them since they do not know how to make a car and that I almost died in a car wreck beacause of them that they need to send me a tow truck asap to tow it to a Nissan dealership they sent me one but they did not pay fore it so 200 dollars later I am sitting in my brocken car in a Nissan dealership and I went in and told them since they can't build a transmission that won't get someone killed they need to put a new one in my car that eorks and of course they refused to do it so I gave it to them and they lowballed me and gave me 4,000 dollers fore the car whatever I was so mad at that moment then I drove my but over to Hyundai and got me a 2020 Hyundai sonata limited.

- Lincoln, NE, USA

problem #134

Jan 292020

Altima 4-cyl

  • 125,000 miles
The contact own sa 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that after stopping at a stop sign, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the engine revved but there was no response from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to monken Nissan located at (1741 w mccord St, centralia, il 62801) to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Mt. Vernon, IL, USA

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