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.
Be warned: the 2014 & 2015 Nissan Altima appears to share these same problems.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
7 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 1
Average Mileage:
53,584 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.
Handles are breaking from the inside causing an issue where I can't open door from inside. Driver side and now one of my back doors is doing same thing! I have seen multiple complaints about this for this year of Altima sedan
Check engine light comes on. Shop runs diagnostics and all systems, independently are working, however collective issue. I.e. mass air flow sensor code reads as broken, but sensor is independently fine when tested. Multiple systems read out with error codes, but all are fine when tested separately to further analyze. No connection between multiple codes - random assortment. Vehicle fails emissions test due to these errors. Shop now states they have found tbs on this problem through Nissan & there is a part requiring a swap out. My vehicle has experienced this issue for 6+ months. Huge time & financial burden to bring car in & out of shop. Vehicle unable to get re-registered due to faulty computer system.
The inside driver's side handle has broken. This happened all of a sudden one morning when the vehicle was in park. It was very cold the night before and was below freezing at the time of this occurring. It is loose and will not open the door. In order to exit the vehicle, the window must be rolled down and the door must be opened from the outside. This happens whether the car is on or off.
The gear shift is stuck and will not move unless a pin is inserted into hole on side of gearshift. I own 2 of these 2013 Nissan Altima and they both have the same problem. This is way too much of a coincidence for this not to be a problem.
The factory headlights are so dim that it creates an enormous safety hazard when driving at night. Using the high beams is the only way you can see the road, but presents a hazard to other drivers. Nissan acts as if they don't know this is a problem, but is all over the internet. A recall needs to be issued!
- Granbury, TX, USA
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Transmission codes causes vehicle to stall. It can take over five seconds for car to move when pushing the gas petal all the way down. Sometimes I could be at a stoplight and it won't move for five seconds or more. When entering the freeway, it could take up to ten seconds to maintain the flow of traffic. These are the same things that happened when the first transmission was in the vehicle before I had it replaced
The vehicle will not start after warm up/driving for a while and then turned off. It will continuously run if engine does not get turned off. In order to start the engine again, it has to cool down, then the cycle starts again. It only happens when hot. It always starts cold or cooled down. Took it to Nissan dealer for diag and they said that is was the fuel injectors, so we replaced them on their advice - but that did not solve the problem. This is issue started recently. This is a well kept and maintained 2013 Altima with the qr25de 4 cyl engine and only ~ 92, nnn miles.
My suspension has busted off the frame of the vehicle. This occured while the vehicle was in motion. It caused the tired to bend and vehicle was not driveable. It messed with the steering in the front as well. Lost traction control. I have many pictures I can send by email. I already submitted a complaint with # 11267024. I have contacted Nissan direct and they told me there is no safety issue or recall for this or that NHTSA was not investigating anything into this matter. I am seeing you are looking into this matter. Nissan refused to fix the car or help me in any way. They were extremely rude and impossible to get ahold of. I have spent over a week trying to reach someone. Nissan will not help in any way and do not care if anyone gets hurt or this happens again. Something needs to be done. It is now my problem to get the vehicle repaired and I do not feel safe driving it especially because I have children. Nissan could care less. The repair was quoted between $800-1200 and Nissan cannot do a "goodwill repair" because they claim the vehicle is to old (its 6 years old) and has high mileage. I bought the car with over 50K mileage in 2014. All my mileage is highway. I avg 17K a year in mileage.... average is 12K. Nissan should have done the right thing and repaired the vehicle. They refuse! I get told its all about VIN #'s and part #S. it is a failure across the board on all 2013 models. A recall needs made asap.
My suspension broke off the frame of the car while moving on a turn after being at a complete stop making a left. The rear driver side detached from the frame making the car unmovable and bending the tire almost at a 90 degree angle.
The car would not accelerate from a stop light. It would just do low-RPM revs then eventually crawl then rev super high and accelerate super fast. The transmission would take about 10 seconds to engage at every light and once it did it would lurch forward. Stalled 3 times. 2013 Nissan Altima with exactly 85,500 miles. Called Nissan and they said the know of no recalls or issues with the transmission and it is no longer under warranty but to take it to a Nissan dealer to have it looked at. Check engine light finally came on with code P0776, and pending codes of P 0776 P0965 P2813.
I have had the following issues with the Nissan Altima: Air bag sensor issues sometimes sensor malfunctions (looked at 3 X, not fixed), rear view camera sometimes does not work (looked at 3 X, not fixed), transmission cvt issues sometimes jumps into gear (looked at 3 X, not fixed), seat belt sometimes locks up (looked at 1 X, not fixed). Issues happen while in motion or starting.
The lower control arm in the rear passenger side rusted totall out and my I am so lucky I didn't die or the pedestrian !!!!! I lost control of my car and almost hit someone as a result! why is the world would this part rust out"?? why is something not being done to fix this safety concern? because no one has died from it yet? is that what is needed to take care of this issue for other people? the picture is attached - see the rear wheel"
I began doing research after my vehicle did this to me the other day twice. While driving between 40-50 mph the car just shut off. Lights illumined on the dash board and thankfully I did have power steering and brakes so I was able to coast onto the side of the road and restart the vehicle in park however this could be a dangerous and deadly situation to either me or innocent bystanders/drivers. From what I have been reading this is a common problem in Nissan.
The rear suspension on our vehicle detached unexpectedly and without warning while we were driving. The vehicle was driving straight on a city street. Thankfully no one was injured. Once the vehicle no longer in motion it was apparent that the rear control arm / rear suspension had detached from excessive rusted. The vehicle is a 2013 with no outer body rust. It seems like this could be a defect as well as a significant safety issue.
I bought a 2013 Nissan Altima in 2017. 4 months after the purchase with only 65,000 miles the car stalled in the middle of the highway with my children in it. I was able to get it restarted and the next day while working the transmission gave out in the middle of a parking lot. The cvt transmission was replaced at the Nissan dealership. Now 65,000 miles later the new cvt transmission died while I had a youth client in my car for work. This is extremely unsafe for a transmission to fail at the drop of a hat in the middle of the road. There is currently a class action suit against Nissan due to this issue. This is effecting my work and is not a reliable car. This needs to be recalled. Also the air compressor is an issue as well. This also needs recalled. There are hundreds of people who are experiencing these issues. What if the car would stop in the middle of a road and someone would hit me while I am with my children or a client? this needs to be looked into please. Because Nissan is refusing to help me at all for this second transmission that is only 2 years old!!!!
Takata recall: While driving on a paved road at a speed of about 45 mph, the right rear subframe failed catastrophically due to apparent corrosion. The failure occurred at the location of the bushing to the frame. The result was that the rear wheel offset and control of the vehicle was compromised. This is a historic problem with Nissan and they have not addressed the problem with the new model in 2013. It is unsafe and unfair that owners pay for Nissan's refusal to address the problem. More photos will be available when the subframe is removed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Olathe, KS, USA