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:
7 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 1
Average Mileage:
52,903 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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2013 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 1 of 12)

problem #236

Jul 012024

Altima

  • miles

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

I have taken the car to 3 mechanics for 4-5 incidents knowing that the mechanics were indeed certified in professionally fixing the issue. I was driving the car and made a proper left turn, yielding to oncoming traffic when suddenly the vehicle was unable to accelerate. The other car was approaching and I pushed on the gas as hard as I could to barely get it to move out of the way, luckily avoid a collision. The car died and will restart and drive another 11 miles, repeating the process. No mechanic has been able to properly identify the cause. Please understand, I could be that "lies" to individuals in order to sell the car, but do I really want to put another person's life at such a faulty incident? Well, I recommend another recall on the issue, regardless of the cost because a little hood latch and a simple light compartment isn't anything like an unknown cause of malfunction stall towards driving in a hectic traffic.

- Frankston, TX, USA

problem #235

Mar 012024

Altima

  • miles
Passenger airbag safety light does not light up as it should, shows passenger isn't wearing seat belt when they are. Airbag might not deploy under these conditions. There was a recall for this, took to dealership, was not corrected. Transmission stalls and studders, will not accelerate due to faulty CVT. Causes near miss accidents. Shift lock occasionally prevents car from changing from park, reverse, drive.

- Brazoria, TX, USA

problem #234

Feb 292024

Altima

  • miles
Delayed acceleration after making a stop, high RPMs when accelerating after making a stop. All above conditions appears to happen randomly.

- Middle Island, NY, USA

problem #233

Nov 212023

Altima

  • miles

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

Hello, I took my Nissan Altima into my local Nissan dealer for a hood latch recall on 11/13/2023. On [XXX] at about [XXX] I was driving my car at a speed of maybe 45-50mph and my hood flew open hitting my windshield causing damage to my car, and scaring my son and I. I called the dealer the next morning and spoke to Anthony from the service department regarding this situation, and he stated a faulty latch could have been put on my car, causing this to happen. I sent pictures to him via email, and he advised that he would contact the director and call me back with an update. I received a callback within hours advising Nissan would cover the damages but I would need to contact consumer affairs to see which location could do the repairs as they were behind by 8 month at that location in particular and could not provide me with a loaner car. My fiancé contacted consumer affairs on 11/22/2023 and was told someone would call on 11/27/2023. I received a missed call and voicemail advising that I would receive a callback on 11/29/2023. I did not want to wait until the 29th and tried calling back as well as emailing several times and had not heard back. Today 11/28/2023 a call was placed to the direct number I was given and no answer. I then called the 800 number and spoke with a rep named Monica requesting a supervisor or manager and was yelled at and told I would receive a call back on the 29th. I advised that I am extremely saddened by the way I am being handled after such a traumatic ordeal that could have been deadly or life altering. This recall was supposed to prevent this issue, and it only caused it. This recall hasn't done anything to fix the cars, and neither have three other hood latch recalls for Altima cars. Altima drivers are in danger from hoods that suddenly fly open while driving, and this situation just proves a problem. Nissan doesn't know how to properly repair it, and my car and I are proof. As of today 1/30/2024, I received a callback from Maria. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORM

- Westchester , IL, USA

problem #232

Sep 092023

Altima

  • miles
Hood latch cable snatched it was recall on thi vehicle

- New Windsor , NY, USA

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problem #231

Jan 292023

Altima

  • miles
My son was driving on the highway when all of a sudden the car would no longer excel when he pressed on the gas. He immediately moved over in traffic to get to the side of the road and just barely made it before the car completely stopped moving. He was very lucky that he reacted in the way he did being a new driver on the road. This could have been EXTREMELY bad if he didn't think to move over and in the correct direction to make it all the way through traffic around him. The transmission is the component that failed. The issue was inspected and confirmed by the dealer and replaced. No warning lights came on when this issue occured.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #230

Apr 252023

Altima

  • miles

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

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 #229

Jun 202023

Altima

  • miles
Local (Rockwall Texas) Nissan dealership does not have the parts for recall on 1n4al3ap7dn404470. I've been waiting for a year.

- Rockwall, TX, USA

problem #228

Mar 232022

Altima

  • miles
The CVT was making noise and vibrated. We did some research on line and read that the 2013 Nissan Sentra already had a transmission recall and many reported safety incidents. We saw many complaints for the 2013 Altima transmission but no recalls. The dealer said the transmission must be replaced but we would have to pay for it and they would contact us if a recall was announced. There was a recall for the CVT software and the owner notification states that that this issue could lead ro accelerated wear and damage to the CVT. I would think that they would then need to cover a failed transmission.

- Wauwatosa, WI, USA

problem #227

Jan 132023

Altima

  • miles
My car will not got out of gear without pressing the shift lock release button.

- Norfolk, VA, USA

problem #226

Jul 092022

Altima

  • miles

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

The rear suspension lower links on my 2013 Nissan Altima corroded and broke away from the joints on both sides. The rear passenger was affected in July 2022 and the rear driver side was affected in October 2022. Both incidents happened as I was backing out of my drive-way and the rear lower links literally snapped and broke away from the vehicle. After my Altima was at the body shop for the second time to replace the driver rear suspension lower link, we discovered a Campaign by Nissan that was entitled "Altima Rear Lower Link" and it affected 2013 Nissan Altima's (which we had) and the campaign went on to indicate that this was in states with high road salt usage. We live in Iowa so that covered our state for high road salt usage and the campaign went on to say that under severe corrosion conditions, one of the rear lower suspension links may corrode and separate at the bushing joint area. This happened to both sides of my Altima's rear lower link suspension as there was severe corrosion. We tried to file a claim with Nissan to get reimbursed for our towing expense and expense of having my Altima repaired but were denied reimbursement stating our VIN # didn't match any listed on this campaign even though we had the exact same make, model, year and conditions surrounding the campaign that caused the rear suspension lower link to snap away from the joint area. This isn't just something common to happen to vehicles and with Nissan refusing to reimburse us for a known issue on the exact same make, model and year of the car is frustrating. There could have easily been human error in not including our VIN# in this campaign. Way too many coincidences for Nissan to not even consider looking into our issue and including our VIN# in this campaign.

- Spencer, IA, USA

problem #225

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 #224

Jun 012018

Altima

  • miles
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" ANSWER While opening all three of the passenger doors from the inside something internally inside the door has broken preventing all three of these doors to open from the inside. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? ANSWER This is a safety risk because we are unable to open the door from the inside and if there were an accident we would not be able to exit the vehicle. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?ANSWER Yes, the problem has been confirmed by the dealer. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? ANSWER No, the doors have not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" ANSWER No, there were no warning lights that came on warning me about this.

- Bel Air, MD, USA

problem #223

Aug 292022

Altima

  • miles
The steering wheel was pulling to one side as I drove to work. After I parked my car I put it in reverse and something fell out of the bottom of the car. The rear lower link had broken in half and the car was not drivable. The tires bent in. The car was then towed to universal Nissan. This was a recall and Nissan wants to charge me for parts and labor.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #222

Aug 282022

Altima

  • miles
While driving at 35mph on a city road the car hood flew up open & smashed into the windshield despite their supposed fix of hood latch spring being replaced & assembly lubricated by the Nissan dealership in Aug 2021 due to a Nissan hood latch recall (NHTSA recall 16V-029) in response to a class action lawsuit. At highway speeds, this would have seriously compromised human lives. In this case, neither the primary hood latch lever or fuel door release lever had been pulled open by the driver just prior to the incident; yet the hood flew open without warning. (Hoods have primary latches located inside the vehicles, then secondary latches located under the hoods. Primary hood latches in the cars are located too close to the fuel door latches that might cause drivers to accidentally unlatch the hoods instead of the fuel doors. Then once the primary hood latch is pulled in the Altima, the secondary latch under the hood fails to hold the hood down, allowing the Altima hood to open while driving.) No warning lights or messages came on. The car was not drivable & was towed to the Nissan dealership where it is currently pending repairs estimate $5234.58. At this time, Nissan Motors accepts no liability for this incident; clearly shifting the blame again. Nissan Motors has issued multiple (2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2022interim) hood latch recalls in response to this problem in various Nissan models 2013-2018, the most recent in 2022 (still in progress). Design and manufacturing defects allegedly cause the hoods to open while driving at any speed. According to the Altima class action lawsuit, Nissan blames the problems on multiple sources but still can-??t properly repair the cars. The Altima hood latch systems are allegedly not strong enough to perform in real-world conditions and aren-??t up to industry standards used for more than 100 years. The return springs are also allegedly too weak, as are the locking systems which prevent the hoods from securely latching.

- Sewickley, PA, USA

problem #221

Jul 312022

Altima

  • miles
I-??m currently overseas in Germany and do not have any manufactures capable of making repairs until I arrive back in the states oct 15 2022.

- Cantonment , FL, USA

problem #220

Feb 012022

Altima

  • miles
Shift stuck in park. Shift assembly needs replacing due to bad interlock solenoid. $1000 to fix. This problem has affected many cars and Nissan will do nothing about it.

- Breaux Bridge, LA, USA

problem #219

Apr 162022

Altima

  • miles
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.

- Pittsburg, CA, USA

problem #218

Apr 022022

Altima

  • miles
Got recall for hood latch handled in September of 2021. While driving on the highway at 70 mph the hood flew open which caused severe damage to vehicle and almost causing numerous of crashes. Vehicle is being repaired per dealer however this is the third time this issue occurred and at this point I am afraid to drive the vehicle and nervous for anyone with these vehicles to continue driving them honestly. I am unsure what to do at this point considering what if this happens again and the outcome isn't as good as previously. I just feel as though if this issue can't be corrected after 5 recalls why continue to have these vehicles on the road.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #217

May 022022

Altima

  • miles
2013 Altima 3.5 SL. the passenger door handle popped and wont open from the inside, you have to roll the window down and open it from the outside, if you cant get out of your car in an emergency it is a life or death situation.

- Murrieta, CA, USA

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