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:
28 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
34 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,071 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 seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2013 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 2 of 26)

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problem #481

Jul 242022

Altima

  • miles

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

Airbag light ON displayed in Dashboard suddenly. Dealer not able to find the diagnosis code so it was reset and then after a month it came back again.

- Hackensack, NJ, USA

problem #480

Aug 172022

Altima

  • miles
Airbag sensors are failing and Airbag warning light is

- Whittier, CA, USA

problem #479

Jul 112022

Altima 4-cyl

  • miles
The airbag light came on in my 2013 Nissan Altima randomly while in park. I had it checked at an official Nissan Dealership on the 28th of June 2022. The service center informed me that the right back seat assembly needed to be replaced (can provide documentation). I was informed that none of the airbags would be deployed if I were to get into an accident/ My vehicle has around 130,000 miles. It is a 2013, so this should not be happening in my opinion. I have a 2006 vehicle and I have had other vehicles that I have never had this happen. The repair itself will cost close to two thousand dollars. I bought the vehicle for this the safety features. I had airbag protection on all sides of each door to include the traditional airbag in dashboard and steering wheel. This problem is unacceptable for an over $20,000 vehicle. I have contacted to the manufacturer, and they refereed me to your website for further investigation. I hope that you find this, if applicable to be a nationwide recall on the airbags. Please urge them to recall this vehicle for this defective item, my safety is at risk. The airbag system is a must in a vehicle. Please contact me regarding this matter and I will submit documents or answer questions. Respectfully, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Fort Dix, NJ, USA

problem #478

Jul 282022

Altima

  • 95,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a faulty driver's side air bag. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

- Tewksbury, MA, USA

problem #477

Jun 272022

Altima

  • miles
Prior passenger airbag recalls on this year and model vehicle which have previously been -??fixed-??. However for the past 4 weeks, -??passenger airbag off-?? light remains illuminated regardless of passenger being seated with vehicle seat belt latched. As well, the airbag red light is illuminated on driver dashboard continuously which results in none of the vehicles-?? airbags being deployed in the event of a collision or serious collision. This is a huge safety concern for myself as a driver and all occupants of the vehicle.

- Neptune, NJ, USA

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problem #476

Jul 252022

Altima

  • miles
My driver seat airbag light is on red on the dashboard. I have not had any accidents. It's a safety issue, not safe. If I have an accident, the bag will not depoly and a risk to my life. I called Nissan today and they said the air bags are only under warranty for 3 yrs or 60,000 miles. That is not acceptable as compared to other car makers and their warranties. Some car airbags last 10 years or the life of the car. Nissan customer service said, the car is not under the recall list. My car model has had several recalls. Case #46890272. Nissan consumer affairs said, sorry not covered. What if a life was lost. The cost of replacing airbag vs. safety of customer's life seems to be not important. I took the car to Nissan dealer and in order for them to look at the air bag light on, they had me pay $189.95 for a diagnosis to let me know the whole seat needs to be replaced. Unacceptable, I have not heard "full drivers seats replaced new. My car has no other problems. I have had for 9 years with 77,000 miles. Thank you for logging my complaint of the driver air bag.

- Oak Park, IL, USA

problem #475

Jul 172022

Altima

  • miles

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

The airbag light came on and I took it to the Nissan dealership and they reset it. A month later the light came back on and I took it back to the dealership now they say they can't reset it, it have to be replaced with a part that cause $2400 that I don't have. There was a recall on this problem but my vin# is not on the list as for many more which was stated that not all vin#'s were included at the beginning. I feel that Nissan should honor this recall especially in these trying times of our economy.

- Norcross, GA, USA

problem #474

Jul 142022

Altima

  • miles
When Adult sits in passenger seat, the passenger (Air bag off)light is on. Which means the Air bag is off and will not deploy in a accident. When a heavy weight adult sits in the seat, the light turns off. Sensor might be bad in seat. My wife is 140 lbs. light stays on when she sits in the passenger seat.

- Clemmons , NC, USA

problem #473

May 132022

Altima

  • miles
1) Driver-??s side airbag warning light is on all the time, constant red. 2) Transmission shift lever would not move out of park and had to be replaced @ 115,000 at a cost of $954. 3) The transmission failed and had to be replaced at 118,000 at a cost of $4,500. When I contacted Nissan about these issues, I was told that there was nothing they could do.

- Monroe, MI, USA

problem #472

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 #471

Feb 242022

Altima

  • miles

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

Update from previous complaint. On 1/24/22 I took the car for passenger air bag malfunction/OCS malfunction, the problem when there is a passenger on the car or not the passenger air bag light stays off and seatbelt light was on all the time. I brought the customer initiative related to NHTSA RECALL 16V-244 letter to the nearest dealership Nissan Duarte and they only performed zero reset calibration and it did the job for about 4 weeks and now the air bag light turns on and off intermittently. I tried to have a passenger on the car and turned the car on, the air bag light turns off, when I restart the car with just me in the car, the air bag light stays on, I was able to replicate this problem over and over. Safety is definitely at risk for everyone in the car, as the air bag system is malfunctioning. I tried contacting customer service to honor their customer initiative related to NHTSA RECALL 16V-244 and have them perform service bulletin NTB17-006 OCS system retrofit to no avail. I tried contacting Sarah Jay at 615-725-7585 Nissan specialist waiting her reply. Please investigate car is approximately 67000 miles.

- Arcadia, CA, USA

problem #470

Jan 182021

Altima

  • miles
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.

- Bainbridge, GA, USA

problem #469

Feb 142022

Altima

  • miles
Airbag sensor not working correct, which will cause airbags not to deploy.

- Chesapeake , VA, USA

problem #468

Jan 312022

Altima

  • miles
Warning light on dash for passenger seat air bag and passenger seat belt.

- Bonita, CA, USA

problem #467

Feb 012022

Altima

  • miles
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.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #466

Dec 102021

Altima

  • miles
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.

- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

problem #465

May 012019

Altima

  • miles
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

- Arcadia, CA, USA

problem #464

Dec 012021

Altima

  • miles
There was no incident but I went to the Nissan dealership because my airbag sensor light was on and I was told that the passenger airbag or all of the cars airbags were malfunctioning and would possibly not deploy if in an accident. This is a major safety issue and there should be a recall on this.

- Wilson, NC, USA

problem #463

Nov 232020

Altima

  • 156,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the -??Air Bag Off-?? warning light remained illuminated for approximately a year. The contact stated that she took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the OCS sensor and module had failed and needed to be replaced. The failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V911000 (Air Bags) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 156,000.

- La Habra, CA, USA

problem #462

Oct 012021

Altima

  • miles
Very hard to steer and check engine light come on after a very loud beep.

- Hampton, GA, USA

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