2013 Nissan Altima Problems, Recalls & Reliability
2,980 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2013 Nissan Altima, alongside 12 recall campaigns and 5 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 75,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2013 Nissan Altima sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1993–2001, 2004, 2011, 2018–2022.
Avoid
Where 2013 sits among all Altima years
What owners report
“The low beam headlights have gotten so dim we cant even drive at night with out high beams this i feel is a safety issue and we are not the only ones having this problem with the same make and model from 2013 to 2015 nissan should recall and replace them as this is a safety issue that started about…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Altima
“Airbag light stays on even though passenger is in seat. Goes away after restarting engine”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Altima
“My car only has 65000 miles. My car is stalling on me when shifting to reverse or drive. The dealership has run diagnostic and came back with transmission issue.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Altima
“The rear lower suspension link broke while driving 55 mph on a well maintained highway causing a loss of control.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Altima
“Will not shift out of park, apparently it is a solenoid issue that nissan will not recall.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Altima
“I had a check engine light that was for a problem with my catalytic converter. I had it replaced with an after market that went out 13 months later.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Altima
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,998 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 67,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 30,000 and 95,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (12)
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a stronger release spring in the hood release lever, a warning label near the secondary hood latch, and an Owners Manual addendum card with…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and…
Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the…
Fix: These vehicles were previously included in recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116, however the previous remedy plan may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk. To correct this issue,…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to February 28, 2013. In the affected vehicles, interference between the hood inner panel and the secondary latch lever, in…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima vehicles manufactured March 21, 2012, through March 26, 2013. The spare tires may have been significantly over- or under-inflated.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and adjust the spare tire pressure, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 29, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ODS sensors and replace them as neccessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at…
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Altima vehicles manufactured from May 10, 2012, through July 26, 2012. These vehicles may have been equipped with transverse link bolts and power steering rack bolts that were not torqued to proper…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the bolts to the proper torque specifications. The safety recall is expected to begin during November 2012. Owners may contact Nissan Customer…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 15V681000.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2013 Nissan Altima reliable?
The 2013 Nissan Altima drew 2,980 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 2013 Nissan Altima problems?
The top reported problems for the 2013 Nissan Altima are electrical (602 complaints), airbags (513), and transmission & drivetrain (505).
At what mileage do 2013 Nissan Altima problems show up?
Owners most often report 2013 Nissan Altima problems around 67,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 30,000 and 95,000 miles.
Does the 2013 Nissan Altima have recalls?
12 recall campaigns apply to the 2013 Nissan Altima. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.