Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2013 Nissan Altima, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags514
- Power train505
- Exterior lighting442
- Suspension289
- Unknown or other240
- Electrical system159
- Engine158
- Structure134
- Steering94
- Latches/locks/linkages60
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 48 injuries and 1 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 246 2013 Altima vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 151 people died inside them, and 21 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2013 Nissan Altima failed the safety check 2.65% of the time — 11% more often than the average 2013 passenger car (2.38%). Median odometer at inspection: 109,994 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In New Zealand
33 2013 cars are on the New Zealand register.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; 1 of 1 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | 10.3 % |
| 2013 Nissan Altima 2 DR FWD | — | 9.3 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- No
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 7.5–9.3 L/100 km (about 25–31 mpg US), CO₂ 173–214 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altima · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 8.6 | 6.0 | 7.5 |
| Altima Coupe · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 10.2 | 7.4 | 9.0 |
| Altima · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 10.6 | 7.6 | 9.3 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
12 Transport Canada recalls for the 2013 Nissan Altima.
| 2020242 29 May 2020 | Structure Issue: Over time, corrosion could cause the secondary hood latch to stick in the open position after it is used. If this happens, and the primary hood latch i… |
| 2016630 15 Dec 2016 | Airbag Certain vehicles may have been fitted with an incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) module. An incorrect OCS module would impair the effectiveness of t… |
| 2016179 25 Apr 2016 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, a defect in the occupant classification system could allow an adult sitting in the front passenger seat to be classified as a child or an “… |
| 2016028 21 Jan 2016 | Other On certain vehicles, the secondary hood latch may stick in the open position. As a result, the hood would only be held by the primary latch and could open sudde… |
| 2015491 20 Oct 2015 | Airbag Certain vehicles serviced as part of recall 2014-093 or which had the Occupant Classification System (OCS) module replaced during servicing may have been fitted… |
| 2015471 15 Oct 2015 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, the sealing ring between the fuel sending unit and the fuel tank may move out of position in a crash. This could increase the potential ris… |
| 2015083 25 Feb 2015 | Structure On certain vehicles, if the vehicle is driven with only the secondary latch engaged, the secondary hood latch may fail to hold the hood closed. As a result, the… |
| 2014401 15 Sept 2014 | Structure On certain vehicles, if the vehicle is driven with only the secondary latch engaged, the secondary hood latch may fail to hold the hood closed. As a result, the… |
| 2014093 25 Mar 2014 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the front passenger seat occupant classification system software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied … |
| 2013130 23 Apr 2013 | Tires On certain vehicles, the spare tire may have been under- or over-inflated during assembly. In some instances, the over-inflation may have been significant. Hi… |
| 2013079 14 Mar 2013 | Airbag On certain vehicles, sensors within the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured incorrectly. This may cause the system to malfunction and pe… |
| 2012339 9 Oct 2012 | Steering On certain vehicles, two power steering rack bolts and four transverse link bolts may not have been sufficiently tightened during vehicle assembly. Should any … |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
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 June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.
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 Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
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 hood is closed.
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 vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
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 additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank.
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 hood is closed.
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 combination with debris and corrosion, may cause the secondary hood latch to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
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 classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
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.
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 and permanently suppress the passenger airbag.
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 specification.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Nissan told its dealers about the 2013 Nissan Altima: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11009068 | DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page) |
| 11004962 | VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11004961 | CAN COMMUNICATION NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11004960 | CAN COMMUNICATION CODES DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001202 | DTC P17F0 OR P17F1 STORED IN THE TCM This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001201 | WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001194 | REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001192 | CVT/TCM CALIBRATION DATA WRITE PROCEDURE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001191 | WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10248651 | CVT JUDDER AND DTC P17F0 OR P17F1 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10243708 | DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10242160 | Halogen Headlamp Voluntary Service Campaign REVISED August 18, 2023 Please discard earlier versions of this bulletin. The announcement from March 2, 2023 has been revised to include the following changes: Dealer headlamp support by email requests thru FQA_Inspection_Support@nissan-usa.com for claim review will no longer be considered after September 23, 2023 See Claims Information, section 2 & 3 |
| 10239062 | SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical components. To avoid the risk of death or severe personal injury, do not directly spray Silicone-based lubricant or grease, or inadvertently overspray Silicone-based lubricant or grease onto any interior electrical components. These types of lubricants can be detrimental to the proper operation of electrical components. |
| 10239060 | 12 VOLT BATTERY TESTING FOR IN-SERVICE VEHICLES SERVICE INFORMATION The following Service Information lists NNA procedural recommendations for establishing good connections while performing 12V battery testing. These recommendations are expected to promote uniformity during the connection process, therefore reducing the number of incorrect Test with DCA and Replace results. HINT: If 12 volt batteries are allowed to discharge for a prolonged period of time, battery life may be drastically reduced. This condition may lead to premature battery replacement and customer dissatisfaction. |
| 10237565 | CVT JUDDER AND DTC P17F0 OR P17F1 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10237563 | CVT/TCM CALIBRATION DATA WRITE PROCEDURE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10235710 | INTELLIGENT KEY REPLACEMENT OR SWAPPING BETWEEN VEHICLES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10235707 | VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10235698 | HEADLAMP, FOG LAMP, OR REAR COMBINATION LAMP FOGGING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10234095 | Halogen Headlamp Voluntary Service Campaign REVISED March 2, 2023 Please discard earlier versions of this bulletin. The announcement from September 16, 2022 has been revised to include the following changes: The parts restriction will be removed on the following parts and dealers will be able to order, as needed, via normal ordering process beginning March 9, 2023: 26060-3TA9A LAMP ASSY HEAD (LH) (Headlamp Assembly) 26010-3TA9A Lamp ASSY HEAD (RH) (Headlamp Assembly) |
| 10234044 | DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10233904 | CLICKING NOISE FROM FRONT OR REAR AXLE DURING TAKE-OFF/ACCELERATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10233896 | ABS/VDC CAN DIAGNOSIS INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10232658 | REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10232657 | WHEEL BEARING COLLISION DAMAGE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure
Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure
Occupant Classification System Failure
Occupant Classification System Failure
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation