Reliable Auto DB

2013 Nissan Altima reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Nissan Altima holds 2,312 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 185 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Altima years on this site. NHTSA has 12 recalls on file, including Latch, Occupant classification, and Frontal.

2012 Nissan Altima
Photo by Elise240SX, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

2,312

Per year

185

Recalls

12

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (514 of 2,312), then Powertrain (505) and Exterior lighting (442). Those filings include 63 that report a crash, 9 that report a fire, 36 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 Altima has 426 complaints, 23 per year, and the 2014 has 1,113 complaints, 83 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Nissan Altima. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (12)

Recall latches, locks, and linkages, hood, latch 2020-05-28 · NHTSA campaign 20V315000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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 Owner’s Manual addendum card with instructions on how to lubricate and maintain the secondary hood latch mechanism, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 30, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: Recall 16V-029 remains open for any unremedied 2013-2015 Altimas and this recall applies to all vehicles covered by 16V-029 even if those repairs have already been performed.
Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2016-12-19 · NHTSA campaign 16V911000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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 1-800-647-7261.
Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2016-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 16V244000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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 Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, hood, latch 2016-01-22 · NHTSA campaign 16V029000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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 will re-notify all affected owners and dealers will replace the hood latch with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on February 17, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116.
Recall air bags, frontal 2015-10-20 · NHTSA campaign 15V681000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall Fuel system, gasoline 2015-08-04 · NHTSA campaign 15V486000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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 at 1-800-647-7261.
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, hood, latch 2015-02-27 · NHTSA campaign 15V116000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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 will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 14V-565.
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, hood, latch 2014-09-15 · NHTSA campaign 14V565000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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 will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 20, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Recall electrical system, software 2014-03-25 · NHTSA campaign 14V138000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall tires, temporary spare tire 2013-04-24 · NHTSA campaign 13V158000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall Air bags 2013-03-01 · NHTSA campaign 13V069000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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 1-800-647-7261.
Recall Steering 2012-10-10 · NHTSA campaign 12V494000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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 Service at 1-800-647-7261.

Complaints by component (2312 total)

Air bags
514
Powertrain
505
Exterior lighting
442
Suspension
289
Electrical system
159
Engine
158
Structure
134
Steering
94
Latches, locks, and linkages
60
Service brakes
54
Visibility and wipers
52
Speed control
48
Fuel and propulsion system
44
Seats
37
Wheels
36
Electronic stability control (ESC)
31
Seat belts
29
Visibility
12
Engine and engine cooling
8
Equipment
7
Fuel system, gasoline
5
Hydraulic brakes
4
Adaptive and mobility equipment
3
Tires
3
Forward collision avoidance
2
Lane departure
2
Traction control
1
Show 19 more Show less
Crash-flagged

63

Fire-flagged

9

Injury reports

36

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

232012202201317620141552015201201617320172522018484201923820201652021992022642023372024262025172026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "On XXX, at approximately 5:00 a.m., my son was driving my 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL (VIN [XXX]) to work at approximately 55 mph when the hood unexpectedly flew open while the vehicle was moving. The vehicle had…"
    Structure · filed 2026-09-21
  • "The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the headlights were very dim, making it difficult to see while driving at night. The vehicle was taken…"
    Exterior lighting · filed 2026-09-18
  • "Airbag and seat belt warning lights won't turn off one each on instrument cluster RED, and one ORANGEYELLOW center of dash next to hazard lights button"
    Air bags · filed 2026-09-17
  • "Driver side rear lower control arm broke/rusted through. Was able to get the vehicle home prior to an catastrophic incident. See pictures attached. Warning light came on the dash at the time of the brake of the control…"
    Suspension · filed 2026-08-24
  • "The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the cruise control activated, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated. During the failure, there were no warning…"
    Speed control · filed 2026-08-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 Nissan Altima 2 DR FWD Not rated Not rated Not rated 5 stars
2013 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Altima 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) Front-wheel drive 27 38 31 MPG $2100
Altima 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) Front-wheel drive 22 30 25 MPG $2600
Altima Coupe 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) Front-wheel drive 23 31 26 MPG $2500

Specs and fitment

5th generation (L33), 2013–2018
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 (2.5L); 5W-30 (3.5L V6)
Tire size 215/60R16 to 235/45R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Nissan ran voluntary service campaign PC490 on certain 2013-2016 Altima (L33) vehicles to reprogram CVT software after hydraulic pressure could drop and allow belt slip (MIL P0776 and poor acceleration); Nissan states that campaign is not a safety recall. Separately, Nissan extended CVT assembly warranty coverage on 2013-2016 Altima (L33) to 84 months/84,000 miles. Safety recall 20V-315 covers certain 2013-2018 Altimas: if the primary hood latch is released, the secondary latch may corrode and bind unlatched so the hood can open while driving; dealers install a stronger release spring, a warning label, and an Owner's Manual addendum. Safety recall 18V-915 covers certain 2015-2017 Altimas previously remedied under 17V-040 whose rear door latch-lock cable may be misrouted and open the rear door when the window is lowered; dealers secure the cable.

Compare

Previous year 2012 Nissan Altima Next year 2014 Nissan Altima See every Nissan Altima model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Nissan Altima reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Nissan Altima holds 2,312 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 185 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Altima years on this site. NHTSA has 12 recalls on file, including Latch, Occupant classification, and Frontal.

What are common problems with a 2013 Nissan Altima?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (514 of 2,312), then Powertrain (505) and Exterior lighting (442). Those filings include 63 that report a crash, 9 that report a fire, 36 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2013 Nissan Altima more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 Altima has 426 complaints, 23 per year, and the 2014 has 1,113 complaints, 83 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Nissan Altima been recalled?

The 2013 Nissan Altima has 12 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Nissan Altima?

Owners have filed 2312 complaints about the 2013 Nissan Altima with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Nissan Altima get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Nissan Altima is 27.3 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Altima take?

0W-20 (2.5L); 5W-30 (3.5L V6)

What does Nissan service campaign PC490 cover on the Nissan Altima?

Nissan ran voluntary service campaign PC490 on certain 2013-2016 Altima (L33) vehicles to reprogram CVT software after hydraulic pressure could drop and allow belt slip (MIL P0776 and poor acceleration); Nissan states that campaign is not a safety recall.

What generation is the 2014 Nissan Altima?

5th generation (L33) (2013-2018).