Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2013 Nissan Altima: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 2,304 safety complaints about the 2013 Nissan Altima with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved July 14, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

2,304
Complaints
12
Recalls
5
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 63 crashes, 9 fires, 48 injuries, 1 death.

Key findings
  1. Airbags & restraints leads the complaint list, cited in 520 of 2,304 complaints, followed by Power train / transmission.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 182 of the 2,304 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. Complaints peaked 6 years after the model year (484 filed in 2019) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  4. 5 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2013 Nissan Altima, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 2,304 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Airbags & restraints
520
Power train / transmission
505
Visibility & lighting
485
Suspension
288
Other / unspecified
250
Body & structure
228
Engine & cooling
166
Electrical
158

"Fuel System: Car hesitates and cut off after pumping fuel.\n' + 'Outer Tie rods torn rubber, vehicle never been realigned, but tires were worn on both front sides. \n' + 'Takata Air bag light has been on for over 2 years.\n' + 'Transmission over heats. Engine cuts back between 45 and 60 mph on the freeway. So we stop and allow it to cool off."

Owner complaint filed August 2025 · Steering,Air Bags,Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA ODI 11682483

"This car seems to have the same software issue as other altimas but the VIN does not record a recall. When someone is in the passenger seat, there is no dashboard confirmation and we are worried that the airbag might not deploy."

Owner complaint filed December 2024 · Air Bags · NHTSA ODI 11633237

When complaints were filed

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2013 Nissan Altima peaked later than usual, in 2019.

Complaints filed per year — 2013 Nissan Altima
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
23
202
176
155
201
173
252
484
238
165
99
64
37
26
9
121314151617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through July 14, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

How the 2013 compares with other model years

Across the Nissan Altima model years we track, the 2013 has the most complaints on file.

Total complaints by model year — Nissan Altima
All complaints on file per model year, as of July 14, 2026
1,547
2013
2,304
1,110
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 12 recalls

12 recalls apply to some or all 2013 Nissan Altima vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Oct 201212V-494
Steering

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.

Mar 201313V-069
Air Bags

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 airb…

Apr 201313V-158
Tires:Temporary/Emergency Spare Tire

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.

Mar 201414V-138
Electrical System:Software

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 i…

Sep 201414V-565
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:Latch

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…

Feb 201515V-116
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:Latch

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.

Aug 201515V-486
Fuel System, Gasoline

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 certa…

Oct 201515V-681
Air Bags:Frontal

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 c…

Jan 201616V-029
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:Latch

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.

Apr 201616V-244
Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification

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…

Dec 201616V-911
Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification

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 incorre…

May 202020V-315
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:Latch

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.

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2013 Nissan Altima have?

As of July 14, 2026, owners have filed 2,304 complaints about the 2013 Nissan Altima with NHTSA. The most-reported system is airbags & restraints.

How many recalls does the 2013 Nissan Altima have?

The 2013 Nissan Altima has 12 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2013 Nissan Altima safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2013 Nissan Altima an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved July 14, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.