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:
3 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
53,963 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 2 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #135

Jan 032020

Altima

  • 75,000 miles

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

I was driving my 2013 Altima with 73,000 miles on the interstate going about 85mph and all of a sudden I fell a sudden surge in power the RPM went from 2,400 to 5,300 simultaneously and the I smelled something burning and my engine died I almost got into a horrific accident but luckily the person behind me wasn't on there phone but they had to slam on the brakes beacause my car was slowing down quickly probably beacause of the jatco cvt but once I am pulled over I am going through my glove box to find the roadside emergency card with a number on it but I found a recall notice from 2 years ago that said that the computer that controls your transmission does not work and I need to take it in to service immediately or damage will occur well when I had the recall performed I had 55,000 miles on the car and that is 55,000 miles of damage happening to my transmission so I called Nissan and told them since they do not know how to make a car and that I almost died in a car wreck beacause of them that they need to send me a tow truck asap to tow it to a Nissan dealership they sent me one but they did not pay fore it so 200 dollars later I am sitting in my brocken car in a Nissan dealership and I went in and told them since they can't build a transmission that won't get someone killed they need to put a new one in my car that eorks and of course they refused to do it so I gave it to them and they lowballed me and gave me 4,000 dollers fore the car whatever I was so mad at that moment then I drove my but over to Hyundai and got me a 2020 Hyundai sonata limited.

- Lincoln, NE, USA

problem #134

Jan 292020

Altima 4-cyl

  • 125,000 miles
The contact own sa 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that after stopping at a stop sign, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the engine revved but there was no response from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to monken Nissan located at (1741 w mccord St, centralia, il 62801) to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Mt. Vernon, IL, USA

problem #133

Jan 062020

Altima

  • 163,000 miles
I smell something burning but my car isn't getting hot. I took it to the shop to be diagnosed they said my valve cover gasket is leaking oil it has to be replaced and my coils and plugs are sitting in oil. The strong burning smell comes through my air vents. And when the oil hits the exhaust it smokes. I pray it doesn't catch on fire.

- Belleville, IL, USA

problem #132

Nov 092018

Altima

  • 90,000 miles

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

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.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

problem #131

Mar 012019

Altima

  • 60,000 miles
Check engine light comes on. Shop runs diagnostics and all systems, independently are working, however collective issue. I.e. mass air flow sensor code reads as broken, but sensor is independently fine when tested. Multiple systems read out with error codes, but all are fine when tested separately to further analyze. No connection between multiple codes - random assortment. Vehicle fails emissions test due to these errors. Shop now states they have found tbs on this problem through Nissan & there is a part requiring a swap out. My vehicle has experienced this issue for 6+ months. Huge time & financial burden to bring car in & out of shop. Vehicle unable to get re-registered due to faulty computer system.

- Oak Park, IL, USA

problem #130

Aug 062019

Altima

  • 106,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle decelerated and stalled without warning. When the contact shifted into neutral and restarted the vehicle, it resumed normal operation. When the shifter was placed in drive, the vehicle stalled. Also, the transmission made a noise and the vehicle stalled once it was warmed up. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 106,000.

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #129

Aug 022019

Altima

  • 91,000 miles

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

The vehicle will not start after warm up/driving for a while and then turned off. It will continuously run if engine does not get turned off. In order to start the engine again, it has to cool down, then the cycle starts again. It only happens when hot. It always starts cold or cooled down. Took it to Nissan dealer for diag and they said that is was the fuel injectors, so we replaced them on their advice - but that did not solve the problem. This is issue started recently. This is a well kept and maintained 2013 Altima with the qr25de 4 cyl engine and only ~ 92, nnn miles.

- Winter Park, FL, USA

problem #128

Sep 102019

Altima

  • 78,000 miles
Car has a vibrating sound when U reach about 40 mph found out that the engine mount are all bad

- North Lauderdale, FL, USA

problem #127

Jul 012019

Altima

  • miles
Passenger light airbag is never detected. (been on going for a couple of years) engine light stays on (for about 3 months) seatbelt airbag (3 months) will not go out. There is never a recall and a problem is never found by mechanic. Can get the engine light off for a little while, but comes back on usually within a week.

- Orange, TX, USA

problem #126

Sep 122019

Altima

  • 80,000 miles
Gear gets stuck too often to move. Cheap parts and is risky like on a parking stop trying to stop and your gear wont budge. My 2013 Altima transmission has always been vibrating too heavily, between 1500-2500 RPM in cold and exteremely hot weather situations, ever since I bought this vehicle (since Feb, 2014). Now the transmission completely failed and they are asking 4K to replace it.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #125

Aug 042019

Altima

  • 119,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. While driving, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The driver was able to coast over to the side of the road. The vehicle was powered off, restarted, and failed to drive. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 119,000.

- Cusseta, GA, USA

problem #124

Jul 082019

Altima

  • 132,000 miles
I bought a 2013 Nissan Altima in 2017. 4 months after the purchase with only 65,000 miles the car stalled in the middle of the highway with my children in it. I was able to get it restarted and the next day while working the transmission gave out in the middle of a parking lot. The cvt transmission was replaced at the Nissan dealership. Now 65,000 miles later the new cvt transmission died while I had a youth client in my car for work. This is extremely unsafe for a transmission to fail at the drop of a hat in the middle of the road. There is currently a class action suit against Nissan due to this issue. This is effecting my work and is not a reliable car. This needs to be recalled. Also the air compressor is an issue as well. This also needs recalled. There are hundreds of people who are experiencing these issues. What if the car would stop in the middle of a road and someone would hit me while I am with my children or a client? this needs to be looked into please. Because Nissan is refusing to help me at all for this second transmission that is only 2 years old!!!!

- Lewiisberry, PA, USA

problem #123

Jul 122019

Altima 4-cyl

  • 95,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. While driving 70 mph, the control arm gave out and completely corroded off the vehicle. The contact towed the vehicle to his home. The contact called boucher Nissan of waukesha (1451 E moreland blvd, waukesha, wi 53186, (262) 542-5500) and was informed to call the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed to take the vehicle to a local dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 95,000.

- Elkhorn, WI, USA

problem #122

Jun 012019

Altima

  • 122,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the check engine and slip warning indicators remained illuminated when the vehicle was parked or when shifting out of drive. Also, while driving highway speeds, the vehicle lost power, the transmission gears failed to change over, and the vehicle shut down. The vehicle was coasted off the road and parked. Balise Nissan of cape cod (322 falmouth rd, hyannis, MA 02601, (508) 815-4010) was contacted and indicated that an unknown manufacturer campaign regarding the reprogramming of the continuously variable transmission (cvt) failed. The dealer recommended that the vehicle be diagnosed to determine if the cvt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was unable to be driven and the manufacturer did not volunteer to have the vehicle towed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.

- Harwich, MA, USA

problem #121

May 292019

Altima

  • 73,000 miles
The engine of my car die while on the highway on my way back home. The car would die and jerk when I would slow down to a stop light or stop sign, and jerk when first accelerating.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #120

Jan 012019

Altima

  • 67,000 miles
My family and I wore going on a trip after 2 hours my Nissan Altima turn off bad at 67K miles Nissan is not willing to help because it's out of the warranty. It's very dangerous when you are on the road with your family so far from home. It happened in san antonio, tx. This issue can be very dangerous for the passengers and drivers. I have been doing research and there's also alot of videos on youtube from Nissan owners (Altima's)

- Pflugerville, TX, USA

problem #119

Sep 292018

Altima

  • 0 miles
Engine has been having problems every scene it was purchase.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #118

Apr 272019

Altima

  • 80,000 miles
My call stalled when I was stationary, in drive, at an intersection. Since then whenever I shift into either drive or reverse the car stalls and shuts off. The check engine, check battery, and general warning light all come on when I experience this problem. I have seen other people on various online forums report this issue. My Nissan Altima 2013 has a little over 80,000 miles on it. I am the only owner of this car.

- Beverly Hills, MI, USA

problem #117

Mar 262019

Altima

  • 90,000 miles
On 3/25/19 my 2013 Nissan Altima stalled while driving home from work on a city street. While driving to work the following day 3/26/19 during rush hour traffic on a city street my car shut off without warning while idle. There were no dash lights to indicate what was wrong with my car. The car starts but when it is placed in gear it shuts off again and again. This is a safety hazard, thankfully I was not on the freeway. I was finally able to get the car started and pulled into a gas station. I have to get my car towed to a dealership due to it shutting off.

- Desoto, TX, USA

problem #116

Mar 012019

Altima

  • 92,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. While driving 70 mph, the vehicle decelerated to 40 mph and the engine revved as it was coasted off the road. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for a tune-up and was subsequently towed to crown Nissan dealer (866-239-1758, located at 5151 34th St N, St. Petersburg, fl 33714) where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered a seventy-five percent discount off the repair cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

- Palmetto, FL, USA

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