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:
9 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,122 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 lights problems

lights problem

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2013 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 3 of 21)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #371

Apr 132022

Altima

  • miles

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

The low-beam headlights on this Nissan Altima are so dim that it is dangerous to operate the vehicle at night. I have to use high-beams at all times. The reason is the coating inside the assembly de-laminated. This was litigated against Nissan in a class action suit, Suarez v. Nissan. The suit was settled earlier this year. As part of the settlement, I filed a claim and was authorized to take the car to my local Nissan dealer for replacement (Tacoma, WA). The dealer told me they would need to verify the lights were indeed too dim before replacing the assembly. After testing them, they claimed the lights passed and would not need replacement. This is an incredulous conclusion and I can only conclude they are willingly trying to avoid replacement, as there is no way these lights can be considered safe. Do we have any recourse" Is there an independent way to test the headlights to prove they are unsafe? Can someone at NTSB talk to Nissan? Is this even a condition of replacement, that the lights have to fail a test administered by Nissan itself" That seems entirely inappropriate. Thanks for any help you can provide, I can't be the only one going through this.

- Steilacoom, WA, USA

problem #370

Apr 072010

Altima

  • miles
The headlight assembly is defective and gets very dim. Replacing the bulb does not fix the issue. Lights are so dim it is not drivable at night.

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

problem #369

Mar 262022

Altima

  • miles
Nissan Altima 2013 extremely dim low light bean, specifically poor intensity of brightness and distance throw of light. Extremely dangerous to operate vehicle at night. Endangering occupants, other drivers, and pedestrians. I changed light bulbs twice using the brightest bulbs available. But noticeable improvement. Almost caused several collisions and pedestrian strikes on dark roads and street, especially in rain. Problem developed in 2016, about three years after purchase in 2013. Immediate recall is critical, replace headlamps before fatalities.

- Newark , DE, USA

problem #368

Jan 182021

Altima

  • miles

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

My passenger air bag monitor seems to have a shortage. If there is no one in the passenger seat it will show on the dash as being on or when no one is in the seat it will show on and then sometimes off. Most days there isn't any symbol on the dash when someone is sitting in the passenger seat. I never know if the passenger seat belt is on or off. My second concern is my exterior headlights, they are so dim that I have to use my bright lights to see the roads. I have basically tried to stop driving very early in the morning, or at night.

- Bainbridge, GA, USA

problem #367

Jan 022021

Altima

  • 86,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at night with the low-beam headlights activated, the illumination from the headlights was extremely dim, causing a visibility hazard for the driver. The headlight bulbs were replaced on several occasions, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the headlight assemblies needed to be replaced to fix the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 86,000.

- Mobile, AL, USA

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problem #366

Sep 012021

Altima

  • miles
I had been pulled over for not having my lights on but they were, then pulled over again while driving with brights on, (had to drive with brights on to see road), Another day, I had turned off my brights to avoid getting pulled over for having them on. When I arrived at my destination I could barely see the road & hit a parked car. It just so happened I was in front of my daughters house, my destination, & it was her car I hit. I cant drive at night which has caused many other problem. Headlights might as well be off while driving at night cause they look same on. & WORSE in fog cause you cant use brights to help see either.

- Fortwayne, IN, USA

problem #365

Jan 082022

Altima

  • miles

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

The low beam headlights are to dim. The light from the fog lights projects further then the low beam headlights. I have changed the bulbs but there has been little to no improvement.

- Ellington, CT, USA

problem #364

Nov 172021

Altima

  • miles
Head lights are so dim that I have to drive at night with my brights on.

- Jeanerette, LA, USA

problem #363

Jul 072021

Altima

  • miles
Dimmed headlights

- Haslet, TX, USA

problem #362

Dec 052021

Altima

  • miles
The lights on the car are very dim it had halogens at first so I put leds and saw that it did not a make a difference at all. I-??ve been pulled over 1 once for them being very dim. I feel like it could put me and someone else at risk at night. I have to use my high beams to see all the time because the low beams are extremely dim. Me and a lot of people are at danger because of the headlight housing being too dim and lots of people are not liking the lights being dim.

- Chireno , TX, USA

problem #361

Nov 232021

Altima 4-cyl

  • miles

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

My 2013 Nissan Altima has serious electrical problems and continues to drain my battery, leaving me seeking alternative transportation to and from home, work, etc. The headlight low and high beams are dangerously dim! I have replaced the bulbs several times and the problems continues to get worse. I have seen litigation online with numerous people involved. I thought NTSB would have acted by now" I have also had numerous problems with the AC not working" I am getting estimates currently looking at a $2,000 problem. This car seems very unsafe and any action form your agency would be greatly appreciated! Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

problem #360

Nov 152021

Altima

  • miles
The headlights at night are so dim that I can barely see to drive. I know this to be an ongoing problem due to research. Nissan has never once recalled for this problem on my vehicle. It-??s dangerous and prevents me from getting full use of a vehicle I paid for. Brights work fine

- Russiaville, IN, USA

problem #359

Jun 012021

Altima

  • miles
Low beam headlights are dangerously dim. Drivers side is so bad, I thought the headlight was burnt out however its not. Passengers side is very dim. It is so bad that this car is only driven during daylight hours, it is too dangerous to drive at night and during inclement weather due to the dim low beams, visibility is horrific. After replacing the headlight bulbs there was no improvement. Im told the lining of the projectors inside the headlight assembly are bad therefore not projecting the beam properly. The headlight assembly's will finally be replaced in 2 weeks. Headlight assembly's should not go bad. Ive never had this issue with any vehicle in my lifetime. The expensive fix should not come out of my pocket, Nissan should recall this issue and repair at their expense.

- Cedar Lake, IN, USA

problem #358

May 302014

Altima

  • miles
The lights on this car have always had an issue ever since I bought it off the lot in 2014 new with 35 miles on the car. The first couple of years I continued to return to the dealer where I bought the car to have them replace the lights but I got tired of dealing with returning to not get favorable results. It for sure is a Nissan issue. The cosmetic light strips on the rearview mirrors on both sides of the vehicle also had condensation visibly in the strips as well. I had those also supposedly replaced as well. The issue is still there all these years later just got annoyed with returning to the dealer and wasting lots of time with no results. I have pictures of the issue dated a few weeks after buying the car in 2014, May. The headlights look pretty dull and not bright when driving. I am on this website to see in fact if there is a recall on the lights but apparently there is not.

- South Bend, IN, USA

problem #357

Jul 182021

Altima

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the headlights were dim however, there was no fog or coating on the headlight assemblies that could have caused the failure. The contact stated that other vehicles would either flash their hi-beam lights or sound their horn to inform him that his lights were not on even while the headlights were activated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the headlights needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #356

Oct 162021

Altima

  • miles
Low beams are too dim, even with replacing with new bulbs

- Charleston, SC, USA

problem #355

Jun 012020

Altima

  • miles
The low beam headlights are so dim that it is near impossible to drive at night. There is no haze on the exterior part of the headlight. I have tried replacing the bulbs but it did not improve the visibility. I first noticed it summer of 2020, but it has gotten much worse over time.

- Decatur , GA, USA

problem #354

Oct 052021

Altima

  • miles
The lowbeam headlights have gotten extremely dim. I have not driven this car at night for some time, and on October 5th, 2021 I did drive at night. When I switched my lights to lowbeam for oncoming traffic and could not believe how dim they were!! My lowbeam headlights barely projected 50 feet. There is no way in the world I can safely drive this car at night anymore!!!! I changed the halogen bulbs and it made no difference. After searching the internet I found out this is a common problem with this model/year Nissan. Why hasn't a recall been issued"!"! The only way I can safely drive this car at night would be to replace both headlight assemblies, and I do not have the $$ to do that. Please Help!

- Elobn, NC, USA

problem #353

Sep 012021

Altima

  • miles
Gear shift got stuck in park one day at grocery store. When trying to shift out of park the gear shift will not shift. We had to engage the shift override button using a screwdriver. This is dangerous because having the shift override button exposed makes it easy for anyone to shift the car out of park accidentally. We plan to take the vehicle to a dealer on 10/1/2021 to have it inspected. Second issue : low beam headlights are very dim not bright at all making it difficult to see at night without using my high beams which is dangerous to myself and other drivers.

- Bellwood, IL, USA

problem #352

Sep 012015

Altima

  • miles
Headlights are extremely Dull, making night time driving dangerous. Headlight projector reflector is defective in all 2013 Hologen Bulb headlight assembly's. Driving at night or on wet roads, vision is extremely impaired, a danger to driver and pedestrians. I have contacted the Dealership, and they have no knowledge of any recalls in progress.

- Woodhaven, NY, USA

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