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:
28 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
34 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,071 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 seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2013 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 12 of 26)

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problem #281

Jan 252016

Altima

  • 29,000 miles

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

Driving at the rate of 45 miles per hour. My 2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 sl start surging going faster than the speed limit. I applied on brakes pushing them down to the floor my car hit a 2013 durango SUV on the driver side knocking the rear wheel completely off. My car still surging faster on a congested high-way to avoid causing any fatalities my car spend around three times. Before coming to a stop. No air bag deployed on my driver's side occupant seat was unoccupied. My Nissan Altima 3.5 sl was a total loss, A-frame severely damage beyond repair. The seat beast on the driver side turn my large intestine, several feature bilateral pelvic bone, whip lash, neurological disturbance, (L) torn rotator cuff, spinal cord injury where partial paralysis have start to set in my legs. Irreversible nerve damage, poor sight, broken teeth whereas; I have to get them all pulled out & go into the hospital to have a complete mouth of implants. The seat belt was so tight that it torn a muscle in my chest cavity (L) side causing my heart not to fill up completely. Seeing a psychiatrist after the aftermath of the incident, gastrointestinal doctor, pain specialist,

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #280

Jun 072016

Altima

  • 21,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle's air bag seat warning indicator remained illuminated even when there was no occupant in the seat. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 16V244000 (air bags). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

- Florissant, MO, USA

problem #279

Jan 142016

Altima

  • 42,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. While driving 25 mph, the passenger side air bag light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to be repaired, but the issue recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 42,000.

- Groveland, FL, USA

problem #278

Dec 102013

Altima

  • 100 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. When the vehicle was started, the passenger side air bag off warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the technician was unable to be duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure continued intermittently. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V244000 (air bags). The failure mileage was 100.

- Teaneck, NJ, USA

problem #277

Jun 072016

Altima

  • 38,000 miles
I have had an issue with the passengers side airbag for 3 years now. You can have a 140 up to a 300 pound passenger in the seat and the air bag turns off. I have been jerked around by the dealer and Nissan America. They can't get it to turn the light on.. I have it on videos not working.. they have re-flashed it several times or I was told they have.the car is not safe for a passenger to be in. Per Nissan yesterday 8/8/2016 a new recall is coming. This has been 3 years now and the car is now past the warranty period.. I am sure they will try to charge me now... would you put a loved one in that seat knowing the air bag may not work"?" Nissan was to call me again today 6/9/2016 and still has not happened.. time to replace all the sensors and the controllers...

- Chillicothe, OH, USA

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problem #276

Jun 072016

Altima

  • miles
After the 2016 recall, to correct the faulty passenger air bag off condition, when a passenger not meeting the minimum airbag deployment requirements is seated the the passenger seat, the drivers "air bag off" warning indicator is now always illuminated when the passenger's seat is unoccupied. This condition leads to incorrect operation of the warning indicator which now displays this warning during a normal operating condition of the vehicle. Under normal operating conditions when there is no passenger in the vehicle, the constant illumination of the warning light will over time be ignored because of its constant on condition. The operation of the this indicator makes about as much sense as having the "seat belt unfastened" warning light always illuminated for an unfastened seat belt for an unoccupied passenger seat.. the inappropriate and misleading operation of warning indication leads to the operator's disregard of the warning indicator's significance. Over time, the driver will accept the on condition of this warning light as a normal operating indication and may lead the driver not recognizing the significance if this warning light remaining "on" in the event that a front seat passenger, meeting the air bag deployment criteria, occupies the seat. The operation of this warning light must be returned to its per-recall operation of only illuminating when the passenger seat is occupied by a passenger not meeting the criteria for air bag deployment. Any other operation of this warning light yields erroneous misleading passenger safety information to the operator of the vehicle. This safety condition must be corrected.

- Agoura Hills, CA, USA

problem #275

May 252016

Altima

  • 22,000 miles

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

This is to report and complain about recalls on my 2013 Nissan Altima recall: 16V-029 I traveled to my local dealer [kline Nissan, maplewood, mn] over a year ago for a similar recall fix to the hood latch'. my online record still shows it is needed (ntb16-011; external recall number: PC426) I did not receive notification of the above recall until months after the effective date. I went again for the above ref. Recall and was told that they did not have the part in stock and it could be "quite some time" and would call me. It has been over two month and no contact. I just received a second mailing on this recall stating that I had not taken care of it. This is a frustrating and a time wasting process. Recall: Passenger a.B. (ntb16-052" R1609" not clear from the online description what this is) I now see that my passengers have been at risk of an inoperable air bag. I have not yet received notice this third recall when looking up the other two recalls online. Thus I have not received the benefit of this safety feature that I paid for three years ago. Beyond the time and cost of traveling to/from and waiting for these errors to be fixed is the length of time our money has been wasted on a feature we paid for. There needs to be monetary compensation for these significant errors and please do not allow them to keep stating "at no cost" because there is cost in time and money to consumers. There is also an emotional cost when we were and are still at risk but the parts are not available.

- Mahtomedi, MN, USA

problem #274

May 212016

Altima

  • miles
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to complete the recall repair for NHTSA campaign number: 16V029000 (latches/locks/linkages). The dealer scheduled an appointment and, when the contact arrived for the repair, they stated that the hood latch was on back order and the dealer was unable to provide a time frame that the part may become available. The contact was also informed that there was a fuel pump recall and the vehicle was repaired. The contact was not aware and the dealer did not mention NHTSA campaign numbers: 15V468000 (suspension) and 16V244000 (air bags). The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #273

May 212016

Altima

  • miles
Takata recall - took my vehicle in to have the OCS system software updated due to the recall and was told that that the I needed to replace the OCS sensors in order for the passenger airbags, to work properly. Dealer said that this was not covered under the recall and said that it would cost $300. Left with the same problem that I had before, I went in for the so called software upgrade. In the event of an accident, chances are that the passenger side airbag, will not be deployed!! why are they trying to make me pay for a defective product that should be covered under the recall??,

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

problem #272

Dec 282015

Altima

  • 38,000 miles
Vehicle was recalled for airbag deactivation light for passenger front seat that would turn on intermittently. After recall work was completed, we still experience this light turning on indicating that the front passenger airbags are deactivated. This has typically occurred when my wife (135lbs) is in the passenger seat but it has also happened when I was in the seat and I weigh 200lbs. This occurs when the vehicle is in motion on city streets.

- Marshall, MI, USA

problem #271

Sep 152015

Altima

  • 90,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the front passenger side air bag warning light remained illuminated, while the seat was occupied. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V244000 (air bags). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #270

Jan 012016

Altima

  • miles
Takata recall - airbag warning light continues to come on while the car is in motion after the Altima has previously been to the wallace dealership in stuart, Florida for repair.

- Palm City, FL, USA

problem #269

May 062015

Altima

  • 148,013 miles
Shacking and unable to control and no one till this day"?? why ? I'm sorry but Dodge Chrysler nor any dealer ship has my air bag and 98% of parts in stock... so now what??" I spent a lot of much $$$$...

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #268

Sep 012014

Altima

  • 15,000 miles
Airbag sensor doesn't work properly. While the car is in motion, the light turns on warning that the airbag will not deploy when a person is buckled in the passenger seat. My VIN is not included in the recall but I've noticed this issue for over a year. My Nissan dealership ignored my complaint a year ago when I asked them to look at it.

- Hertford, NC, USA

problem #267

May 012014

Altima

  • 25,000 miles
The passenger side airbag "off" light will illuminate when a passenger around 130 lbs sits in the passenger seat. When this occurs (about half of the time), the light illuminates upon engine startup and the passenger is seated. The only way to get the light to turn off is to shut off the car and restart it with the passenger still in the seat. The passenger airbag "off" light does not illuminate when I start the car first, and then the passenger sits in the seat. I have also noticed the light illuminate when my 5 lb work bag is in the passenger seat and I take a sharp turn around a highway ramp (turning for about 10 seconds). This all occurs even after the car was re-programed under recall 14V138000

- North Kingstown, RI, USA

problem #266

Apr 022016

Altima

  • 29,000 miles
My almost 14 year old son who is 106 lbs. Sits in the passenger seat as well as a male friend who is 220. The passenger air bag light remains "off" when it should be engaged. I took it to a Nissan dealer and they said that they reset it and my son may not be "heavy enough". I am very upset at how they handled it (they didn't) and I can guarantee if there is an incident that happens and these were defective, there will be issues. I have read online that numerous other people have the same problem and they said they have to restart the car to get it to go off. I am not doing that or buying it. I was told that if Nissan does not recognize this problem for this specific year and model, that the recall with not be covered. It is obviously an issue. Secondly, I made an appt 3 weeks in advance for my hood latch to be repaired to allow for the part to get it. I drove 1.25 hrs to get it replaced, sat there for 2 hours to be told that they were putting in it and then "did not have it in". they had me take a rental car home "to have a supervisor look at my airbag" as it was over the weekend. I got a disgusting car for 5 days to find out nothing had been repaired. I "need to stop in when I am in town sometime" to get my hood latch replaced. Really"??" I will never go back to billion Nissan in sioux city. Poor service. I would like both of these issues taken care of promptly. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

- Aurelia, IA, USA

problem #265

Mar 202016

Altima

  • 58,437 miles
The contact owned a 2013 Nissan Altima. While the contact's vehicle was at a stop light, it was struck head on by another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained head and neck injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,437.

- Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, USA

problem #264

Apr 022016

Altima

  • 62,000 miles
Passenger side airbag indicator light says it's off when an adult passenger of sufficient weight is buckled up and occupying the front passenger seat.

- Owensboro, KY, USA

problem #263

Mar 012016

Altima

  • miles
Last year there was NHTSA recall 15V-681 which relates to the occupant classification system (OCS). This is the control unit that turns the air bag protection on/off based on the size of the passenger... I took my car to the Nissan dealer but the issue continues. Some time later when I asked the service man about it, they say the car is out of warranty, and want to charge me to check and fix the OCS. Which is part of the NHTSA recall 15V-681 what is my recourse? I have two kids, a 16 and a 20 years old. The air bag will be turned on or off on either of them randomly. It almost seems that the temperature of the day has something to do with it. Another issue with the car is that the parking brake light stays on after the pedal has been released and the car is being driven normally... again my guess is that it seems to occurred more when it is cold but it is intermittent. I have taken a video of the occurrence to show the dealer but they don't care about it. I cant send you the video because it is too big (more than 20mb) and you only allows a file no bigger than 5 mb the issue is still going on but since it is intermittent the date before is only a reference

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #262

Mar 062016

Altima

  • 61,000 miles
I have had ongoing problem with the passenger airbag since the car was new. The yellow light on the the dash will sometimes stay on, indicating that the passenger airbag is disabled, even with a 150 lb adult sitting properly in the seat. If I pull over and turn off the car and restart, it usually goes out. I have reported this numerous times to the dealer (I also have pictures of the light staying on), but have been told that they have done everything they can, but cannot fix the problem. I also have reported this twice on this site (NHTSA), but nothing has been solved. It is obvious that both Nissan and NHTSA don't care about this safety issue, as many, many others have reported the same problem on this site during the last several years. When someone gets killed because their passenger airbag fails to work, maybe something will get done.

- Grandview, WA, USA

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