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 3 of 26)

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problem #461

Dec 292020

Altima

  • miles

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

When a passenger sits in the front seat the airbag light on the dashboard indicates the airbag isn't armed. I have had a Nissan dealer "fix" it three times and it starts again in a few weeks. First time dealer said a connection came loose when the seat was adjusted. Same thing the second time and the third time they said they secured the connection. the light came on in a matter of weeks again. I will take the car back for a fourth time soon. I asked the dealer service rep if there were any service bulletins regarding this problem, he said there weren't any, I feel that I can't have the only car with this problem. Whenever there is a passenger in the front seat I worry about being involved in an accident and their airbag not deploying.

- Newbury Park, CA, USA

problem #460

May 312014

Altima

  • 10,984 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated the driver-??s side frontal air bag and the passenger-??s side frontal air bag sensors were replaced under an unknown recall; however, the air bag sensor warning lights had been illuminating while starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of repair because the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 10,984.

- Okemah, OK, USA

problem #459

Jun 252021

Altima

  • miles
Steering it-??s heavy A/C stop working it self Airbag check light on dashboard

- New York , NY, USA

problem #458

Sep 092021

Altima 4-cyl

  • miles

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

2013 Nissan Altima. Consumer writes in regards to NHTSA air bag safety recall. The consumer stated the backseat airbag failed. The dealer and manufacturer were notified, but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not under warranty.

- Elizabethport, NJ, USA

problem #457

Jun 252021

Altima

  • miles
Taken car in for State Inspection after a couple of days Air Bag light is continuing on. Had it checked out and came back on. Taken it to a Nissan Dealership said found Codes B0001 and B0002 B00A0 B0202 Stored in Air Bag System wanted to Replace Clock Spring/Spiral Cable Assembly said Found Internal Malfunction. Car only had 86,000 miles.. Replacement cost on me.

- Garland , TX, USA

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problem #456

Aug 022021

Altima

  • miles
NHTSA-16V-244 Nissan refuses to fix this issue. My air bag light is off and will not go on if someone is sitting in the passenger seat. I need your assistance with Nissan.

- Flemington , NJ, USA

problem #455

Aug 042021

Altima

  • miles

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

The OCS System in this vehicle has been faulty and on recall several times. Nissan refuses to take accountability. Whenever we take the car to the dealership all they do is clear the code out of the system but they are refusing to repair the occupant safety sensor. This sensor defect can cause the airbags to not deploy in the case of an accident which is not only dangerous to the driver but to others on the road as well, it is potentially deadly. There are several people with the same complaint and Nissan is insisting that consumers need to pay out of pocket to fix the problem although they know their recalls have not been sufficient to remedy the issue. At this point, there needs to be some accountability and reassurance that drivers and their safety mean more than a company's bottom line. This is a potentially deadly hazard that they should be responsible for repairing. The AIRBAG OCS light continues to stay on the dashboard, and the passenger occupant light does not adequately work. There are others online complaining of the exact same issue.

- Hampton, VA, USA

problem #454

Jul 012021

Altima

  • miles
My Occupant Classification System is not functioning correctly. There is a voluntary campaign related to this issue (Campaign ID: PC214, NHTSA# 13V-069) that covers 2013 Nissan Altima but for some reason my VIN is not covered under this. However the recall campaign is for the exact problem I am having. I want my VIN to be included in this campaign.

- Mechanicsville, VA, USA

problem #453

Jul 192021

Altima

  • miles
According to documents that Nissan has filed with the NHTSA, there are several factors that owners should consider related to the recall. Firstly, if the ODS system malfunctions, the passenger airbag will permanently suppress regardless of the occupant-??s weight. If the system does malfunction, the (red) supplemental airbag warning light (SRS Light) will illuminate to alert the driver of the problem. Additionally, the (amber) front passenger airbag status light will illuminate to alert the front seat passenger. In December 2012, Nissan first became aware of the airbag defect due to an increasing amount of warranty claims regarding the SRS Light and/or the passenger airbag status light on 2013 Nissan Altima models. The automaker eventually linked the ODS system problem to a supplier (Tier 2 to Panasonic) problem. Evidently, its supplier had made changes to the sensor, which affected its performance. On February 21, Nissan determined that a recall was necessary after a two-month probe. Our vehicle was serviced in 2015 for this recall. Subsequently, we have had problems with the passenger airbag continuing to stay on. When trying to get an inspection it always has trouble because of this light. We have been told by Nissan it is not "their problem" however there are thousands of similar complaints. Nissan is refusing to remedy the situation that is a danger to vehicle owners and others on the road. Nissan needs to be held accountable for this known defect and error that can be a grave danger to human life. Subsequently, they need to issue a recall to further remedy the situation or allow vehicle owners the ability to have it fixed at no cost. This is a known error, this is not fair to consumer safety nor is it fair that a big corporation can get away with potentially harming others due to their negligence in repair.

- Hampton, VA, USA

problem #452

Dec 072019

Altima

  • miles
Supplemental air bag warning light stays on. Dealer had reset it once but it came back on. According to the manual, "If this light is on, it could mean that the front air bag, side air bag, curtain air bag systems and/or pretensioner systems will not operate in an accident."

- Cedar Park, TX, USA

problem #451

Feb 282021

Altima

  • miles

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

Both the driver and passenger side seat sensors do not detect when a person is in the seat, causing the air bags to remain off when vehicle is occupied. This is a common issue with the 2013 Altima, but Nissan has not issued a recall to have the seat sensors repaired.

- Suffolk, VA, USA

problem #450

May 222021

Altima

  • miles
My supplemental airbag light is on and I have not been in accident. I know that there was recall for passer side airbag light so I am wondering if there is something going on with driver side air bag.

- Georgetown , TX, USA

problem #449

Apr 132020

Altima

  • 133,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to state line Nissan (10401 madison ave, Kansas City, mo 64114) where it was diagnosed and the contact was informed that nothing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #448

Feb 012020

Altima

  • 92,000 miles
The supplemental air bag warning light came on and will not turn off. The light has been cleared by a mechanic, however, it came back on and stays on.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #447

Mar 032021

Altima

  • miles
A few months back I took my car in to have the airbag recall fixed. Flash forward a few months and the airbag light has come on. If somebody sits in the passenger seat the light goes off. The Nissan dealer is saying the OCS sensor sometimes go bad and quotes $400-$1500 to fix the problem. The car has never been in an accident and is kept clean so there is no chance that an item effected the OCS sensor under the seat when the seat was moved. But the more I researched the issue the more suspicious this seems. How do so many people have the same problem...and how mamy others have the same problem but cant or dont know how to report it.

- Clinton, IA, USA

problem #446

Feb 132021

Altima

  • 10,000 miles
Transmission on Nissan are easily damaged my car start but dont drive I just paid my car off in starting to have problems

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #445

Jan 222021

Altima

  • miles
I don't know about this. I found out today

- Dublin, TX, USA

problem #444

Dec 162020

Altima

  • 115,000 miles
Hi, I am an owner of a Nissan Altima 2013 S vehicle. Recently I noticed that airbag light came on and I took it to the dealership. Dealership diagnosed with B0028-13 and said it was a past code and cleared the code. It came back on again while I was driving after a month. I again diagnosed and the same code and showing a past code. Dealer couldn't identify the problem and said it needs to replace the whole seat, which will cost 1800 dollars. They said the airbag control module for the passenger side needs to be changed. And I noticed one thing, after code is getting cleared, the airbag warning light doesn't come all of a suddenly, although it has some problem with passenger occupancy too, as sometime even if an adult sit in the front passenger seat, passenger airbag stays off. Which is very risky while driving. Nissan has no answer to that. And right after that, airbag warning light comes back. I am a student and don't have that much of money to get this costly repair ( seat replacement) done and is a big safety issue. Please help me in this matter.

- Athens, GA, USA

problem #443

Aug 142019

Altima

  • miles
Head lights are so fun looks as if they are not on, airbag light is constantly on even with passenger in seat, both air bag lights on dask and in console. Doesn't matter if car is in motion or not completely dangerous

- Panama City Beach, FL, USA

problem #442

Dec 172020

Altima

  • 89,000 miles
The red airbag warning light on dashboards is solid lit without a adult passenger on passenger seat. The light goes off when there is a adult passenger on the passenger seat

- Budd Lake, NJ, USA

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