2013 Nissan Altima: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
2,307 NHTSA owner complaints · 12 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
2,307 NHTSA owner complaints · 12 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 177.46
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Front passenger door lock actuator fails to unlock door when driver's, passengers or key fob to unlock is activated. All other doors (3) work as they should. This creates a safety issue as the door must manually be unlocked which during a panic situation may not be easily accomplished. I am in the process of having the mechanism inspected & repaired. Part failed with no notice. It may have failed earlier, but July…
The headlight housings metallic coatings for reflectivity are failing and reduce the efficacy of the headlights. There has been a class action lawsuit against Nissan for this but many, like myself, were not notified. The headlights are very dim and create a safety hazzard when driving in an area where high beams can't be used. NTSHA really needs to do what is right here and force a recall.
Rear left wheel busted off of car while driving. Flew up into the back end of car totaling the vehicle. We were very lucky no one was hurt.
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 13V069000 | Air Bags | Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occu… |
| 15V486000 | 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 vehi… |
| 12V494000 | Steering | Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Altima vehicles manufactured from May 10, 2012, through July 26, 2012. These vehicles may … |
| 14V565000 | 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, … |
| 16V911000 | 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… |
| 15V681000 | Air Bags:Frontal | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicl… |
| 16V029000 | 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… |
| 13V158000 | 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 ti… |
EPA combined 31 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,000
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Air Bags (513 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 5/100, computed from 2,307 NHTSA complaints and 12 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 12 recall campaign(s) for the 2013 Nissan Altima, 7 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 01/03/2013. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.