2013 Nissan Altima: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 2,305 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 12 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
2,305
Complaints
12
Recalls
63
Crash reports
9
Fire reports
48
Injuries
31.7
Severity index
Severity index 31.7 - Low. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 145 2013 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2013 Nissan Altima ranks 120 of 145 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 17% of its model-year peers. See the full 2013 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 513 | 22.3% |
| POWER TRAIN | 505 | 21.9% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 440 | 19.1% |
| SUSPENSION | 288 | 12.5% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 240 | 10.4% |
| ENGINE | 158 | 6.9% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 158 | 6.9% |
| STRUCTURE | 133 | 5.8% |
The single most-reported system is AIR BAGS, cited in 513 of 2,305 complaints (22.3%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 23 |
| 2013 | 202 |
| 2014 | 176 |
| 2015 | 155 |
| 2016 | 201 |
| 2017 | 173 |
| 2018 | 252 |
| 2019 | 484 |
| 2020 | 238 |
| 2021 | 165 |
| 2022 | 99 |
| 2023 | 64 |
| 2024 | 37 |
| 2025 | 26 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 10 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15V681000 | 20/10/2015 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an |
| 16V911000 | 19/12/2016 | 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, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August |
| 15V486000 | 04/08/2015 | 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 vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehi |
| 14V138000 | 25/03/2014 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system |
| 16V244000 | 26/04/2016 | AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 N |
| 16V029000 | 22/01/2016 | 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 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. |
| 14V565000 | 15/09/2014 | 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, 2013. In the affected vehicles, interference between the hood inner panel and the secondary latch lever, in combination with debris and cor |
| 15V116000 | 27/02/2015 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. |
| 13V069000 | 01/03/2013 | AIR BAGS | Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppr |
| 13V158000 | 24/04/2013 | 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 tires may have been significantly over- or under-inflated. |
| 12V494000 | 10/10/2012 | STEERING | Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Altima vehicles manufactured from May 10, 2012, through July 26, 2012. These vehicles may have been equipped with transverse link bolts and power steering rack bolts that were not torqued to proper specification. |
| 20V315000 | 28/05/2020 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time. |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.