2013 Nissan ALTIMA: complaints, problems and recalls

I BOUGHT A NEW 2013 ALTIMA 2.5 SL ON 7/26/12, WITH 104 MILES ON IT SINCE IT WAS DELIVERED FROM ANOTHER DEALER. ON 7/29/12 A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE OWNER'S MANUAL SAID THAT POSSIBLY THE GAS CAP WAS NOT TIGHT. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. MANUAL SAID THAT IF THE LIGHT WAS NOT FLASHING, THEN IT WOULD CLEAR AFTER A FEW TRIPS. IT DID NOT CLEAR, SO I DROVE 25 MILES TO DEALER 8/3/12 FOR THEM TO TEST. THEY SAID IT WAS A BAD CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND WOULD BE REPLACED THE NEXT DAY. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE SERVICE MANAGER CALLED AND SAID THAT WHEN TH…

Owner-reported narrative. 207 miles reported. Look up ODI 10471844 at NHTSA ↗

ON INTERSTATES CAR WANDERS ALL OVER ROAD REQUIRING BOTH HANDS ON WHEEL MAKING CONSTANT CORRECTIONS TO STAY IN LANE AND IS SEVERELY BUFFETED BY PASSING TRUCKS AND BUSSES. AT LOWER SPEEDS CONSTANT CORRECTIONS ARE STILL REQUIRED TO AVOID RUNNING OFF ROAD. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10473050 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SURGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MECHANIC AND SERVICE MANAGER TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND FELT THE SURGE HOWEVER STATED THAT WHEN INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 500.

Owner-reported narrative. 7 miles reported. Look up ODI 10474264 at NHTSA ↗

DURING COASTING/DECELERATION FROM 35 DOWN TO 20 MPH, THE CAR WILL PROVIDE A SUDDEN JERK AT 25 MPH WHILE THE A/C IS ON MAX. THIS DEVOLVED INTO TIRE SKIDDING AFTER A COUPLE WEEKS WHILE THE DEALERSHIP WAS TEST DRIVING IT FOR REPLICATION DURING THE WEEK OF 8/20/12. THE REPLACEMENT CAR THAT I RECEIVED ON 8/28/12 STARTED SHOWING THE SAME SYMPTOMS AT 800 MILES ON 9/7/12. CURRENT DIAGNOSIS OF THE MANUFACTURER OF THE ORIGINAL CAR INDICATED THE CAR REQUIRED A NEW CVT. AT THE TIME, THE ETA FOR REPLACING THE CVT (ON THE ORIGINAL CAR) WAS AT LEAST 3 WEEKS. …

Owner-reported narrative. 400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10474303 at NHTSA ↗

INTERMITTENTLY, "PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF" WARNING LIGHT REMAINS ON EVEN THOUGH PASSENGER (130 LBS) IS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER (CLOTH) SEAT. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 50 miles reported. Look up ODI 10476575 at NHTSA ↗

THE PROBLEM BEGAN WITH THE TRANSMISSION LOCKING UP OR SHUDDERING GOING DOWN HILL, THROWING THE VEHICLE AND ME FORWARD. EVER BEEN ON A GOLF CART GOING DOWN A HILL WHERE THE GOVERNOR THROWS YOU FORWARD? MULTIPLY THAT BY ABOUT 5 AND THAT'S WHAT YOU GET. IT HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE, TO THE POINT WHERE IT ACTUALLY CAUSES THE WHEELS TO STOP AND "CHIRP" ON THE PAVEMENT. NOW, IT EVEN HAPPENS ON RELATIVELY FLAT AREAS AND, GOING UP SOME HILLS, THE TRANSMISSION JUST ABOUT GIVES OUT. IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE FOR SEVERAL REASONS: (1) LOCKING UP GOIN…

Owner-reported narrative. 800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10476614 at NHTSA ↗

THE PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A PASSENGER SITTING IN THE SEAT THAT WAS OVER 100 POUNDS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE SINCE THERE WAS NO ERROR CODE IN THE SYSTEM. I HAD TO SHUT OFF AND RESTART THE VEHICLE IN ORDER FOR THE PASSENGER AIR BAG TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. SINCE THE INITIAL INCIDENT, THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED ONE OTHER TIME. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10479274 at NHTSA ↗

THE VEHICLE SURGES AT AROUND 25MPH. IT CUTS OUT, SLOWS DOWN FOR A COUPLE SECONDS, THEN JERKS FORWARD. WHEN IT JERKS FORWARD, IT SLAM HARD LIKE IT IS DOING DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 100 miles reported. Look up ODI 10479974 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2012-10-10 (October 10, 2012)

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.

Consequence: The affected bolts could become loose and fall out which may lead to a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the bolts to the proper torque specifications. The safety recall is expected to begin during November 2012. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

Reported: 2013-03-01 (March 1, 2013)

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 suppress the passenger airbag.

Consequence: If the vehicle is involved in a crash necessitating airbag deployment and the passenger airbag is suppressed, there may be an increased risk of personal injury.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ODS sensors and replace them as neccessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.

Reported: 2013-04-24 (April 24, 2013)

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.

Consequence: Tires that are significantly over- or under-inflated may fail without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and adjust the spare tire pressure, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 29, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Reported: 2014-03-25 (March 25, 2014)

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 (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

Consequence: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Reported: 2014-09-15 (September 15, 2014)

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 corrosion, may cause the secondary hood latch to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.

Consequence: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 20, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Reported: 2015-02-27 (February 27, 2015)

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.

Consequence: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 14V-565.

Reported: 2015-08-04 (August 4, 2015)

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 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank.

Consequence: If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Reported: 2015-10-20 (October 20, 2015)

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 incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

Consequence: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Reported: 2016-01-22 (January 22, 2016)

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.

Consequence: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: These vehicles were previously included in recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116, however the previous remedy plan may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk. To correct this issue, Nissan will re-notify all affected owners and dealers will replace the hood latch with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on February 17, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116.

Reported: 2016-04-26 (April 26, 2016)

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 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.

Consequence: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

Reported: 2016-12-19 (December 19, 2016)

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 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.

Consequence: If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Reported: 2020-05-28 (May 28, 2020)

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.

Consequence: Corrosion to the secondary latch may cause it to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. If the primary latch is inadvertently released again and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a stronger release spring in the hood release lever, a warning label near the secondary hood latch, and an Owner’s Manual addendum card with instructions on how to lubricate and maintain the secondary hood latch mechanism, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 30, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: Recall 16V-029 remains open for any unremedied 2013-2015 Altimas and this recall applies to all vehicles covered by 16V-029 even if those repairs have already been performed.