7.2

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$2,700
Average Mileage:
88,850 miles
Total Complaints:
5 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. new transmission (5 reports)
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2013 Nissan Altima:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #5

Jul 122021

Altima S

  • CVT transmission
  • 52,000 miles

When I went to the Swope Nissan in Elizabethtown KY, to purchase the vehicle, the salesman pointed out to me the owners of the vehicle who were purchasing a new one. The title I purchased read the odometer at 35,312 on 12-12-2016. Around July 12,2021 I was in route to a store and about 4 miles from my residence when the car jerked forward a couple of times while my foot was engaged on the pedal. I looked for a good place to stop and turned towards a known area. When I got to the stop sign, the car completely shut itself off. My gas tank was nearly full and I had no prior issues so I was confused. I restarted the car and it started and sounded fine as cars were piling up behind me so I motioned them to go around me. I attempted to put the car in drive and it shut down again so I kept it revved up and attempted to go home.

I did a search on my computer when I got home and everything pointed me to the CVT transmission problem and two lawsuits that were already settled. I called up Swope Nissan and explained the problem and I asked if I could bring it in and drop it off and was told the earliest date would be on July 28, 2021. On July 29, 2021 I dropped the car off at the Swope Nissan dealership and returned home with a friend that met me at the dealership. The service department at Swope Nissan called me around 3:25pm and told me that the torque converter locked and I would have to replace the transmission and gave me and estimate of $4100. I told him that I should be under the extended warranty by virtue of the lawsuit settlement and he told me that expired on Aug.16 of 2020 and went from the original buyers new car warranty.

The vehicle is still at the dealership and I have contacted Nissan Consumer dept. and also a couple of lawyers who specialize in lemon laws and/or fraud and will go from there. To have a Nissan dealership that know of the customer complaints that had been known by them for at least a couple of years before I purchased it and then sell me a car that was pretty much guaranteed to break down via the CVT transmission is deliberate and intentional fraud.

- Adrian W., Elizabethtown, US

problem #4

Aug 202020

Altima

  • CVT transmission
  • 160,000 miles

2nd transmission for this car, the first one at 36000 miles. I had to repair door handle, the headlights I had to replace assemblies (there's no easy bulb fix), brakes always squeal. It's really a lemon and Nissan would not take back and still won't talk about helping fix the problem.

- Carla G., Oak Grove, US

problem #3

Nov 092019

Altima SE

  • CVT transmission
  • 47,000 miles

Experienced transmission failure exiting a highway.

Like a pilot without an engine, I coasted to a pizza store parking lot.

There are worse places to land.

Hopeful this settlement covers my repair.

https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2019/nissan-altima-cvt-class-action-lawsuit.shtml

- Philip D., Chatham, US

problem #2

Jul 042019

Altima SV 2.5L

  • CVT transmission
  • 82,060 miles

I own a Nissan Altima 2013 SV. I understand that this model was a major change in several years. The transmission on this car just broke down at 82000 which makes this really unreliable. I was traveling to Asheville NC. As soon as I reach Asheville and was turning into a parking lot, the car shuddered completely. I was not sure what went wrong. Initially I thought I had a flat tire and thought to check it once I pulled the car into an empty parking space. But the car suddenly stalled in the middle of a parking lot. Lucky, it did not stop in the traffic. That would have been a real horror. So, I turned off the engine put the car into park and turned it back on. The engine starts but as soon as I move the gear into "Reverse" or "Drive" the car stalls immediately.

I tired it a couple of times more but no luck. So I put the car into "Neutral" and push the car into an empty space. I called my insurance for towing assistance and had got the car moved to a dealership in Asheville. They ran diagnostics on the car and confirmed that I needed to change the transmission on the car and that it would cost me a little over $4000. I have already seen few pages on the internet regarding the lawsuit filed against Nissan for the defective transmissions on this model. The articles stated that Nissan has agreed to extend the warranty by 2 years or 24000 miles to an existing warranty of 5 years or 60000 miles. Since I am within the limit, I asked the dealer about the same but they say that they do not have anything official from Nissan so they would not fix my car. I really must say that I was lucky that it did not stop on the freeway on the way towards Asheville.

I do not think Nissan would have even cared if the transmission broke on the freeway and if the car ran into a barrier. The lawsuit does state that the car stalls or looses control when this issue occurs. Nissan knew about the faulty parts installed on the cars but did not issue a recall or even notify the dealers to replace the part and that it should be covered under the warranty. I really loved driving this car but it is really unreliable. I decided to look for a new car but rest assured it would never be a Nissan even if I get the best deal.

Update from Jul 23, 2019: So the new update is, I spoke to Nissan directly on their hotline number. They raised a ticket for my case and a Regional manager gave me a call the next day. I was told that as a kind gesture, Nissan would cover 80% of the charges for the replacement of the CVT assembly. They do have some VIN numbers which were offered a full refund but unfortunately mine does not come under that list. I was still glad that they offered to cover maximum chunk of the charges and I got it fixed by a nearby dealer. The new CVT was given a warranty of 12 months/ 12,000 miles which ever is earlier. Overall, I am glad that Nissan did address the issue.

- Manoj B., Brentwood, TN, US

problem #1

Jan 072019

Altima SV

  • CVT transmission
  • 103,000 miles

103000 miles and CVT torque converter failed requiring new tranny. Dealer quoted me $4500 to fix, "You're joking me" i replied, nope. .revised cost $4100. I was stunned not having suspected this and just having the CVT serviced 7500 miles before. With no warning the engine light came on and transmission would not shift properly. High RPMs on freeway, no power for passing or accelerating from a stop. Fortunately there was not a serious failure on the freeway on the way home from where I was at. Filed a complaint with Nissan and they did 'graciously' cover 60% non-negotiable. Dealer was kind enough to provide a loaner for the 2 weeks it took to get the issue resolved through to completion.

- daddypain, Snohomish, US