What's Wrong with the 5th Generation (2013–2018) Altima?

Front 3/4 view of a Nissan Altima

Altima owners have made 1,484 complaints about the 2013–2018 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it dead last in overall reliability, with significant transmission and interior concerns.

Compare With Other Altima Generations

Common 2013-2018 Nissan Altima Problems

Some of the worst issues 5th generation Altima owners have to deal with.

  2. Visor Keeps Falling Down

    Cars are complicated and can break in many ways. So it's nice to have a couple things you can just rely on #working. Outside of the stalwart cup holder, I'd argue that another hero of the interior is the humble sun visor. And yet Nissan fou…

    Continue reading article "Visor Keeps Falling Down" A busted Nissan sun visor with a headslap emoji

  5. Sunroof Rattles and Explodes

    Heads up, Nissan owners! That giant piece of glass above your head may soon be on its way down in a thousand little pieces. Lawsuits accuse Nissan of using a faulty tempering process for their sunroofs since 2008.

    Continue reading article "Sunroof Rattles and Explodes" Nissan sunroof with giant shards of glass missing

  6. Altima's Dim Headlights

    The low-beam headlights in the 5th generation Altima are dangerously dim, and it has nothing to do with the bulb. The problem is worst in the 2013-2015 model years as material inside the assembly breaks down creating a less effective headla…

    Continue reading article "Altima's Dim Headlights"

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks the Most

Years to Avoid

5th Generation (2013–2018) Altima Key Numbers

  1. 6 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 1,484 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 54th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 54 eligible generations.

Recent Lawsuits for 5th Generation Altima Owners

  • Miller, et al., v. Nissan North America, Inc.

    1. Case Filed

      A Nissan Altima hood latch class action lawsuit alleges a recall hasn't done anything to fix the cars, and neither have three other hood latch recalls for Altima cars. The class action alleges 2013-2018 Altima drivers are in danger from hoods that suddenly fly open while driving, allegedly a problem Nissan doesn't know how to properly repair.

  • Motion to dismiss

    David Turner, et al., v. Nissan North America, Inc., et al.

    1. Motion to dismiss

      A Nissan AEB (automatic emergency braking) malfunction class action lawsuit will continue after the federal judge ruled against most of Nissan's motion to dismiss the complaint.

    2. Case Filed

      This forward emergency braking lawsuit alleges the system malfunctions,suddenly and unexpectedly braking on railroad tracks, bridges, intersections and other locations. Instead of protecting drivers, the Nissan lawsuit alleges the systems create perfect conditions for rear-end and side crashes.

  • Settlement

    Gann, et al., v. Nissan North America.

    1. Settlement

      The lawsuit was consolidated as part of a Nissan CVT settlement which was preliminarily approved after an owner alleged the continuously variable transmissions in 2013-2016 Altimas are defective.

    2. Case Filed

      A Nissan Altima transmission recall should have been ordered long ago, that's according to a proposed class-action lawsuit that alleges 2013-2014 Altimas shake, shudder, make noise, hesitate and finally fail from transmission failures.

  • Settlement

    Falk, et al., v. Nissan North America, Inc.

    1. Settlement

      The lawsuit was consolidated and settled.

    2. Motion to dismiss

      A Nissan Sentra CVT class-action lawsuit has survived a dismissal bid by Nissan, although the automaker did succeed in getting some claims tossed out.

    3. Case Filed

      Plaintiffs Michelle Falk, Indhu Jayavelu, Patricia L. Cruz, Danielle Trotter and Amanda Macri filed the proposed class-action lawsuit alleging 2013-present Nissan Sentra cars have automatic transmissions that are a safety hazard because of acceleration and deceleration problems.

  • Settlement

    Cabebe v. Nissan of North America, Inc.

    1. Settlement

      The lawsuit was consolidated as part of a Nissan CVT settlement for former and current owners and lessees of about 1.4 million cars.

    2. Case Filed

      The lawsuit alleges the continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) have defects that cause the cars to suffer from delayed acceleration when merging into traffic, passing another vehicle and when trying to accelerate from stops.

    Problem
    Can You Trust Nissan's CVT?
    Class Vehicles
    • 2013-2014 Altima
    Class Members
    Owners and Lessees in California,New York and Pennsylvania
    Location
    California

Recent 5th Generation (2013–2018) Altima News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. A lawsuit claiming Nissan's automatic emergency braking (AEB) system has dangerous defects will continue in court

    following a U.S. District Court judge tossing out the automaker's motion to dismiss. AEB systems monitor the road and can apply the brakes if the system detects a collision is imminnent. But according to the lawsuit, Nissan's AEB detects items that aren't there and can randomly bring the car to a screeching halt.…

    keep reading article "Nissan Wanted An Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) Lawsuit Tossed. It Didn't Work."

  2. Nissan is recalling 341,000 Altima sedans for the second time to stop the rear doors from unlatching when the windows are rolled down.

    The door’s latch-lock cable is interfering with the window regulator and previous attempts to re-route the cable didn’t work.

    Nissan’s new plan involves a different route for the cable and harness clips to keep everything in place. Whoever came up with the first plan should be shown the door.

    keep reading article "Altima Doors Are Still Unlatching Despite Previous Recall"

  3. Nissan wants a judge to toss out a CVT lawsuit that they claim doesn’t point out any specific defects.

    The Massachusetts lawsuit says Nissan promoted their CVT as having a fluid-like performance, but that couldn’t be further from the truth for owners of the 2013-2014 Altima.

    The judge says the allegations are plainly sufficient and will allow the case to move forward.

    keep reading article "Altima CVT Lawsuit Allowed to Move Forward in Massachusetts Court"

  7. Does Nissan's automatic emergency braking (AEB) system have a defective radar?

    A California lawsuit says malfunctions in the system create random emergency braking situations when the radar detects objects that aren’t really there.

    The owner's manuals for many of the vehicles admit the automatic emergency braking systems do "not function in all driving, traffic, weather and road conditions.” But the plaintiff says the manual leaves out the part about how the systems can cause vehicles to suddenly stop even when no objects are in the driving lane.

    It’s scary to think that a safety system might actually create more crash scenarios than it prevents.

    keep reading article "AEB Lawsuit Says System Can Randomly Stop Vehicles"

  8. A CVT lawsuit will proceed after a judge approved most of the plaintiffs' claims

    in a class-action Nissan asked the court to dismiss. The[lawsuit accuses the automaker of concealing transmission defects since 2012 and covers owners of the 2013-2014 Altima in California, New York, and Pennsylvania.

    Nissan argued those claims didn't hold because the plaintiffs had not adequately pleaded any of its express or implied warranty claims. However, the judge ruled claims about express and implied warranties survive, which automatically means Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act claims survive.

    keep reading article "Most Claims of Altima CVT Defects Allowed to Continue in California Case"