2013 Nissan Altima Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 159 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2013 Nissan Altima, 7% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 39,924 miles. The words owners use most often: “passenger seat” (10% of reports).
- 159electrical system complaints
- 39,924median miles at failure
- 8mention a crash
- 5mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 33%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Passenger seat: mentioned in 16 of 159 complaints (10%)
- Key fob: mentioned in 10 of 159 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 118 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 159 complaints, 8 mention a crash, 4 a fire, 5 an injury.
Nissan Altima electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Altima | 1 | 100% | — |
| 2025 Altima | 1 | 14% | — |
| 2024 Altima | 3 | 7% | — |
| 2023 Altima | 11 | 37% | — |
| 2022 Altima | 7 | 23% | — |
| 2021 Altima | 21 | 30% | 17,000 |
| 2020 Altima | 42 | 27% | 21,171 |
| 2019 Altima | 58 | 25% | 21,000 |
| 2018 Altima | 37 | 16% | 31,672 |
| 2017 Altima | 27 | 7% | 29,127 |
| 2016 Altima | 42 | 8% | 33,650 |
| 2015 Altima | 56 | 6% | 35,000 |
| 2014 Altima | 71 | 6% | 32,144 |
| 2013 Altima | 159 | 7% | 39,924 |
| 2012 Altima | 44 | 10% | 46,500 |
| 2011 Altima | 31 | 13% | 35,000 |
| 2010 Altima | 74 | 19% | 46,760 |
| 2009 Altima | 466 | 30% | 78,010 |
| 2008 Altima | 90 | 9% | 76,465 |
| 2007 Altima | 37 | 8% | 73,000 |
| 2006 Altima | 72 | 9% | 95,000 |
| 2005 Altima | 97 | 9% | 69,000 |
| 2004 Altima | 32 | 12% | 53,500 |
| 2003 Altima | 89 | 10% | 67,890 |
| 2002 Altima | 77 | 7% | 60,000 |
| 2001 Altima | 19 | 12% | 54,205 |
| 2000 Altima | 25 | 16% | 90,706 |
| 1999 Altima | 4 | 5% | 89,000 |
| 1998 Altima | 15 | 12% | 70,000 |
| 1997 Altima | 14 | 13% | 140,000 |
| 1996 Altima | 11 | 12% | — |
| 1995 Altima | 16 | 9% | 157,280 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Air bags:frontal; electrical system:software
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
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…
Tire Pressure light is on but no issues with air pressure.
Shifter Lock does not release when brake is pressed. Unable to shift out of Park. Need to manually press the shift relesae override to shift.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2013 Nissan Altimas have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 159 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2013 Nissan Altima (7% of the 2,313 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Nissan Altima electrical system?
Yes: 1 safety recall list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 39,924 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2013 Nissan Altima?
The most frequent phrase is “passenger seat”, in 16 of 159 complaints, followed by “key fob” (10).
Other 2013 Nissan Altima problems
- Air Bags problems (514)
- Power Train problems (505)
- Exterior Lighting problems (442)
- Suspension problems (289)
- Engine problems (158)
- Structure problems (134)
- Steering problems (94)
- Latches/locks/linkages problems (60)
See all 2013 Nissan Altima problems or electrical system problems across all Altima years.