Used 2013 Nissan Altima Consumer Reviews

Solid ride

Very nice car & superbly maintained.

Love this car

So far I love owning this car. I plan on having leather installed on the seats.

One of the best cars I've driven

I am very happy that I bought this 2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL. I am also very satisfied with the Campbell-Nelson Nissan customer service, they do everything possible to make their customers happy. My salesperson Roy answered all my questions I had about the car and he explained everything that I needed to know before I left the dealership with the car. I will come back if I ever plan to buy another car.

Squeaky Brakes and Lag in Bluetooth

On July 5, 2012, I drove to the dealership to discuss issues with the 2011 Juke I had purchased the year before. I didn’t know anything about the new 2013 Altima, but one of them was on the lot and I must say, it was LOVE at first sight. I traded in the Juke and I thought it would be a romance that lasted forever. Disappointment however set in quickly (as with the Juke). One month later, the BRAKE light came on. Shortly after that I started hearing the brakes squeak and most recently noticed that if I am on the cell phone and get in the car, there is a considerable lag time for the bluetooth to pick up the call. I have taken the car in 5 times and nothing has been fixed. Lemon.

Wind or design flaw?

On February 19, 2013, when I pressed the button to open the trunk from inside the car, the lid came up with enough force to make the corners of the trunk lid shatter the rear window. The dealership maintains that a gust of wind must have caused this, although I and another witness told them that it wasn’t unusually windy. I pressed the release button and *CRASH*. There was no pause or delay. If it was a gust of wind, it would have had to come up just as I pressed that button and in just the exact location to fling that lid open. That's a heck of a coincidence, and I don't believe in coincidences that illogical.

2013 ALTIMA - GREAT MIDSIZED CAR

I have 2k miles on this vehicle and can say the 2013 Altima is what a mid-sized car should be, solid build, great fuel economy, very comfortable seats, solid on-center steering, very stylish, no-problems with quality, very quiet on the hwy. I have had no humming or noises, the car just drives very smoothly.

Disappointed and Concerned/Buyer Beware

I purchased my new 2013 Nissan Altima in January, 2013. I have had the vehicle now for nearly 2 months and 1300 miles. The performance of the vehicle thus far has been very disappointing. A very annoying vibration and lugging of the car upon acceleration at low rpms has been an issue. I just recently took a short trip using all interstates and felt a vibration and howling noise in the car the entire trip at speeds of 65-75mph. I have called the dealership and was told this was typical of a CVT Transmission. That statement is far from the truth. Nissan has a serious problem and needs to find a solution to correct this problem. Without these very annoying issues this can be a great car. Replaced vehicle within a year.

MPG and comfort

Leased a 2013 Altima SV in November 2012. The MPG is everything advertised. Averaging around 32-33 mpg city and highway. I was going to purchase a smaller vehicle for fuel efficiency but am not comfortable in smaller cars. The seats are extremely comfortable. Just rented another car for business and could not wait to get back into my Altima. Handling is good, back seat room for kids is good, love the factory remote start. Only minor complaint is the sun visor does not extend. Second Nissan and and have not experienced any problems.

Best car I've ever owned so far anyway.

2013 Altima SV- Smooth ride, averaging 30 mpg overall, steering better than many other sedans, no problem with wandering, maintains a straight line well, engine is smooth with no shuddering, much less noisy engine than earlier Altimas, comfortable seats, controls are easy to operate, excellence all around. After driving this car for just over 3 years now, I still stand by the earlier review. This is a great car. There have been no mechanical problems at all, no issues with anything breaking or falling apart in the interior. I've only had one slight issue with the heating/AC in that the mode/vent directional occasionally changes from what I've selected on its own for some reason. It seems that the computer-calculated MPG is a bit higher than my calculation, but the fuel efficiency is still good for a car this size. I have heard the squealing sound that others complained about a few times when the car is idling but only if both the radio and the vent fan are off, however this is usually inaudible when the radio and fan are on and it has caused no issues with the normal operation of the vehicle. When the older family car is on its last leg, we will become a 2-Altima family!

Allsome

Very nice car ,well built ,looks and rides great Considered a Honda Accord ,but the Altima was a better car . 4 Cylinder motor has plenty of power

Upset With My Altima

My Altima has a voice recognition system that is not compatable with my phone. In addition, my spouse weighs a little over 100 lbs so we have a warning light always on to indicate the air bag is off. I have complained to the dealer and Nissan and have been told that both systems are operating correctly. I feel anyone looking to purchase an Altima should check first to make sure their phone is compatable and also be aware if you plan on driving with anyone who is not 110+ lbs.

What a great car!

I have been driving my 2013 2.5 SL Altima for a couple of months now. I have absolutely no regrets. The car is flawless in both build and performance. Don't believe any bad hype about the CVT you may read on the Internet. It's smooth and responsive. I actually prefer it now to a traditional automatic. The 2.5L in-line 4 cyl engine is powerful enough for 90% of drivers including me. On a recent trip I got 40.9 mpg which is more than Nissan claims! Around town I get the advertised 28 mpg. I love the blind spot warning system, too. It's so good I think ALL cars should have it! Why can't GM build a car like this???????? (The Altima is built in Tennessee.)

3.5 SL; Nav, Tech, LEDs, Mud Guards; no spoiler

Great MPG highway. On a recent trip from D.C. to NJ I got 34.2 round trip. Short, slow(city), and hilly driving is another story. That kind brings MPG way down. The car does have a kind of 'groan' while accelerating or maintaining low-medium speed but I don't find it bothersome. Otherwise it's quiet. The CVT is awesome in Ds mode. Very nice acceleration. Love pseudo 'gearshift' effect in Ds mode. I have the heated seat issue where you get heat either at bottom cushion or the back but not both at same time. Repair attempt failed. Need to go back with it. update 02/16- the repair shorted out and was fixed again. 2/28/2016: My daily mileage went from 4 miles to and from work to 50 for the last year. The car drives like new still. Engine (6 cyl) is fabulous, car handles well ( if I were buying again I would consider the SR model, which was not available when I bought in 2013) . Update Aug 30, 2016: Car now has over 50k miles and continues to please. Very comfortable, fits like a glove and is fun enough to drive. Ample power, handles nicely. MPG is a little lower these days on new tires which are not like the originals which were low rolling resistance. Update March 2017 ; 60,800 miles. Excessive deposits on battery cable ends was cleaned. Replacement tires are not LRR and I notice a drop of about 1.2 mpg overall. Shifter starting to make 'crunching' sounds when shifting in/out of park.

Awesome car

Usually cars have tradeoffs. Power vs. gas mileage. Ride comfort vs. handling turns. Size vs. price. The Altima somehow seems to defy these tradeoffs in a way I've never experienced before. I don't know if its new improved technology or money. It has an eager powerful engine mated to an excellent transmission thats knows what you want to do. Great mileage (32.5mpg mix). Handles turns great while providing supple ride. All with tons of interior room. One of the best cars I've ever driven.

Excellent Purchase

Love my purchase! Aesthetically pleasing interior for the price, exceeding expectations. The instrument panel is easy to read and the layout is relaxed and comfortable. Because of the remote starter, I'm okay without heated/cooled seats. The 7 in monitor/navigation screen is pretty awesome and so is the zero-gravity seating. It's all really cool, including the performance. In fact, my sedan actially drives better (to me) than the 2012 and 2013 coupe version, which I drove exclusively the last two years.

2013 Altima SV - Nothing but problems - not recommended

Car seemed like a good value with a good mix of features vs. price when purchased. However, ran into many problems in the first 7,500 miles. There was noise coming from the passanger tires. Constant rattling from the center cosole where the CS player is located. It was made of very cheap plastic and would get louder in hot weather. The sunroof would rattle. Had it replaced once but turned out to be the frame of the car above the driver's head that shook loose from car body. Probably a bit dangerous when I think back. I found the seats to be extremely uncomfortable and had back and leg pain. Replaced with Honda Accord and there is a huge quality difference! no problems after 10K miles

Quiet Lexus-like ride is the 2013 Altima

This car is like the Maxima, Lexus or Infinity, with the quiet, soft, comfortable ride with high mpg rating. Gas prices are not going lower. It's around $4/gallon as of today. I don't know what's is going on with the deal. This car has the qualities of a Lexus or Infinity but is priced a tens and twenty thousands dollars less! The suspension is not stiff at all. The 17" wheel base gives the car a good, quick, controlled ride on the highway. The interior comes with very comfortable seating and everything is laid out nicely and vertically.

Awesome gas milage

When I purchased the car, I had to go through financing in house which the interest rates were through the roof because of credit history. Paying $444.00 per month plus the insurance through Statefarm (full coverage) $156.00. Before the oil change I was getting about 21-24 mpg city and upward to 36-41 mpg on the highway. After the oil change, it is pretty much the same for city but my highway mpg went up to 45mpg and I'm sure can go beyond that. I do have a problem with the mpg resetting when turning off and on the vehicle. Does anyone else who owns this make and model have these problems? The headlights aren't nearly as bright as I would like them to be and also the traction in the winter on snow and ice could be improved or maybe I just need to get a new set of tires. All and all, it is a great vehicle.

My car

Always check reviews

Wow

It is honestly the best car I have ever bought. It has amazing size, for cargo and passengers. I love the ride, smooth and comfy... It has great acceleration and wide steering radious. My 16 year old son drives it most of the time and even with him being rough with it, I get back in and it's still very smooth. I would deffinetly purchase another one in the future.

Used to be good

Bought my Altima brand new in 2013 and have loved every second of it. I've taken it on several trips around the country with no issues. Being 6'4" finding a car that's both economic and comfortable was a task, but the Altimas seats are very comfortable and supportive and offer tons of leg room. UPDATE: I used to love this car, but after 120,000 miles things have gone south. My transmission makes lots of noise and jerks around like its about to fail. Waiting for the day that it does. I've taken it to several shops and dealers but nobody can seem to pin point the issue, they've reset the computer, fluid flushes, part replacements but it always goes back to the same issues. On top of the transmission issues I've had to do more than routine maintenance to keep it going, replaced 2 control arms that snapped while driving, the stereo needed to be replaced and now I'm having issues with it starting. I have always taken routine maintenance seriously and have always gotten my cars fixed immediately but this car is a special case. There is something new to be fixed almost every time I use the car and it has made me seriously consider selling it, I don't see it going for more than another 3-4 years without throwing a few grand in maintenance a year. I wouldn't recommend this car to anybody, my next vehicle will be a Toyota.

Great second car

Over a year since I bought the Altima. 10,000 miles a couple of oil changes. Vehicle is still running great. Avg 34 mpg on Highway. Excellent value and reliable.

My great Altima Review

I love this car and everything about it. From the gas mileage to the room to the Luxe and function of the car everything is Top-flight, and it's made in America

Bad Trans ruins otherwise decent vehicle

The variable transmission was a problem from day one. Very inconsistent when shifting. RPMs would race at odd times. Had to have the entire transmission replaced at 40,000 miles. After it was replaced, it made a rattling noise when first hitting the gas pedal. Very, very disappointing. The four cylinder engine was sluggish. The interior comfort was very good. I liked the car's interior and the outside was a good looking car. Very comfortable front seats. Quality leather. Plenty of trunk room. I ended up trading the car in after 18 months of ownership at the mega used car dealer where I purchased it from. They were very fair on the trade, but I still lost money due to the short time of ownership and the rapid depreciation of the model. I won't purchase a Nissan again. One year later, my feelings haven't changed. I love the vehicle I purchased to replace it and would never purchase a Nissan again. Now... two years later. I still love the Acura RDX I purchased to replace the Nissan and my opinion about Nissan has not changed.

60K mile and car is done

I have owned different cars and also have a car which has run 110K but nissan with just 60K started troubling me .. had spend 2K on repairs on 65K service appointment (bearings + Alternator etc) and at 70k transmission and cvt ... Bad vehicle ,my 120K vehicle runs better than this..

Good and reliable car.

The mileage is not as what was advertised. It's much less. I'm only getting 23 MPG combined.

A/c

My air conditioning is out only 120,000 miles. Living in the south that’s not good .when it 100 degrees out

Good-bye My Altima

It's a very good car for the money and I'll miss it!

2013 Altima Faulty, Defective, Unsafe Transmisson

2013 Nissan Altima SL purchased off the showroom floor was made with faulty parts. I was not aware that the CVT Transmission and Air conditioning pumps were made defective. The owner's manual says to change transmission fluid at 60,000 mile. I had taken extra good care of the car my wife drives by changing transmission fluid at 29,859 and at 59,950 miles. When our Altima was towed in and hooked up to code reader they said 11 error code came up saying transmission is no longer good. Nissan mechanic agreed that I should not have to pay $3200 for a used working defective transmission or $3400 for a rebuilt defectively made transmission. I want Nissan to pay for all of the repair we had done. If you Google 2013 Nissan Altima transmission the first pages are full of lawsuit information and complaints. Nissan needs to correct the problems by replacing all these bad transmission free of charge. OUR AC has been out for a year. I read pumps are made faulty . Now we have a car that has a replaced transmission and less cash. Nissan covered $2000 of the cost and I talked the dealer into not making $500 of the profit on the same defective car they sold me.. We still had to pay about $700.

leaky

very poor design for sun roof when it rains back seat floor floods cleared drains many times found many to blame the design nissan uses have bought many nissan never a problem first one with a sun roof will not buy another

Falling apart at 47 k mileage

Bought this car in march 2019, it had 47 000 miles, in 2months my front bearings started to growl ,so i went to dealer ship to see if they could fix it, they said its 400 to replace plus 200 just for diagnostics :) I didnt have 600 to spend that time' so i decided to come back next week ...on the way home i heard weird noise coming from the back of the car...looked under and saw right suspension fell of the frame ! and its all happened in less then 3 months I owed the car! No warranty, because its older then 3 yrs...so when I took it back to see what needs to be done they said that due corrosion the right arm controler fell of and left one just about to do the same...and its going to be around $ 4000 to fix that ! Yes, I realize I bought a used vehicle BUT please PEOPLE , its less then 48 000 miles and its FALLING APART !!! Im in SHOCK !!! The site asked me to update my review...so today april 08 2020 , and I still drive that car. Obviosly I had to replace the rotten arm controller ( actually both of them) because the second one was also cracked and about to fall off...so now $ 4800 later and after replacing tires ($ 600) and changed oil (full synthetic) I finally have a decent car ...do i like it? Yes. Do I think it worth $282 amonth Im paying.., - not really...For that kind of money you can buy brand new car and not worry about a thing...would it be nissan again - definitely NOT ! There are too many more reliable choices on market , just my opinion...

Falling apart at 47 k mileage

Bought this car in march 2019, it had 47 000 miles, in 2months my front bearings started to growl ,so i went to dealer ship to see if they could fix it, they said its 400 to replace plus 200 just for diagnostics :) I didnt have 600 to spend that time' so i decided to come back next week ...on the way home i heard weird noise coming from the back of the car...looked under and saw right suspension fell of the frame ! and its all happened in less then 3 months I owed the car! No warranty, because its older then 3 yrs...so when I took it back to see what needs to be done they said that due corrosionthe right arm controler fell of and left one just about to do the same...and its going to be around $ 4000 to fix that ! Yes, I realize I bought a used vehicle BUT please PEOPLE , its less then 48 000 miles and its FALLING APART !!! Im in SHOCK !!!

Transmission Problems 70,000

Had the worst experience with my Nissan Altima. My transmission went out of no where. I started my car put it in reverse... it died. I started it up put it in drive... it died. After 7 days at nissan.... I'm told I need a new transmission that will cost $ 5,100. Nissan has a huge problem with their cvt transmissions- and they don't want to take responsibility for their product. I will never ever buy a Nissan again. I've paid over $4,000 in repairs in the 7 years I've owned it.

My car is good

I like my car very much. Auto serivce is good

Nice lil car

met all my expectations an then some!

Still going strong

(2/2024) I purchased my 2013 all black nissan altima in 2018 at 70k miles. I've kept up with routine maintenance of oil changes, replacing of the brake pads and rotors and tires as needed. I'm currently at 138400 miles and still going. It's been very reliable so far. I just took it out of town (3 hr drive) and it did very well. I'm hoping to get many more years out of it.

comfy and reliable

owned this car 11 years so far without a bit of trouble one new battery and one new set of tires absolutely trouble free with regular maintenance

Everything is as expected.

This is the car

This is a very awesome car! The gas mileage is great. It only takes 30 to fill it up and last me about 2 weeks. On the highway it drive very smoothly and steering isn't to touchy. I even love the looks of the car! The interior is super nice and clean. Was kept up to date. I'd give this all 5 stars but one tire was flat and has a slow leak

reliable, comfortable and good looking

I bought my 2014 Altima s , and since then no problems what so ever it drives smooth, its comfortable and very reliable , I added an off market 8" navigation system with back up camera , it cost $270 and $99 installation at best buy and bought fog lights also off market for $65 both from EBay, all this made it more luxurious and much more fun. Best car for value, gas mileage and reliability .

Great car

Pros Great performance Look nice

headlights

I bought a 2013 Nissan Altima sedan back in November. I traded my 2012. I noticed that whenever the headlights are on that there is a smudgy place, which later found out it is a shadow from the lamp. I did talk to my dealership and they said all the headlights were like that. I called and reported it to consumer affairs nissan. She wrote up a case number and all and asked me to send pictures. I did that and she sent them to the engineering department. She called me back and told me that it's the lamp and that there's no solution to correcting this as of right now. My question is did whoever make this car not look at it before sending it out on the market. You buy a brand new car

honest review

I am not impressed with the Nissan Corporation. First of all, I financed it through Nissan - they did not return the tax I paid on the loan without constant messaging for my Federal Tax Return. I had to ask several times each year to get it. Secondly, when the loan was paid off it took me almost a year to get the title! Thirdly, the dealership that serviced my car always tried to sell me things before I really needed them. The car was pretty good, resale value is less than I expected. I just bought a Tesla.

New Altima

I traded in a 2010 Honda Civic because I was looking for a bigger car as I am 6'2" tall. The selling point for me is the gas mileage. I was averaging 31 with the civic, do a little better with the Altima but it's a bigger car. All the bad reviews on here scared me at first, but I think those may be the first 2013's released. No problems with mine (1,000 miles) yet. Car is very quite and smooth. Steering is different, does wander a bit, may be the tires. Again, it is a bigger car than I'm used to. Good luck, very pleased thus far.

Fantastic car

We purchased the last 2013 on the lot and got a great deal. The ride is very comfortable I took it on a 250 mile road trip and wasn't sore at all. The fuel economy was fantastic especially for a V6 I got 35 mpg for the trip. The only issues is the fabric that the seats are made of are nice and plush with a white dog who sheds we have to vacuum it out at least once a week to keep it looking good inside. The voice commands are awful. In my 2013 Hyundai the voice commands are better and work. However the interface on the Nav works great so I don't feel the need to tell the car to do things. for the bulk of what I do the buttons on the console and on the steering wheel are great

Rattle at times

Road test car for noise over bumps I have a high pich rattle sound over bumps at times might be struts ,take car for long ride before buying over different roads and compare against another car of the same type.

Big lemon

We traded this car in late 2916. We live one hrs driving to Dealer so all the recalls, as well as our problems. Finally could not take it any longer so we traded for a 2017. Santa Fe Sport. Very solid heavy car under you. So many safety features, our car insurance actually went down! Wind noise in the Altima was horrible. Kept checking if a window was open. The Hyundai is so quiet, even with the huge panoramic sun roof. The only advantage the Altima had was the great gas mileage. Well no wonder when the motor only has to push a tin can. So if the gas costs more to operate, small price to pay for this well built Santa Fe Sport.

My New Baby

I purchased my 2013 Nissan Altima Sedan in November of 2018. When I bought her (yes I made it a girl) she only had 67000 miles on her. I was so impressed with the style and how room was in it. I am a grandmother and I thought about the safety my grand children when they would be riding in the car. I am 5"0 and my fiance is 6"0 so you can imagine the leg room in this car. I would not trade her for anything else.

DO NOT BUY

my Altimas paint is coming off /rusting the Bluetooth stopped working thank god I have a car but for people considering buying a nissan in general just don’t all 3 Nissans I have owned I’ve had to repaint just look another direction