Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I own a 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SV with approximately 130,000 miles. My vehicle has a serious water leak affecting both sides of the interior. Rainwater enters around both sun visors, soaks the headliner, and runs down the windshield pillars even when the vehicle is parked. I believe the sunroof drainage system may be defective. I understand the vehicle is outside its original warranty, but I would like Nissan to review this issue for goodwill assistance and consider covering the diagnostic and repair costs.I am concerned about water damage, mold, and possible damage to electrical components near the windshield pillars. There is already signs of mold on the headliner. That is huge health concern. For myself and my family Could you please open a case and let me know whether Nissan can authorize assistance through a dealership? Thank you
Component malfunctioned - Driver sun visor comes down randomly & always over bumps. 2013 Altima is available for inspection. Risk factor - Visor came down randomly while I was driving in rush hour beltway traffic and hit me in the nose, blurred my vision and put me and my passenger at severe safety risk. Problem confirmed by independent service center No other inspections No warnings. First started in 2018 but has gotten progressively worse to the point of almost causing accidents due to hindering my vision while driving and/or hitting me in the face.
The headlights has a recall but the dealership told me if the previous owner didn't fix it, it didn't do me any justice. I have to drive with bright lights on at night because the headlights are pointed at the ground but not up ahead to see what's in front of me. It's very hard to see. I haven't had the car a year and I really love my car. The $1,600 to fix, is what the Nissian dealership in my town quoted me. I am a single mom with elementary aged kids, driving them to school, it's still little dark.
While driving on a highway at 65 mph, the hood of the car completely opened. When attempting to close it, The latch that holds the hood wouldn't hold it at all. There were no warning lights, when I called the dealership they said that because there were no recalls on it currently, they couldn't do anything. The hood completely blinded us and dented the roof and sides of our car.
We have a 2013 Nissan Altima that we haven't driven at night for over 4 years. There was a lawsuit over headlamp issue and plaintiffs won. So we filed our claim in Jan when we received postcard. We rec'd a ticket # and took it to our Nissan dealer after the April 1st, when allowed. They replaced the 2 recalls under our vin # but concluded our lights are fine. THEY ARE NOT! We can't see 2 feet in front of us at night. To prove this we drove it yesterday to our Good Friday Service at our church. We almost crashed. You can't see the lines on the road in front of you! We had to drive with our brights on and blind everybody. That's the ONLY way to drive it at night. I see on Nissan's webpage that there is a headlight recall dated 3/24/22 PC861 but you don't have a safety ID#. I figured that's why Nissan didn't honor that recall. …
While driving at 35mph on a city road the car hood flew up open & smashed into the windshield despite their supposed fix of hood latch spring being replaced & assembly lubricated by the Nissan dealership in Aug 2021 due to a Nissan hood latch recall (NHTSA recall 16V-029) in response to a class action lawsuit. At highway speeds, this would have seriously compromised human lives. In this case, neither the primary hood latch lever or fuel door release lever had been pulled open by the driver just prior to the incident; yet the hood flew open without warning. (Hoods have primary latches located inside the vehicles, then secondary latches located under the hoods. Primary hood latches in the cars are located too close to the fuel door latches that might cause drivers to accidentally unlatch the hoods instead of the fuel doors. …
My 2013 Nissan Altima is included in the Notice of Class Action Settlement Rafael Suarez et.al. v. Nissan North America, Inc.,No. 3:21-cv-000393-WLC-AN. This settlement was reached in late 2021. On or about April 11,2022 my vehicle failed a Nissan dealer conducted test thus qualifying it for replacement headlights. The lumens emitted from the headlights are degraded due to delamination of the headlamp covering. Basically, there is insufficient light to safely drive the car at night in my particular case. The problem is that Nissan N.A. claims they are unable to provide the headlights due to supply chain issues. Any corporation can overcome supply chain issues should they wish to place the resources needed to overcome any obstacles. In this case the issue is one of safety for myself and the other Nissan drivers that have not received replacement headlights. I have contacted Nissan N.A. …
2 years into owning a Nissan Altima sv the low beam headlights suddenly went dim. The car was returned to the Nissan dealer, no less than 5 times, with no solutions. My husband has changed the bulbs multiple times, with no improvement. We are forced to drive the car with highbeams on for visibility. Visibility is less than 20 ft at night, worse with rain or fog. This is a common issue with 2013-2015. Nissan needs to correct his problem
I have a 2013 Nissan Altima and the sunroof exploded! As I was parking at a local grocery store I heard a loud boom. It sounded like a gunshot / or an impact to my car. I stayed in the vehicle thinking someone shot at me. No one in the parking lot seemed to have heard anything. I get out of the car and at first didn't notice. I only looked at the tires and body to see what hit it. I get back in the car and hear cracking. I open the shade and bits of glass fell. I was like wow. How did this happen. There is no impact spot nor crater. Nothing to show if it was shattered by a rock or anything. I looked all around the ground. I kind of thought maybe a bird fell. But nothing. Robbins Nissan did nothing to help. All they said was after other complaints and investigations they concluded that the sunroof o my shatters on impact. Well how can this be if I was in a parking lot. …
Headlights gradually get dimmer and dimmer making it very difficult and dangerous to drive at night. This is an obvious safety hazard. The problem is not simple wear and tear, rather it is the breaking down of certain materials within the headlight assembly. All it takes is a simple google search online of "2013 Nissan Altima dim headlights" or "2013 Nissan Altima headlight problems" to see that there are multiple websites where many people have posted the same problem. The diagnosis for me, and for everybody else I've read about online, is that the projection lenses become hazed over and/or the reflective material in the reflector bowl deteriorates, and the only way to fix the problem is to purchase the entire headlight assembly, and the average costs of parts and labor is over $1000.00 (my estimate at the local Nissan dealership/service shop is $1089.53). …
Window & Wiper complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2013 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 61 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2013 Nissan Altima, 3% of the model year's 2,313 complaints. The component named most often is windshield (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Nissan Altima window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2013 Nissan Altima, though it has 12 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2013 Nissan Altima window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 25,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to windows, wipers & sunroof problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.