2013 Nissan Altima: headlights failing or too dim

Filed Sep 18, 2026 · Lights · 173,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the headlights were very dim, making it difficult to see while driving at night. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with deteriorating headlight assemblies, causing the low-beam headlights to fail to properly illuminate the roadway while driving at night. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 173,000.

Filed Aug 1, 2026 · Lights · PA

The headlight housings metallic coatings for reflectivity are failing and reduce the efficacy of the headlights. There has been a class action lawsuit against Nissan for this but many, like myself, were not notified. The headlights are very dim and create a safety hazzard when driving in an area where high beams can't be used. NTSHA really needs to do what is right here and force a recall.

Filed Jun 10, 2026 · Lights · CA

Headlights are extremely dim almost always have to drive with my high beams on at night since the lights are so dark. Have tried replacing bulbs on my own but lights are still dim. No warning or anything were ever shown

Filed Mar 15, 2026 · Lights · GA

The vehicle is a Nissan Altima experiencing a low-beam headlight failure. The headlights have become extremely dim and no longer provide adequate illumination of the roadway at night. Visibility is severely reduced, making it difficult to see lane markings, pedestrians, and obstacles ahead. The vehicle and headlight assemblies are available for inspection upon request. This condition creates a serious safety risk because nighttime driving visibility is significantly compromised. The headlights are so dim that safe operation of the vehicle after dark is difficult, increasing the risk of a crash involving pedestrians, other vehicles, or road hazards. The vehicle was inspected by a Nissan dealership, which confirmed the headlight problem. However, the dealer has refused to repair the issue under the applicable safety recall due to a missed deadline (March 2022). We first became aware of the recall in March 2023 and have been attempting to resolve the issue since that time. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership but has not been inspected by police or insurance representatives. There were no warning lights, dashboard messages, or other alerts indicating a headlight system problem prior to the failure. The primary symptom has been the gradual dimming of the low-beam headlights over time until they became too dim to safely illuminate the road.

Filed Jan 4, 2025 · Driver assistance, Lights · GA

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.

Filed Nov 4, 2024 · Lights · IL

The headlamps are so dim, you can't even see the road at night. This is a well known issue to Nissan that the headlamps for this make and model are defective. The headlamp assemblies need to be replaced and this should be a recall. There was a civil lawsuit and I, like many others, tried getting the headlamps replaced during the acceptable time period, but my Nissan dealership was not able to get the parts in time. Looking online, this happened to the majority of people and people weren't able to get the proper repairs needed at no fault of their own. This is a major problem that Nissan needs to address. the federal safety agency also has a responsibility to be pushing Nissan on this recall. My automotive repair company said they've never seen so many complaints with the federal safety agency without there being a full recall. It is an extreme safety hazard to not have the road visible at night. I, along with others, have received warnings from the police as well for not having proper lighting. Please help fix this issue.

Filed Nov 2, 2024 · Lights · WI

The headlights are very dim and it's very hard to see when it's dark outside

Filed Nov 1, 2024 · Lights · PA

Delamination of headlight units has left low beam use unsafe. Seeing more than 20-25ft ahead of vehicle is impossible at night. There was a class action suit for this issue but I was not notified and now the window for replacement had passed. This seems like it should have been a safety recall. I attempted to get relief from Nissan but was stonewalled. Not even a discount on replacing the units.

Filed May 23, 2024 · Lights · RI

The headlights on my 2013 Nissan Altima SL are dangerously dim. The car was purchased used in July, 2022 and has been driven daily by my son since then. While driving with him recently on his way home college I was driving and could barely tell that the headlights were on while driving at night through the un-lit Interstate in Virginia. The extremely low light level was alarming to me as I could not see well without using the high beams which was not always possible due to surrounding traffic, and I was constantly nervous that the others on the road may not be able to see my vehicle. Nissan is fully aware that there is an issue. In response to a class action lawsuit in 2022 they agreed to replace the headlight assemblies for those that filed a claim within a certain timeframe. The lawsuit pointed to a delaminating of the reflective materials inside the headlight assembly, so replacing the bulbs does not significantly raise the lighting output. Unfortunately the deadline for a free replacement expired prior to me purchasing the car. I contacted a local Nissan dealer on [XXX], 2024 and they indicated that the free replacement has long since expired and estimated that it would cost approximately $1,500 to replace the headlights. I then contacted Nissan corporate on the same date and received the same response. I honestly do not understand how this did not become a Safety Recall. The lights obviously do not produce adequate light levels to safely drive at night. This is worsened by the prevalence of ultra-brite HID Halogen and LED headlights on the majority of cars on the road today. Though Nissan “did not accept” liability in response to the class action lawsuit in 2022, Nissan did replace thousands of sets of headlights- admitting that they know the OEM headlights are an issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Apr 30, 2024 · Lights · SC

Nissan never informed me of the head light recall in 2022 and as a result I've been driving on dim lights which is quite dangerous. This week I took it into a Nissan dealership in Anderson, SC to get them repaired and it cost $1500! They informed me it should have been covered under the recall but that it's expired. This is unacceptable. Nissan is responsible to inform it's car owners of all recalls and the fact that they didn't should not enable them to get away with making people pay for these recall repairs.

Filed Mar 16, 2024 · Lights, Suspension · TX

I bought this car and the light bulb is replaced. It is the actual halo type plastic head lights that are defected. If I take to dealer can they fix it. I saw issues with the same thing on the Internet.

Filed Feb 10, 2024 · Airbags, Electrical · NJ

Headlights