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2013 Nissan Altima: complete transmission failure

130 of the 2,315 complaints about the 2013 Nissan Altima describe complete transmission failure.

owner complaints
130
of this car's complaints
6%
typical repair cost reported
$4,000
typical mileage
75,000
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 78 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Complete transmission failure by model year

What owners say

Filed Feb 13, 2025 · Transmission · AL

I have had this vehicle for a few years, this car only have 118,333 mile on it, it stop working on me in the middle of the road. The dealership said the transmission went out in the vehicle but I’m not sure how that was possible. I could pay the price for the vehicle to be fixed with them because it was very pricey but didn’t know that many people with this year model have had the same complaints with the transmission. They never stated that the car had a recall about the transmission, I feel this is not right and something was hinted from me.

Filed Jan 18, 2024 · Engine · MA

I feel like my 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL sedan is/was Part of the Transmission Recall. I purchased my vehicle in 2017/2018… Since then I already replaced all the solenoids in 2020 for the transmission and it drove fine for 2 years. Then in October/November of 2023 the transmission code P0776 came on and it was taken to a Nissan dealership in Maine and was informed that the whole transmission was no good and needed to be replaced. I since bought a new Nissan Altima transmission that was never used before so, the transmission has 0 miles on it and had my personal mechanic place it in and now in early 2024 the transmission went from Driving 65mph on the highway and suddenly dropped to 30mph still on highway with no dashboard light notice at all… so now I have a vehicle that is broken and I don’t know what to do next!!! Please advise. I was wondering if my Vin# was one that had the original Recall and was taken care of anlready before I bought it? And if I can get any help with this new transmission that is now no good?

Filed Sep 13, 2023 · Transmission · PA

There is a known cvt transmission issue with certain years of different models of Nissans. My sons car recently started hesitating and not accelerating when pulling out of intersections. I took the vehicle to Nissan and was told that there is a known issue and they have extended warranties on the issue but my sons car was out of warranty and they were not willing to assist due to no recalls as of yet. The issue with the car hesitating is a huge safety concern. They recommended a new transmission for 6500.00.

Filed Mar 8, 2023 · Transmission · NJ

While driving the vehicle the car shut off while driving on the Highway in traffic.When the vehicle came to a complete stop after thankfully not being in a collision the vehicle would start but wouldn't go into drive.It was later Determined that the Transmission suffered a catastrophic failure for the second time.The Transmission has less than 17K on it and the first Transmission failed at 41K Nissan should be held accountable for producing a Transmission that can cause a catastrophic accident due to a complete Mechanical failure on a piece of equipment that Nissan Produced. Nissan and the government agencies are aware of the issues with these vehicles and failures to take action.Shame on Both.

Filed Feb 7, 2023 · Transmission · MI

My 2013 Nissan Altima only has 121,000 miles and is only driven 1 time per week all highway miles. This week my car broke down in the middle of several intersections....very dangerous! I was almost hit several times because my car would just die when trying to take off. I never had any warning or warning lights appear. I was told by Nissan dealership I had transmission failure related to the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). I now need a new transmission which costs $5,000.00. This is an ongoing issue with Nissan and CVT Transmissions. I would like to see Nissan make it right for their consumers that purchased their 2013 Nissan Altima and other models/years only to have the transmission fail due to faulty CVT transmissions that Nissan is aware of and will not take responsibility for or do anything to help. Year after year they continue to use the same faulty CVT transmission. They have extended the original warranty of 5 years/60,000 to 10 years/120,000 for 2003-2010 Nissan models with the CVT transmission due to this problem yet refuse to help the consumers of newer Nissan models. This is not right and it is not fair. They have deceived their consumers by having the knowledge of the CVT transmission failures yet still continue to use them.

Filed Jul 12, 2022 · Transmission · 74,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while at a red traffic light, the vehicle stalled and vibrated, and then lost motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact then restarted the vehicle and drove to her destination; however, the vehicle lost motive power again. The vehicle remained at the location for a day; the contact then returned and noticed the transmission fluid had drained out onto the ground. The local mechanic confirmed the transmission fluid leak. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer out of town and diagnosed with transmission failure; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the transmission was repaired by another mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 74,000.

Filed Jul 9, 2022 · Airbags, Transmission · MI

1) Driver’s side airbag warning light is on all the time, constant red. 2) Transmission shift lever would not move out of park and had to be replaced @ 115,000 at a cost of $954. 3) The transmission failed and had to be replaced at 118,000 at a cost of $4,500. When I contacted Nissan about these issues, I was told that there was nothing they could do.

Filed Jun 17, 2022 · Transmission · IN

I own a 2013 Nissan Altima SV with about 70,000 miles. It had an extended warranty, that expired late May 2021 and started have problems thereafter. The CVT transmission would cause the car to lunge and stall when shifting from park. The car would stall once you backed out onto the road. Several times at a busy traffic signal, the car would lunge forward, even though you had your foot on the brake. I had the car towed to the local dealer after the first incident. They kept the car about 4 days, but mainly worked on the recalls. They said, nothing showed up on diagnostic. However, I drove my car south about 1000 miles and the situation became worse. Made an appointment, at the local dealership and drove my car there. Within 1 hour, the service guy stated I needed a new transmission, a $5,600 repair. It was mentioned that I may want to contact Nissan about the situation. By reading many reviews, this is a serious problem that Nissan should fix. s

Filed Apr 25, 2022 · Transmission · WA

I was driving on a road that is 40 mph. I was getting close to a stop light that had been red and cars had not moved yet once the light turned greened. I started pressing my brake to slow down and my cars emergency brake came on by itself and I got stuck in the middle of the road. My cars brake light and battery light came ln and the car was stuck- could not change gears or drive . I had to turn the car on and off five or six times in order for it to finally I brake itself and let me drive very slowly. Got the car checked by two auto shops, one was Nissan and the other David’s Auto repair Service . David’s said code P17F1 and I would need a new transmission. Nissan said it was my battery , got my battery changed and the car kept doing the same thing , got inspected again by Nissan and they also got the same code and said I would need a new transmission. My car only has 107k miles - no other issues prior to this. I cannot drive my car now because it judders and brakes itself and it’s dangerous to drive

Filed Mar 21, 2022 · Transmission · TX

While driving, the vehicle began to make a loud noise followed by shuddering. It was taken to the dealership and a code was returned that indicated a transmission failure. This same CVT Transmission was replaced in August 2017 and has been driven only 23,000 more. While Nissan is aware that their transmissions are defective, they offer no assistance outside of the limited warrant that only lasts 3 years. No warning light appeared.

Filed Mar 16, 2022 · Transmission · OK

Transmission shifter would not come out of park have put new transmission fluid in this car twice in 112,000 miles Had to replace whole shifter assembly 1300.00 been warned this CVS TRANSMISSION DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED EVERYONE INCLUDING DEALERSHIP SAYS THIS TRANSMISSION IS NO GOOD AND NEED TO CHANGE FLUID AND FLUSH EVERY 30,000 miles now … 300.00 to do it !!!! I’ve owned 3 Nissans never had anything like this 😞

Filed Mar 9, 2022 · PA

CVT Transmission failed, they know the 2013 model has a bad transmission and instead of recalling it they only did an extended 2 year warranty in a class action lawsuit. The car should not be on the road we just paid our car off not knowing about this issue and the car stopped in the middle of traffic and would not drive. We got it towed to a Nissan Dealership to find out it needs a new Transmission and that's when we learned about all the issues of the CVT Transmission issues on the 2013 model. Uploaded towing bill, do not have the invoice from the dealership yet but they are stating 5900.00 to replace the transmission which is crazy now seeing everything online knowing it's a faulty part.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the 2013 Nissan Altima transmission failure

Is complete transmission failure a common problem on the 2013 Nissan Altima?

130 of 2,315 owner complaints about the 2013 Nissan Altima (6%) mention complete transmission failure. The model year with the most reports is 2013.

How much does it cost to fix complete transmission failure on the 2013 Nissan Altima?

Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $4,000 (median of 37 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 Nissan Altima?

There are 0 recalls and 78 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2013 Nissan Altima

Headlights 428Airbag light 254Ball joint 222CVT failure 176Stalling 158Jerking 102Check engine light 69Shudder 64Door locks 52Won't shift 46Hesitation 44Loss of power 36Grinding brakes 33No deployment 31Slipping 20Whining noise 20Won't start 19Fire or smoke 18Pulling 17Harsh shifting 16Key fob 14Knocking 12Sudden acceleration 10Sunroof shattered 10Engine failure 9Seat belt 9Windshield crack 9Warning lights 8Backup camera 7Power steering loss 7Brake failure 6Adaptive cruise 5Misfire 5Tire blowout 5

All model years of the Nissan Altima

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