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Nissan · 5th gen (L33) · 2013–2018

Nissan Altima (2013–2018): Problems, Reliability & Repair Costs

The L33 Altima is a roomy, comfortable, fuel-efficient midsize sedan that is dragged down by one thing: its Jatco CVT. Early 2013–2015 cars in particular are notorious for transmission shudder, overheating, and outright failure, which is why Nissan extended the CVT warranty to 84 months / 84,000 miles. Get one with a healthy (or already-replaced) transmission and it's a cheap, pleasant commuter. Buy blind and the gearbox can cost more than the car.

4/10 CarCaseFile
reliability score

Engines

  • QR25DE — 2.5L gasoline, 182 hp
  • VQ35DE — 3.5L gasoline, 270 hp

Transmissions

  • Jatco JF011E / RE0F10x — cvt

Drivetrain

FWD

Body

sedan

Should you buy a 2013–2018 Nissan Altima?

Buy with your eyes open, or walk. The L33 Altima is a genuinely comfortable, spacious, fuel-efficient sedan that is cheap to buy used — and the price reflects the elephant in the room: the Jatco CVT. On 2013–2015 cars the transmission failure rate is high enough that CarComplaints flagged the 2013 as a car to 'avoid like the plague.' These can be fine purchases IF the CVT has already been replaced (ideally under Nissan's extended warranty) or shows zero shudder, whine, or overheating on a thorough test drive. The 2016–2018 cars are meaningfully better and the safer pick. On any year, factor in the open hood-latch recall and the 2.5L's appetite for oil. Treat a clean CVT history as non-negotiable, not a nice-to-have.

Best years

2016, 2017, 2018

Years to avoid

2013 (worst CVT failure rate; CarComplaints 'avoid like the plague'), 2014–2015 (still high CVT failure + power-train complaints)

Pre-purchase inspection checklist

  • ☐Drive it 20+ minutes including highway and stop-and-go. Any shudder, hesitation, whine, or a 'rubber-band' surge in RPM means a sick CVT — walk away or price in a full transmission.
  • ☐Ask for proof the CVT was replaced, and whether Nissan's 84-month/84,000-mile warranty extension was used (a Nissan dealer can confirm by VIN).
  • ☐Check the open hood-latch recall status by VIN at nhtsa.gov — 2013–2018 Altimas were recalled (and re-recalled) for hoods that can fly open.
  • ☐On the 2.5L QR25DE, check the oil level and color, and ask how much oil it uses between changes — high consumption is common past 100k.
  • ☐Cold-start it before any warm-up: listen for a metallic timing-chain rattle from the front of the engine that fades after a few seconds.
  • ☐On 2015–2017 cars, check the rear door latch recall remedy was done correctly (a re-recall covered doors that could open with the window down).
  • ☐Inspect front suspension for clunks and uneven/inner tire wear — control arms and bushings wear early on this car.
  • ☐Confirm the CVT fluid was actually serviced on schedule; many were neglected, which accelerates failure.

Common Nissan Altima problems & repair costs

CVT transmission shudder, overheating, and failure

$3,000–$5,000
transmission severe 2013–2018 (worst 2013–2015) ~50k–100k mi

Symptoms: Shudder or judder under light acceleration, hesitation, a whining or droning noise, RPM flaring without matching speed ('rubber-banding'), jerking, and in later stages overheating and a limp-mode warning before total failure. The factory transmission cooler is widely blamed for letting the CVT run too hot.

Fix: Reman or replacement CVT, often with an upgraded cooler. Nissan extended the CVT warranty to 84 months / 84,000 miles (from 60/60k) on affected cars, and a class-action settlement provided further coverage — many units were replaced free. Out of coverage, a remanufactured CVT swap is the realistic fix and frequently approaches the car's value.

Sources: NHTSA TSB — Altima/Sentra/Versa CVT warranty extension, CarComplaints — 2014 Altima power train (205 complaints), Nissan CVT class action — BBB National Programs

Hood latch corrosion — hood can open while driving (recall)

$0–$250
body safety 2013–2018

Symptoms: A poorly painted secondary hood latch corrodes and stops engaging. If the primary latch is released, the hood can fly up at speed and block the driver's view. Over 1.8 million Altimas were recalled.

Fix: Covered by recall (NHTSA 14V-565, 15V-116, 16V-029, 20V-315 — Nissan re-recalled it because earlier fixes proved insufficient). Dealer installs a stronger release spring and warning label at no charge. Verify the remedy was performed; if corroded, the latch assembly itself is inexpensive.

Sources: Consumer Reports — Altima hood recall expanded, CarComplaints — hood-latch recall fix lawsuit

2.5L (QR25DE) oil consumption

$200–$4,000
engine moderate 2013–2018 (2.5L) ~100k+ mi

Symptoms: The engine progressively burns oil as piston rings wear — a quart every few thousand miles climbing toward a quart every 1,000–1,500 miles by ~150k. Low-oil light, blue smoke on startup, and engine damage if the level isn't watched.

Fix: Mild cases: monitor and top off — keep oil at the full mark and stay on short oil-change intervals. Severe cases need a piston/ring job or, more commonly given the labor, a used or reman long-block. The cheap insurance is checking oil monthly.

Sources: Go-Parts — QR25DE 2.5L timing/engine reference, CarComplaints — 2013 Altima engine

Timing chain guide / tensioner rattle

$900–$2,000
engine moderate 2013–2018 ~100k–150k mi

Symptoms: A metallic rattle from the front of the engine on cold start that fades after a few seconds as oil pressure builds. Caused by worn plastic chain guides and a weakening hydraulic tensioner. Affects both the QR25DE and VQ35DE.

Fix: Replace the timing chain kit (chain, guides, tensioner). It's labor-intensive on both engines. Catching it as a cold-start rattle is far cheaper than letting a guide break and the chain jump.

Sources: Go-Parts — 2003–2018 Altima timing chain kit guide, The Nissan Club — QR25DE timing chain slack

Premature front suspension wear

$300–$900
suspension moderate 2013–2018

Symptoms: Clunks over bumps, a loose or wandering front end, and uneven tire wear. Front control-arm bushings and ball joints wear earlier than expected. A 2013 recall also covered loose suspension/transverse-link bolts.

Fix: Replace worn control arms (the bushings usually aren't sold separately) and follow with an alignment. Check the 2013 suspension-bolt recall was addressed by VIN.

Sources: CarComplaints — 2013 Altima suspension/wheels, Endurance — Nissan Altima years to avoid

If the CVT is healthy, the L33 is cheap to run: parts are everywhere, the 2.5L returns strong real-world mpg, and routine maintenance is ordinary. The whole financial picture, though, hinges on the transmission — a CVT replacement out of warranty ($3,000–$5,000) can exceed the car's value, so the single best thing you can do is keep its fluid serviced and never let it overheat. Budget separately for the 2.5L's oil habit past 100k, an eventual timing-chain job, and front suspension wear. Confirm the hood-latch and any door-latch recalls are closed out — those are free but safety-critical.

DIY repairs & parts

CVT fluid drain-and-fill (preventive)

moderate 1–2 hrs saves ~$120–$250

Tools: Floor jack + jack stands, Socket set, Fluid pump / funnel, Drain pan, Torque wrench

  1. Warm the car briefly, then shut off and safely raise and support the front.
  2. Place the drain pan, remove the CVT drain plug, and let it fully drain; measure what comes out.
  3. Reinstall the drain plug with a new washer and torque to spec.
  4. Refill through the fill/charging port with the EXACT amount drained, using genuine Nissan NS-3 CVT fluid only — wrong fluid kills these transmissions.
  5. Check level per the temperature-based procedure, then verify no leaks on a short drive.

Parts

Engine air & cabin filter change

easy 20 min saves ~$50–$110

Tools: Screwdriver

  1. Open the glovebox, release the side stops to drop it down, and pull the cabin filter cover.
  2. Slide out the old cabin filter and insert the new one with the airflow arrow pointing down.
  3. Unclip the engine airbox lid, swap in the new panel filter, and re-clip the lid.

Parts

Front control arm replacement

hard 2–3 hrs per side saves ~$200–$400

Tools: Floor jack + jack stands, Ball-joint separator / pickle fork, Socket + wrench set, Breaker bar, Torque wrench

  1. Raise and support the front, remove the wheel, and locate the lower control arm.
  2. Separate the ball joint from the steering knuckle with a separator tool.
  3. Remove the control-arm mounting bolts (front bushing and rear bushing/bracket).
  4. Install the new control arm, hand-start all bolts, then torque to spec with the suspension at ride height.
  5. Reinstall the wheel, lower the car, and get a front alignment afterward.

Parts

Some parts links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no cost to you. We only list parts that fit this generation.

The short version

The 2013–2018 Nissan Altima (the L33) is a comfortable, spacious, fuel-efficient midsize sedan that you can buy used for very little money — and there’s a reason it’s cheap. Every one of these cars uses a Jatco CVT (continuously variable transmission), and on the early 2013–2015 cars in particular, that gearbox fails at an alarming rate: shudder, whining, RPM that flares without the car speeding up, overheating, and outright failure. NHTSA logged nearly 2,300 complaints on the 2013 alone, and Nissan extended the CVT warranty to 84 months / 84,000 miles to deal with the fallout.

That single component is the difference between a $6,000 car that commutes happily for years and a $6,000 car that needs a $4,000 transmission.

What that means when you’re shopping

If you’re looking at a 2016–2018 Altima, you’ve cleared the worst of the CVT risk — buy on condition and service history like any used car, and still verify the recalls.

If you’re looking at a 2013–2015 car, treat the transmission as the first and biggest thing to clear. Drive it long enough to get it warm, in both highway and stop-and-go traffic, and feel for any shudder, hesitation, whine, or rubber-band surge. Ask whether the CVT was already replaced and whether Nissan’s warranty extension was used — a car with a documented new transmission is arguably safer than one that’s never been touched. Confirm the CVT fluid (genuine Nissan NS-3, never a substitute) was serviced on schedule.

Beyond the transmission, the rest is known territory. The 2.5L four-cylinder tends to start burning oil past 100,000 miles, so check the level and ask the owner how much it uses. Both engines can develop a cold-start timing-chain rattle with age. Front control arms and bushings wear early. And every 2013–2018 Altima is part of the hood-latch recall — a hood that can open while driving — which Nissan had to fix more than once; make sure the latest remedy is on the VIN.

None of that is a dealbreaker on the right car. The L33 is a lot of comfortable, frugal sedan for the money. Just buy the transmission first and the car second.

How this file is built: failure modes and cost ranges are compiled from NHTSA complaint and recall data, Nissan’s CVT warranty-extension and class-action actions, CarComplaints reporting, and owner forums, then sanity-checked against shop-floor experience. Cost figures are independent-shop estimates and vary by region. Spot something off? Tell us.

Viral car myths, checked

Frequently asked questions

Which Nissan Altima years should I avoid?

The 2013 is the one to be most careful with — CarComplaints flagged it as a car to 'avoid like the plague,' driven by CVT transmission failures, and 2014–2015 carry the same risk. The 2016–2018 cars are notably better. On any L33 year, a documented healthy or replaced CVT matters more than the model year itself.

Is the Altima CVT covered by Nissan?

For affected cars Nissan extended the CVT warranty from 60 months/60,000 miles to 84 months/84,000 miles, and a class-action settlement added coverage. Many transmissions were replaced free within those windows. Most 2013–2015 cars are now past that coverage, so verify by VIN at a Nissan dealer before you buy — a car with an already-replaced CVT is the safer bet.

How long will a 2013–2018 Altima last?

The engines can run a long time, but longevity is gated by the CVT. With on-schedule CVT fluid service and an engine that isn't neglected, 150,000–200,000 miles is realistic. The cars that die early almost always die at the transmission, not the engine.

Is the hood-latch recall a big deal?

Yes — the hood can open at speed, and Nissan had to recall it more than once because the first fixes didn't fully solve it. The repair is free at a dealer. Always confirm by VIN that the latest remedy was performed before buying.

Does the 2.5L Altima really burn oil?

Many do as they age. The QR25DE four-cylinder commonly starts consuming oil past 100,000 miles as the piston rings wear, sometimes a quart every 1,000–1,500 miles by ~150k. It's manageable if you check the oil monthly and keep it topped off; ignore it and you risk engine damage.