Recall Alert: 2013 Nissan Altima, Leaf, Pathfinder, Sentra and Infiniti JX35

Nissan is recalling a yet-to-be-determined number of model-year 2013 versions of the Altima sedan, Leaf electric car, Pathfinder crossover and Sentra sedan due to a problem with the front passenger air bag sensor, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The JX35 crossover from the automaker's premium Infiniti brand is also part of the recall.

A manufacturing defect could cause the occupant sensors in the front passenger seat to fail in the affected vehicles. If an accident occurs, the airbag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury. Nissan is still working with its supplier to determine how many vehicles will be recalled but drivers of affected vehicles will notice "The (red) supplemental air bag warning light (SRS light) will illuminate to alert the vehicle operator and the (amber) front passenger air bag status light will illuminate to alert the front seat passenger," the automaker said in a statement. 

Nissan will notify owners starting in early April 2013, and dealers will inspect and replace the affected sensors for free. Owners can call Nissan at 800-647-7261 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

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Comments

Recalling the cars is gonna hamper the brand name and reliability of Nissan to a great extent as they have plans to recall almost four different cars. It is going to be a hard time for Nissan. Though no cases of any sort of incidents have been reported,this recall could still affect the brand reputation to a great deal. Therefore they should make a quick attempt to fix the problem and take care such that no more of such event is repeated in the future

Brian, it's not just the airbag issues. The 2013 Altima is loaded with other issues that should require Nissan to recall that model, but they aren't. The tensioner and/or belt in that car is obviously faulty and makes a lot of noise. The more you drive it the louder the vibration becomes. It may or may not be an immediate safety issue, but vibrations like that generally rattle other things loose that can result in more serious problems.

Don, to what tensioner and belt are you referring? I have a 2013 Altima with just under 2,000 miles and have noticed increasing cabin noise. Not able to put my finger on anything specific.

Hi Don. My car has the same noise. I went to my Nissan dealer and they check my car. They told me that the problem is "tensioner belt". They were taling with Nissan company and actually they are working right now to redesign Nissan Altima 2013 Tensioner belt. So, maybe in 1 or 2 month, we will receive a recall. I hope so, because I'm boring with this noise.

The loosening tensioner issue is due to a belt between the engine and the radiator. Because of the low RPM range (due to the CVT) the vibration is transmitted to the belt and over time it weakens the tensioners ability to hold the belt tight. You end up with a rattling between 1,300 to 1,700 rpm. I've heard some people say they are starting to put an extra pulley near the power steering assembly to keep the belt tight. We'll see how that works, but the problem stems from the programming of the CVT to maximize city fuel mileage along with a switch from hydraulic steering (which was driven by power from the belt) to electric steering which now doesn't need power from the belt. This extra slack due to this subtraction is causing belt flap and vibration. Supposedly. It could be something else that Nissan isn't discussing yet.

This is nothing new on Altima series, I had an older model & has the tensioner completely frozen while the new car still under drive-train warranty, BUT the dealer refuse to fix it for free, they don't consider it part of the drivetrain !!!!!!
Good-bye Nissan.

-Joe

My wife has a brand new Nissan Altima, 2013 model, 1,000 km on it. Over this past weekend she needed to go out and when she tried to put on a seat belt, the belt did not come out. It was stuck so that she could not put the belt on. I tried to pull it out, then back, but it is solidly stuck. We took it to the dealer and they told that they will fix it. Has anyone had this problem with their Altima? I've read some other reviews and am surprised that many owners mentioned that their seat belts did not lock-in when they were rear-ended? What gives with this? Paul.

I have a 2013 Altima with 1800 miles on it. I have had it back to the dealer 4 times to have the center console fixed. The problem is not resolved, but a larger issue has taken precedence.

Now I have taken the car back to the dealership four times for the heater. When both sides were set for 80 deg, the right blew out tepid air and the left frigid air. The service agent felt both sides, agreed that something was wrong and set an appointment to repair. When I took it in, they couldn't replicate the issue and told me they couldn't fix it if they couldn't replicate the issue.

The second time, both vents blew only frigid air until the dail was turned to 88 or 89 deg. At that time the air changed from frigid to heat blast. There was no in between. Once again, I took it in, they witnessed the problem and set an appointment for repair. Again then could not replicate the problem, so they could not fix it. I had them check the records which documented that they had witnessed the problem and they agreed that they had indeed.

The service manager then began to explain to me that the new Nissan Altima has a heat sensor that checks the outside and the cabin air temperature and will not kick on the heat or air if the need is not indicated by their sensor.

At that point, I threatened to call the owner who is on TV regularly saying "If it has our name on it, you have our word on it."

Immediately, they provided a loaner and kept my car. The next day, they called to say that they have now ordered parts.

I have driven a Toyota Camry since 1973, each of them had almost 200,000 miles when traded. I have never had a defect or even a repair beyond basic maintenance. I am beside myself with buyers remorse!

I bough Nissan Altime 2013 5 months back and I have 5 issues already.

1) Car doesnt start
2) Brake light shows up randomly
3) I donno the icon name but there's a yellow icon that shows up even when its not railing or road is dry.
4) I cant move my stick from parking to drive sometimes.
5) Passenger air bag on light doesnt turn on sometimes.

I guess I wont take any chance with Nissan in future. Sucks big time!

I have a 2013 Nissan Altima with under 4000 miles. The passenger side Airbag is off light comes on intermittently. Driving on an hour trip it was off and halfway through the trip it came on. Been to the dealer 3 times, they even worked with Nissan Technical Assistance and they said there is nothing wrong with the car but if the light comes on the air will not deploy. They said the minimum weight for the from seat passenger is 120 pounds. Very unrealistic! I love the vehicle but regret buying it due to this. Most passenger will have to sit in the back seat.