Recall Alert: 2013 Nissan Altima

Nissan is recalling 123,308 model-year 2013 Altima sedans due to a problem with the inflation of spare tires, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Affected vehicles were manufactured between March 21, 2012, and March 26, 2013. The vehicles' spare tires may have been significantly over- or underinflated; this could cause failure without warning, increasing the risk of a crash, NHTSA stated.

Nissan will begin notifying owners May 3, and dealers will inspect and adjust the spare-tire pressure for free. Owners can call Nissan at 800-647-7261 or the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236, or go to www.safercar.gov for more info.

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Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

Perhaps using its imposing makeover for 2013 to scare off competitors, the Toyota RAV4 continued its reign of terror atop our list of most-read reviews of the week. The compact crossover's nearest opponent, the 2013 Ford Fusion, generated a little more than a third of RAV4's reader interest. Maybe newcomers to the list, including the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid (No. 6) and the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid (No. 10), will gain enough confidence in coming weeks to face down the RAV4.

Until then, check out what was popular this week:

1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
2. 2013 Ford Fusion
3. 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
4. 2013 Ford Explorer
5. 2013 Ford Escape
6. 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid
7. 2013 Toyota Avalon
8. 2013 Nissan Altima
9. 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
10. 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid

Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

The 2013 RAV4 held off the competition once again to retain the top spot among our most-read reviews of the week. It was joined by some fresh faces this week: the 2013 models of the Hyundai Sante Fe Sport, Nissan Pathfinder and Ford Fusion Hybrid landed at Nos. 6, 7 and 8, respectively, squeezing the Cadillac ATS, Mazda CX-5 and Acura RDX out of the top 10. Meanwhile, the Toyota Avalon, Ford Fusion and Ford Escape gained some ground, as the Ford Explorer, Nissan Altima and Subaru XV Crosstrek lost their footing.

Check out what was popular this week:

1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
2. 2013 Toyota Avalon
3. 2013 Ford Fusion
4. 2013 Ford Escape
5. 2013 Ford Explorer
6. 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
7. 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
8. 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
9. 2013 Nissan Altima
10. Subaru XV Crosstrek

Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

Despite some midlist musical chairs, this week's most-read reviews played a familiar tune. The 2013 Toyota RAV4 and 2013 Ford Explorer held their ground at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. The 2013 models of the Toyota Avalon, Acura RDX, Subaru XV Crosstrek and Ford Escape simply rearranged third through sixth place. Meanwhile, the 2013 Ford Fusion entered at No. 7, bumping the Nissan Altima to No. 8; the 2013 Mazda CX-5 ascended one spot to No. 9, forcing out the Honda Accord to make room for the 2013 Cadillac ATS in 10th.

Check out what was popular this week:

• 1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
• 2. 2013 Ford Explorer
• 3. 2013 Toyota Avalon
• 4. 2013 Acura RDX
• 5. 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek
• 6. 2013 Ford Escape
• 7. 2013 Ford Fusion
• 8. 2013 Nissan Altima
• 9. 2013 Mazda CX-5
• 10. 2013 Cadillac ATS

Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

There wasn't a lot of movement among our most-read reviews this week, with six of the top 10 spots going unchanged and the 2013 Toyota RAV4 holding onto first place. The Toyota Avalon jumped two spots to No. 5, bumping the Acura RDX and Nissan Altima down to sixth and seventh place, respectively. The Chevrolet Equinox entered the list in eighth place, knocking the Audi A4 off completely as the Honda Accord and Mazda CX-5 held their places at ninth and 10th.

Check out what else was popular this week:

1. 2013 Toyota RAV4

2. 2013 Ford Explorer

3. 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek

4. 2013 Ford Escape

5. 2013 Toyota Avalon

6. 2013 Acura RDX

7. 2013 Nissan Altima

8. 2013 Chevrolet Equinox

9. 2013 Honda Accord

10. 2013 Mazda CX-5

2013 Nissan Altima Gets Five Stars in NHTSA Crash Tests

Nissan redesigned its Altima sedan for 2013, and the new model is safer than the previous one, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA awarded the 2013 Altima sedan an overall rating of five out of five stars in its crash tests; the 2012 sedan earned four.

The 2013 model's composite score is composed of five-star ratings in frontal and side crash testing; it got four stars in rollover testing. Last year's version earned mostly fours across the board, expect for a five in side crash testing.

The 2013 Altima sedan starts at $22,280, including destination. It's on sale now.

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Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Nissan Altima

Attractive styling, great gas mileage and new tech features help make the redesigned-for-2013 Nissan Altima stand out in the competitive midsize car class, according to Cars.com Editor Mike Hanley. Though the front seats are very comfy, the car’s relatively bland interior design puzzled Hanley. It was one of only a few complaints he had about the new version of Nissan’s best-selling car.

2013 Nissan Altima Review

Cars.com Predicts 2013 Nissan Altima Will Outpace Market by 24%

What's a redesign worth to an automaker? Very often, it can mean a whole new life with a boom in sales. Nissan unveiled the redesigned Altima at the 2012 New York International Auto Show, and we think the new version should get a big boost at dealerships by fall, but because the current version is selling so well even today, the Altima may not outperform other recent redesigns.

At the auto show, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said he expects the Altima to outsell its predecessor enough to "take a shot at being No. 1 in the segment" — meaning it would unseat the Toyota Camry, the best-selling car in America since 2001. The Altima is right on the Camry's tail, falling short by fewer than 10,000 sales through March.

That means car shoppers should keep an eye out for possible deals at year's end on both cars as Nissan and Toyota duke it out. That's uncommon for newly redesigned cars but possible here given the stakes involved in the arms race to claim the title of "best-selling car in the country."

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: February 2012

Chrysler and Hyundai saw big increases in February sales as shoppers, spurred by positive economic news and rising personal income, hit dealerships to find incentives remain high. Dealer and manufacturer discounts, including trade-in bonuses and discount financing, totaled 16.1% off the average car's MSRP in early February, CNW Market Research reports. That's about even with January but much higher than February 2011's 13.3% in total discounts.

Sales for Ford's F-Series improved 25.9%, with the V-6 model — both naturally aspirated and EcoBoost (turbocharged) models — accounting for nearly 60% of sales. The Escape, an SUV that made the best-selling list for nine months running, dropped off as sales increased a modest 3.7%. Ford keeps piling on Escape incentives — up versus February 2011 — but perhaps enough shoppers are waiting for its replacement.

The redesigned Toyota Camry maintained a thin lead over the Nissan Altima to remain America's best-selling sedan, despite the Altima selling nearly 60% better. Nissan is cleaning up: Altima incentives are just a tad higher than they were a year ago, and the car is selling despite being in its twilight years. A redesigned Altima will debut at next month's New York auto show.

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: January 2012

After capping 2011 with four decent months, the auto industry hit 2012 running. Analysts expect auto sales to outpace 2011 figures anywhere from 6% to 10%, which could make 2012 the best sales year since 2007.

January enticed consumers with total incentives — including financing offers, automaker and dealer cash, and trade-in bonuses — amounting to 16% off the average car’s MSRP, CNW Marketing Research reports. That beats January 2011, when shoppers saw only 13.5% off the average MSRP.

Shoppers took advantage. January sales jumped 11%, beating Tuesday’s expectations. This marks the best annualized month since 2009, Automotive News reports. Chrysler, Nissan and Hyundai-Kia saw double-digit sales gains, with GM the only top-seven automaker to post a loss.