Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

The 2013 Toyota RAV4, which spent the first three months of 2013 atop our most-read reviews list, is once again at No. 1, overtaking the also-popular 2014 Subaru Forester. Following its long reign, the RAV4 relinquished its throne to the Forster to hold the No. 2 spot for a month before returning to the top spot for a week – before losing it again to the Forester last week only to reclaim it this week … whew! The other significant change this week is at No. 10, where the 2013 Nissan Altima returns to the list.

Check out what was popular this week:

1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
2. 2014 Subaru Forester
3. 2014 Chevrolet Impala
4. 2013 BMW 3 Series
5. 2013 Ford Escape
6. 2013 Buick Encore
7. 2013 Toyota Avalon
8. 2013 Honda Accord
9. 2013 Dodge Dart
10. 2013 Nissan Altima

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: April 2013

Nissan and Ford led a strong month for the auto industry, with sales up 23.2% at Nissan and 17.9% at Ford thanks to big gains among both carmakers' strongest sellers. Nissan Altima sales gained 35.4% while Ford Escape sales spiked 52% — despite similar year-over-year incentives on both and lower dealership supply for the Escape.

It may seem bizarre that the Altima, then, isn't among the top 10 best-sellers. It's been there for ninth months straight, and in March it was the best-selling car (not truck) in America. But a year ago, sales were dismal — less than 17,000 in April 2012 — so even a healthy spike kept Nissan off April 2013's top 10.

The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord had higher-profile struggles. The Camry's sales drop could signal plateauing demand for Toyota's seventh-generation family sedan, whose year-over-year sales have declined for three straight months. The new Accord, meanwhile, is just 7 months old, and shoppers found significantly lower discounts versus the 2012 Accord a year ago. It's a factor that could affect Accord sales through autumn. Still, Ford didn't seem to have a problem with that. Anyone considering the new Fusion found a similar situation — lower discounts versus year-ago levels — but it didn't stop shoppers from flocking toward the popular sedan, whose sales boomed 23.7%.

Nissan Slashes Prices Across Lineup

Nissan is hoping to bolster sales by cutting prices on seven out of the 18 vehicles in its lineup. Starting May 3, prices on model-year 2013 Altima, Sentra, Juke, Murano, Rogue, Maxima and Armada vehicles will decrease by 2.7% to 10.7%, depending on the car.

The sticker reductions vary by model and, in some cases, trim level and will be applied to new vehicles, including those already in dealer inventory. At the low end of the spectrum, new Altimas, for example, could cost up to $580 less; a base 2013 Altima currently starts at $22,550, including destination. At the top end, the Armada's price tag could go down by as much as $4,400; Nissan’s full-size SUV currently starts at $42,285, including destination.

Why were these seven chosen? They make up around 65% of Nissan's U.S. sales volume, the automaker reported, and Nissan spokesman Brian Brockman told Cars.com that the lower prices will help the vehicles perform better when searched online, appearing more frequently and favorably against the competition.  

"While studying our market position against key competitors, there was an opportunity to increase buying consideration for those seven models by bringing MSRP more in line with transaction price," he said.

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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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Infographic: Headlight Regulations by State

Laws governing different aspects of driving often vary by state, from distracted-driving rules to booster seat guidelines. Headlight use is one of them; a new infographic from Nissan illustrates each state's regulations. The automaker's Smart Auto Headlights — available on the Altima and Sentra sedans as well as the Pathfinder crossover — automatically turn on when the wipers are activated or in low-light conditions. Click the infographic above to enlarge the map.  

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Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: March 2013

With the top seven automakers reporting numbers — which account for the vast majority of new-car sales — March sales have crept up around 3.2% over year-ago levels. Honda, GM and Ford saw the largest gains, but no major automaker saw a double-digit increase.

The top sellers are a reshuffle from February's list; all 10 are back. The Nissan Altima jumped three spots from February, and despite an 8% sales drop, it's the best-selling sedan by just 100 cars in March. Madness? Not really. Look back at March 2012 and the Altima even beat out the Chevrolet Silverado for a podium finish in monthly sales.

Lower year-over-year incentives played against Nissan's redesigned sedan as surging competitors — the Honda Accord and the Ford Fusion — saw larger gains. Ford says the Fusion had its best sales month in the nameplate's 7 1/2-year history, and this happened with fewer incentives than on last year’s outgoing model. The Escape hit its highest monthly total in its 12-plus-year history. Those two cars — and rising Explorer and F-Series sales — overcame falling Focus, Edge and Mustang sales to drive Ford to a 5.7% year-over-year increase.

Honda Accord Still Most Popular Car to Steal

The bad news for Honda Accord owners? It was the most stolen car in 2012. The good news? It was also the most recovered.

LoJack Corp., which manufactures the Lojack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System, today released its fourth annual vehicle-theft recovery report based on statistics from 28 states. The study not only tracks auto-theft trends across the U.S. during the past year, but also serves as a de facto advertisement for the device, which in 2012 helped law-enforcement officials recover nearly $125 million worth of stolen vehicles.

Citing FBI reports, the study notes that a vehicle is stolen every 44 seconds and that the recovery rate is at a 30-year low. Still, vehicles equipped with a LoJack were recovered 94% of the time, the company reported.

"Unlike other location-based systems, LoJack Police Tracking Computers can find vehicles in some of the most secluded locations, including shipping containers that are hidden amongst thousands of others onboard a ship that is about to depart the United States," said Patrick Clancy, vice president of law enforcement for LoJack, in a statement.

Click below for LoJack's top 10 "most stolen and recovered" vehicles for 2012 and here for a list of February's 10 best-selling cars; the Honda Accord ranks high on the list.

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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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

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: January 2013

Automakers should party like it's … 2012. Sales kicked off the new year at the same pace as they ended the last, with figures from the top seven largest automakers up a combined 15.6% versus January 2012. Ford and Toyota led the way with gains of 20% or better, but Nissan and Hyundai-Kia both saw a roughly flat month. None of the six automakers saw a sales decrease, however.

Ford's banner month shifted the top 10 best-sellers. The Focus compact dropped from the list, but the Fusion sedan and Escape SUV reprised their standings; both were absent in December 2012. Despite two recalls following its launch early last fall, the redesigned Fusion shot up 64.5%, and this came with lighter incentives than the outgoing Fusion a year ago. The redesigned Honda Accord — winner of our recent Cars.com $26,000 Midsize Family Sedan Showdown — picked up even better speed, packing on 75.2% to stay 1,525 cars ahead of the Fusion. Keep an eye out: That race could end the year in a photo finish.

J.P. Morgan analyst Ryan Brinkman pegged sales right around December's annualized rate, Automotive News reports, meaning January would tie for the second best sales month since February 2008. Shoppers kept buying despite fewer deals. Total dealer and automaker discounts now combine for $5,223, according to CNW Marketing Research. That's down more than $500 versus January 2012, and combined with rising MSRPs, it's driven the average new car to $32,163 in January — up 6.6% versus a year ago.