2013 Nissan Altima Suspension
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Right side rear lower control arm failed while driving due to excessive corrosion. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as the right rear wheel is no longer properly aligned. If this had happened on the highway it could have killed us. Dealer service dept, Nissan service campaign department and nissan consumer affairs department all insisted my VIN does not qualify for repairs detailed under nhtsa reference P9324 and all refused to look up the reference number. The bulletin seems clear that Nissan has responsibility to address my issue.
Both of my rear lower control arms on my 2013 Nissan ALTIMA sedan have rusted thru and cracked. It has been reported on Nissan Service Campaign P9324, dated October 25, 2019. Unfortunately, I have been told my VIN is not included in the P9324 campaign. But both of my lower control arms are rusted through and cracked and I do live in New Hampshire, one of the salt states listed in the campaign. My car is at the dealer and I have been told that I cannot drive it anymore until it has been repaired.
Nissan needs to do a recall on their rear suspensions. My 2013 Nissan Altima suspension has had some issue AFTER Nissan service bulletin for rear suspension was checked. I believe that the service bulletin that Nissan “did” or “checked“ was replaced with the same faulty parts or not checked correctly. Giving the same issue with the suspension. Prior to the rear suspension bulletin services, l had a control arm snap in half while driving. There was no knocking/ clunking sounds. Just one day it snapped and broke. While my car was being serviced to be fixed, it was at this time I was informed about the rear suspension links. After leaving Nissan that day, my car has STILL not been right to drive. Loose sterling , pulling, drifting- making it impossible to control vehicle. The rear suspension- links/ control arm/ ball joints need to be recalled and replaced.
When I was driving on the road my rear control arm broke. I didn’t realize at first what was actually broken until I looked under the car later on and it looked like my control arm eroded over time and just snapped my wheel was shaking so bad my vertigo started. I do have a recall on the lower suspension link. As well as two other things that are not shown here. ALTIMA HOOD LATCH NTB21-055 ALTIMA LOWER LINK NTB19-082 ALT RGE CVT P0776 NTB16-121
Rear suspension control arm broke while making a turn. Heard a loud snap, couldn't see anything wrong so I proceeded to turn onto the road, heard what sounded like a blowout and felt like the tire was about to come off. After looking it up, I see that this to be common with 2013 so I called Nissan to find out if a recall was ever issued and it has not been which is very concerning. This happened when I was traveling less than 10 mph, pulling away from my home.
Upon driving, the Left control arm snapped in two. The car veered to the left but I was able to regain control fortunately. Ten minutes prior I had been on a major highway. Results may have been different in that regard. Firestone Complete Auto Care assessed it and quoted me up to $600.00 for repair. I researched the Control Issue only to discover that this was a common problem on 2013 Nissan Altimas. There were beyond numerous complaints in USA and Canada, and over a quarter million Altimas were repaired for this defect. My mechanic told me that the Right Control Arm had already been repaired prior to myself purchasing the vehicle in 2016, but the Left control Arm was not repaired. Apparently there was simply a "Campaign" regarding this defect and it was never considered a recall. I am wondering if there can be some reimbersement for the $673.51 I paid to get my car fixed. I would appreciate a reply. Thank you.
Front lower control arm bushings appear worn out with progressive clunking and severe shaking leading to unstable steering and unevenly worn tires
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the passenger’s side rear wheel started wobbling, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound while experiencing the failure. The contact pulled over and waited for a tow - lucky he moved tow lanes to the shoulder without issue. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the passenger’s side rear upper control arm had fractured. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 118,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the lower control arm frame on the driver's side was completely rusted and had detached from the vehicle. There was no warning illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 188,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while reversing, there was a banging sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. Later, while driving the traction control warning light illuminated, and the rear of the vehicle became unstable. After parking the vehicle, the contact discovered that the vehicle was tilted towards the driver's side. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who determined that the rear control arm had fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 158,000.
The Passenger side Rear Lower Control Arm broke in half while driving down the road. There were no potholes or rough road conditions present when failure occurred. The failure caused instant loss of stability of the vehicle, but luckily did not result in an accident. Where was no warning before the failure occurred. The event occurred in Iowa. There is currently a Nissan Service Campaign (P9324) to replace this component. It is the correct vehicle, a 2013 Nissan Altima, and occurred in a covered state (Iowa). I opened an inquiry with Nissan Customer Care (Case 48827935), but was told my vehicle was not covered. The explanation given was that not all 2013 Nissan Altimas are covered, and it was likely the lower control arm date code or vehicle build location was outside the scope of the Service Campaign. I would ask that the NTHSB and Nissan review the data for failed units and consider if this service campaign should be expanded.
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the passenger’s side rear wheel started wobbling, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound while experiencing the failure. The contact pulled over safely and then drove back to the residence. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the passenger’s side rear toe link had fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 143,000.
Rear lower control arm broke as was backing into the garage. Traction control light was turned on on the dash.
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle veered to the right. The contact steered to the left and kept turning the steering wheel to the left in to bring the vehicle back into a straight lane. The contact stated that the traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive back to the residence and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed that the passenger’s side rear lower control arm had sheared off and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: EA19002 (Suspension). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle began to wobble and almost crashed into another vehicle. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park and noticed that the wheel was tilted inwards. The contact was informed by an independent mechanic that the control arm broke had fractured due to corrosion. The sub frame was also fractured. The contact stated that a second independent mechanic was notified of the issue and was referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where an unknown diagnosis was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000. The VIN was not available.
While driving on the highway the car started to lose control. Car shop said control link on driver side broke and the one on the passenger side was cracked and they replace both. I took the old parts e Incident (0)to the dealership they said it was a recall.
While driving my 2013 Nissan Altima on the highway I heard a real loud bang so I got off the nearest exit to check out the car. Upon looking under the rear passenger side of the car I noticed that the lower control arm broke off. I was able to get the car home, but cannot drive it. Doing a little research, I found this is common on 2013-2019 Altima models. I feel this is a major safety concern and should be looked into further.
The rear sub frame is broken (rusted completely) on the passenger side rear. I had a sudden flat tire and took it in to have a new tire put on and the tire company showed me that the tire issue was due to the sub frame being broken.
- The passenger rear lower suspension link became corrode and separated at the bushing joint area. The car is available for inspection. - Loss of control as the back of the car started moving from side to side and off the side of the road. - Nissan opened a case# [XXX] and noted that my car is not covered by issued service bulletin (P9324) and recommends that I get it repaired. - This happen without warning, I feel lucky that nobody was seriously hurt. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
With only 99 k miles my lower rear control arm broke while I was driving the vehicle and the rear tire began flopping around. Had I been driving faster at the time it's possible that my spouse and I could have died in an accident or have be extremely injured. Dealer lied and said that there was a recall and that I should have received a letter in the mail. I never received a letter. And it looks like there is only a service campaign for the issue.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Rear subframe is rusted out and has holes in it. Yes it is avaialble for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Loss of control and not safe to drive with a broken rear subframe. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Gandrud Nissan in Green Bay, WI has inspected it. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No symptoms prior to the failure and then top of driver side rear tire pointing inward to the car. This seems to be a common issue from others with the same 2013 Nissan Altima in areas with road salt usage. The vehicle is 9 years old and has 106,800 miles on it. Rest of the car appears rust free and solid. I am the original owner of the vehicle and it gets washed regularly. I will be getting additional pictures from Gandrud Nissan, as now I only have the 1 picture which is not ideal. Gandrud should have the car repaired before February 3, 2023.
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while his son was driving at 35 MPH, he noticed that the rear passenger's side tire was not rolling smoothly. The contact stated that upon arriving at his destination and parking the vehicle, his son noticed that the rear passenger's side tire was pushed in. The contact's son was able to drive the vehicle to his residence. The contact stated upon inspecting the subframe, he noticed that the subframe was severely corroded and an unknown part had detached. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear passenger's side lower control arm assembly was fractured due to severe corrosion and the rear driver's side lower control arm was severely corroded. The independent mechanic replaced the rear passenger's side lower control arm. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Nissan Technical Service Bulletin Number: P9324 as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 119,393. The contact stated that they also had the driver side rear suspension control arm repaired. A request to Nissan for a reimbursement of both repairs was requested.
Rear Suspension Control Arm Failed while operating the vehicle, resulting in the car swerving and becoming temporarily uncontrollable. No accident resulted, but had a car been in the lane adjacent to mine, there certainly would have been a collision. I am grateful this did not occur on the highway at higher speeds. Mechanics found that the right rear suspension control arm failed and was heavily corroded. The left rear suspension control arm was also highly corroded and had stress fractures, requiring replacement. See attached photos. I will request that the mechanics save the parts for inspection by the NHTSA. No potholes or curbs were hit, and this suddenly happened while driving on a well paved road in Virginia. The car has 95,430 miles on it, and has been parked indoors for the past 5 years, and largely driven in the Northern Virginia and D.C. Metro Area. There were no warnings before this occurred.
Please include with our complaint: ODI 11469244 On June 8, 2022 one of our rear lower suspension links broke and left my husband on the side of the road two weeks ago. After having it towed home we learned about service campaign P9324. Sevice campaign P9324 states “certain Nissan Altima vehicles currently or previously registered in specific U.S. states with high road salt usage for model year 2013 and model years 2013-2014 in Canada are potentially affected”. Illinois is considered high-users of road salt. Called the dealership and he confirmed that all parts and labor would be covered. We then had our vehicle towed to the dealership on June 9, 2022. Within an hour, the service department called and stated our VIN was not covered. Brad Brees, the service manager can be reached at (815) 633- 3460. He will be able to confirm our situation and he agreed that this should not be happening with a vehicle that has been owned and driven in Illinois for 7+ years. We immediately filed a claim with Nissan North America consumer affairs department. After waiting four business days we learned that our claim was denied. When my husband asked if the representative had read the service bulletin, she stated that she had not. When my husband asked for the denial to be put in writing, the consumer affair representative hung up on him. We went ahead and got our car fixed by the dealer. It was at that time, we learned about the extended warranty on this problem,. We filed the extended warranty claim form and included our receipts for the repair and the tows. We asked that all correspondence be made in WRITING, either by mail or email. A representative called and notified us that again our claim was denied. They will not put in writing a reason for our denial. As customer's we want a valid reason. While we don’t understand why our vehicle is not included we are extremely concerned that Nissan Consumer Affairs won’t put the denial and reason in wri
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and the rear passenger’s side lowered. The contact was able to pull over and he noticed that the rear lower suspension had separated at the bushing joint. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact was informed that the lower link needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in TSB: P9324. The failure mileage was 140,000.
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The 2013 Nissan Altima has 214 Suspension complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.