2013 Ford Fusion vs 2013 Nissan Altima
Reliability comparison based on NHTSA recall and complaint records.
2013 Ford Fusion
2013 Nissan Altima
2013 Ford Fusion vs 2013 Nissan Altima — A Mechanic's Honest Take
Both these cars sold well in 2013 and both ended up on the wrong side of the data. Reliability scores are identical at 2.80. The problems are not.
2013 Fusion. Three engines. 2.5 NA, 1.6 EcoBoost, 2.0 EcoBoost. The 1.6 is the same coolant-intrusion engine that killed the early Escapes — 50 fires documented on engine clusters for this year. Ford eventually issued recalls but coverage is spotty by VIN. Steering has 414 complaints with 9 crashes — electric power steering assist failures, the rack goes manual without warning. Powertrain adds another 284 complaints, 11 crashes. The 2.5 NA is the only engine I’d put a customer in.
2013 Altima. The fifth-generation L33 launched the CVT that made Nissan a punchline for a decade. Powertrain has 490 complaints — judder, shudder, whine, complete failure usually between 60k and 100k miles. Nissan extended the warranty to 10 years/120k miles on these and still got hit with a class action. Beyond that, this Altima has the Takata airbag exposure — 433 airbag complaints, 25 crashes, 24 injuries documented in the cluster. If the recall isn’t completed and stamped, the inflator can shoot shrapnel into the cabin in a crash.
Honest read. Both cars have ugly cluster data. Fusion’s engine fires and Altima’s transmission failures are equivalent in cost and headache, but the airbag exposure on the Altima is the bigger safety concern if recall work is incomplete.
Verdict. Fusion with the 2.5 NA, recall work verified. Skip the EcoBoost engines and skip the Altima entirely unless the airbag recall is documented as complete on the carfax. Better option in this price range is a 2013 Camry or 2013 Accord — both cleaner on the data and didn’t ship a transmission this bad.
Side-by-side by problem area
Common questions
Which is more reliable, the 2013 Ford Fusion or the 2013 Nissan Altima?
It's close to a tie. Both vehicles score within 0.2 points on our reliability index (2.8 vs 2.8). At this margin, either choice is defensible — base your decision on the specific failure modes that matter to you.
What goes wrong more often on the 2013 Ford Fusion?
Compared to the 2013 Nissan Altima, the 2013 Ford Fusion sees more reported issues in steering and engine. That doesn't mean it's a bad truck — it means those are the categories worth budgeting for if you go that direction.
What goes wrong more often on the 2013 Nissan Altima?
Compared to the 2013 Ford Fusion, the 2013 Nissan Altima has more complaints in powertrain and airbags. Whether that's a deal-breaker depends on the cost and severity — see the comparison table above for repair cost ranges.
Which has more recalls?
Both vehicles have 4 active recalls. Total recall count alone isn't a great signal — what matters is severity. See the recall counts by severity in the comparison table.
Is an extended warranty worth it on either of these?
Both vehicles are out of factory bumper-to-bumper coverage at this point. Combined repair exposure across the top problem categories runs around $15,050 on the higher-risk vehicle. A quality service contract typically costs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years, so a single major failure usually pays for the contract. The math favors warranty coverage on whichever vehicle you choose, especially if you plan to keep it past 100,000 miles.