Nissan Altima Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 15,506 consumer complaints across the 33 model years of the Nissan Altima (1993–2025) that have at least 5 complaints. 2013 has the most, with 2,313. Across all years, the part named most often is transmission and drivetrain (2,191 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Altima model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | 3,522 | 2 | 4 | — | Too new |
| 2024 | 41 | 15,073 | 1 | 17 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2023 | 30 | 65,200 | 0 | 59 | 0 · Fewer | Too new |
| 2022 | 31 | 30,300 | 0 | 85 | 0 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2021 | 70 | 42,897 | 2 | 109 | 0 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2020 | 182 | 34,000 | 6 | 148 | 55 · Typical | Rising |
| 2019 | 234 | 18,074 | 7 | 188 | 62 · Typical | Rising |
| 2018 | 226 | 36,000 | 2 | 192 | 26 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2017 | 393 | 55,000 | 3 | 247 | 36 · Typical | Stable |
| 2016 | 555 | 58,000 | 4 | 323 | 56 · Typical | Falling |
| 2015 | 955 | 57,000 | 10 | 332 | 93 · More | Falling |
| 2014 | 1,114 | 64,150 | 8 | 317 | 97 · More | Falling |
| 2013 | 2,313 | 64,750 | 12 | 370 | 100 · More | Falling |
| 2012 | 426 | 75,000 | 4 | 121 | 44 · Typical | Falling |
| 2011 | 242 | 72,000 | 1 | 131 | 1 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2010 | 381 | 53,128 | 3 | 135 | 40 · Typical | Falling |
| 2009 | 1,547 | 78,931 | 4 | 116 | 78 · More | Falling |
| 2008 | 1,030 | 70,000 | 4 | 116 | 70 · More | Falling |
| 2007 | 471 | 61,765 | 3 | 114 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2006 | 824 | 90,000 | 3 | 77 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2005 | 1,091 | 86,000 | 1 | 91 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2004 | 276 | 73,480 | 1 | 70 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2003 | 883 | 84,900 | 4 | 54 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2002 | 1,047 | 88,164 | 5 | 54 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2001 | 159 | 66,000 | 1 | 35 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2000 | 160 | 83,500 | 1 | 31 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1999 | 87 | 99,500 | 0 | 26 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1998 | 123 | 94,000 | 0 | 25 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1997 | 108 | 92,420 | 1 | 25 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1996 | 92 | 84,000 | 0 | 23 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1995 | 180 | 110,000 | 3 | 22 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 106 | 120,000 | 2 | 21 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 1993 | 122 | 122,000 | 1 | 22 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Transmission and drivetrain2,191 16%
- Air bags1,957 14%
- Engine cooling1,917 14%
- Electrical system1,774 13%
- Body and structure1,752 13%
- Other or unknown1,515 11%
- Engine1,455 10%
- Steering1,347 9.7%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2018: “Display on my vehicle keeps saying front radar obstruction although nothing is either on the road nor in front of my vehicle. This does this without warning at least 5-6 times while I'm driving on city streets, highway or just turning. At random the warning will show and the lights will come up on my driver panel then a few mins later it goes off.”
NHTSA complaint #11397485, filed 2021-02, 94,200 miles2015: “My vehicle luckily was parked and I accidentally opened the hood, but there was issues with it fully latching. I finally got it to close completely. When will there be a remedy for this hood recall because it is almost a year next month since it's been reported. I need my vehicle as it is my only transportation to get around and I am scared to drive it.”
NHTSA complaint #11413361, filed 2021-04, 53,000 miles2009: “My Nissan Altima 2009 doesn't start at all and the symptoms clearly shows that is the issue with escl that Nissan Altima has acknowleged, however the service campaign to replace it was for a limited time period and I was not informed about it. Today I was stranded as the car was just not starting.this is really frustrating. Could you please look into this.”
NHTSA complaint #11394756, filed 2021-02, 75,000 milesOther Nissan models
7,408 complaintsNissan Pathfinder
7,381 complaintsNissan Maxima
6,949 complaintsNissan Murano
5,964 complaintsNissan Sentra
5,956 complaintsNissan Frontier
3,363 complaintsNissan Versa
3,327 complaintsNissan Titan
3,266 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology