1995 Nissan Altima Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about air bag behavior — deployments at low speed or with no impact, bags that failed to deploy, warning lights, and injuries from inflation — with many complaints tied to the 1995 passenger air bag campaign. Engine oil leaks from the front of the engine and the timing cover area are the other recurring theme, usually appearing well before 75,000 miles, alongside a smaller set of transmission and cruise-control complaints on higher-mileage cars.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Air bag deploys at low speed or with no impact

   • 34 complaints (19%)
   • median 138,000 mi at 9.0 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 25 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2005

   Owners describe the air bags going off in situations they consider minor: pulling forward at about 1 mph, braking at a stoplight, a low-speed bump against a pole, or a 5-10 mph impact. Several say one or both bags fired while driving normally with no collision at all, and some report burns or eye and face injuries from the inflation. A few note the bag base smoldered or caught fire afterward, and some say the car was written off because of the deployment. Reported across a wide mileage range, from cars with roughly 40,000-53,000 miles to ones over 185,000; many complaints were filed in the early 2000s.

   Recall 03V1500002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the passenger-side air bag was replaced under the 1995 campaign and keep the paperwork; note that the recall covered the passenger bag only. Have the air bag warning light and sensors checked before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The vehicle was in a mild frontal collision at 5 MPH and both air bags deployed. Per the owners manua, the air bags should only deploy in 30 MPH and faster collisions. Vehicle had been totaled due to the deployment of the air bags. Consumer felt that the defect described in recall 03 v 150 000 was the cause of the air bag failure.”

   NHTSA complaint #10040017, filed 2003-10, 53,000 miles

   “Both air bags deployed without warning - no crash involved. Car was moving about 1 MPH - had just barely started to pull forward. Base of bags caught fire - smoldered for 30-40 minutes. Bags had to be cut off to provide vision to drive car home. Current, car will turn over but not start up.”

   NHTSA complaint #10045276, filed 2003-11, 185,400 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Air bag light on, sensor or module faults, recall not

   • 17 complaints (9%)
   • median 88,900 mi at 10.0 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1995–2005

   Many complaints are about the air bag warning light flashing or staying on with no crash, which dealers traced to a failed sensor or control module and quoted repairs for. Others describe trouble getting the passenger air bag campaign done: dealers said the vehicle was not in their system, refused the work, or told owners only the passenger side was covered while the driver side was not. Some owners asked about replacing bags proactively and were told the manufacturer could not recommend it. Mostly reported on vehicles from about 74,000 to 185,000 miles; complaint filing dates cluster in 1999-2007, with a few earlier.

   Recall 03V1500002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that the air bag light goes out after the bulb check at start-up, and ask for any recall completion paperwork from a dealer.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “95 Nissan Altima shows air bag warning without any discrepancies. I showed my car to Nissan dealer and he said that sensor failed , so it is showing warning. He said that would cost me $900 bugs. I asked the dealer to not to do any work on this . I want to let highway safety to know this and take action on this, replace the sensor freely, because it is not driver's fault and there is no wear and tear and remaining all works fine.”

   NHTSA complaint #10133339, filed 2005-08, 74,800 miles

   “I understand that there is a recall on my 1995 Altima for air bag replacement. I contacted my dealer last month and he said that I had to wait until I got my letter from Nissan. Now that red light is flashing and I cannot afford to pay repairs now and then have the bag replaced later by Nissan. Please remedy this situation asap. Thank you. Lewis zeller”

   NHTSA complaint #10070329, filed 2004-01
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Cruise control will not disengage; unintended acceleration

   • 22 complaints (12%)
   • median 140,230 mi at 10.8 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2012

   Owners report the cruise control staying engaged when the brakes are pressed, requiring the car to be shifted into neutral to slow it; one car struck a barrier after the system would not release. Others describe the engine revving on its own or the car continuing to accelerate after the gas pedal was released, with braking having little effect until neutral was selected. Reported on higher-mileage cars, mostly from about 83,000 to 200,000 miles, in complaints filed from the late 1990s through 2010.

   What to check: Test the cruise control at speed and confirm it cancels with the brake pedal and the stalk switch; check that the throttle cable and pedal linkage return freely.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Cruise control failure to disengage when I pressed the brakes while I was driving and coming off a freeway off ramp. I tired several times pressing the brakes to disengage the cruise control. I finally put the car in neutral to stop it. I was very lucky there were no other cars in my path or I would have hit them or caused a accident resulting in injuries or death.”

   NHTSA complaint #10129084, filed 2005-07, 140,230 miles

   “When pressing on the gas pedal with moderate to heavy pressure (for moderate to fast acceleration of the vehicle), the vehicle, on occasion, continues to accelerate after releasing the gas pedal. If the gas peddle was pressed down firmly when this happens, braking has little effect on controlling the vehicle. Tapping the gas pedal does not seem to correct the issue as it occurs. After shifting the vehicle into neutral (automatic transmission), the acceleration seems to stop within one second.”

   NHTSA complaint #10323607, filed 2010-04, 200,000 miles
4. 4
   Air bags

   Air bags did not deploy in a collision

   • 11 complaints (6%)
   • median 63,900 mi at 9.9 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1997–2005

   Several owners report collisions where the air bags stayed put: a 25-35 mph rear-end impact with front-end damage, a 40 mph crash with another car, and a 70 mph barrier strike during a cruise-control problem. In one case the seat belts were also described as not holding. Complaints say body shops told owners the bags should have fired. Reported on vehicles of unknown mileage, mostly in complaints filed between 1997 and 2001.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask a shop to scan for stored air bag fault codes and confirm the warning light behaves normally; a history of unrepaired collision damage is worth checking.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Traveling 70mph with cruise control on and began to slow down, but cruise control would not release. Swerved to avoid vehicles in front. Hit concrete barrier several times. Upon impact, neither air bag deployed. Cruise control never released. Driver suffered whiplash. Passenger had broken bones & bruises.”

   NHTSA complaint #844037, filed 1999-08

   “Frontal collision at 40 MPH with a 2000 toyota, camry. Both air bags did not deploy. Vehicle at an independent body shop. Informed consumer that air bags should have deployed. Please feel free to provide any further details on this matter.”

   NHTSA complaint #879377, filed 2001-01
5. 5
   Engine cooling

   Engine oil leak at the front timing cover

   • 16 complaints (9%)
   • typically at 5.6 yrs old
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2005

   Owners describe oil escaping from the front of the engine, around the timing cover seals and O-rings, sometimes at a rate of a quart a day. Repairs are described in the several-hundred-dollar range, and some owners report the leak returning after seals were replaced. Complaints say dealers treated it as a known condition rather than a campaign item, and one owner cites a service bulletin covering the leak. Typically noticed between about 63,000 and 73,000 miles, with some reports soon after purchase and others on cars kept in good condition with low mileage.

   What to check: Look for fresh oil residue at the front of the engine and the timing cover, check the oil level and smell, and ask whether the front seals or timing cover gaskets have been replaced and when.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Oil leaked from engine after owning vehicle 6 days, almost 700.00 to repair now the oil is leaking again. I had put only 400 miles on the car when it broke down. The dealership gave me a break on fixing it, but now it is leaking again. According to their repair record 3 seals were replaced and a belt. I felt sure this must be some defect but have not found any information. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I will be taking the vehicle back to the dealer again this friday 7/20. …”

   NHTSA complaint #748715, filed 2001-07

   “My 1995 Nissan is effected by a known service defect concerning an oil leak in the right front of the engine. Upon contacting my local Nissan service center they informed me that almost all 1995 Altima'a are effected by this defect, the defect is not an official recall, and it would be my responsibilty to have the repairs made at my expense. Escalating this to the national Nissan hot line proved ineffective. The defect is documented in the following technical service bulletin: service bulletin number: ntb95-058a . Can anything be done?”

   NHTSA complaint #712117, filed 1999-09

Buying note. On this model year, the air bag history — deployment behavior, warning lights, and whether the passenger-side campaign was completed — is the thing to verify first, since parts and service history may be hard to trace on a vehicle this age. Beyond that, check the front of the engine for oil leaks and test the cruise control and shifter on a test drive.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.