2018 Nissan Altima Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe false warnings and unexpected braking from the forward radar and automatic emergency braking system, along with a push-button start that sometimes will not crank when the brake switch is not read correctly. Air bag and passenger-occupant warnings, a backup camera that goes black, and steering noise or looseness also come up. Many reports arrive at relatively low mileage, with the radar and start complaints often appearing under 30,000 miles.

1. 1
   Forward collision avoidance

   Front radar false obstruction warning / AEB

   • 55 complaints (24%)
   • median 35,000 mi at 2.1 yrs old (47 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $1,500 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Complaints describe a 'front radar obstruction' or 'front sensor unavailable' message appearing with nothing in the road, sometimes within minutes of starting a trip, in rain, at highway speed, or in clear weather. Owners report the automatic emergency braking light illuminating, occasional unrequested braking, and cruise control refusing to set. Dealers are said to have replaced the radar sensor on some cars without ending the recurrence, and some owners were told there was no fix or that the cause was a prior impact. Often reported under 30,000 miles, with several at a few thousand miles; described in rain, snow, and clear weather.

   Recall 19V6540001 related service bulletin

   What to check: During a test drive, ask whether the AEB or radar warning has appeared and whether any sensor or software service was done. A service bulletin covers diagnosis of an inoperative cruise control with an AEB warning light and stored codes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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 miles

   “Foward emergency braking (feb) system malfunctioning or inoperable/unavailable while the vehicle was in motion on a highway. When this occurs, an orange symbol light in the dash illuminates and I am unable to use the cruise control or the climate control system. The feb seems to return to normal when I stop the vehicle and restart the engine.”

   NHTSA complaint #11328829, filed 2020-06, 37,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Push-button start will not crank / brake switch

   • 46 complaints (20%)
   • median 31,672 mi at 2.2 yrs old (24 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report pressing the start button with the brake pedal down and getting no crank, sometimes needing several attempts or a different key fob. Some link it to the brake lights not coming on or the shifter being stuck in Park. Dealers are said to have diagnosed and replaced the brake or stop lamp switch in some cases, while other owners were told nothing was wrong or to try new key fobs. Reported from very low mileage up to about 65,000 miles, often with the car parked.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Confirm the car starts reliably from cold and after sitting, and check that the brake lights illuminate when the pedal is pressed. Ask whether the stop lamp switch has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My push start has been giving me problems since 2020. Whenever I have this problem, I either have to start it with the fob or press the push start multiple times. I've taken it to the dealership last year and was told nothing is wrong. I just dropped it off again for the same problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #11408330, filed 2021-04, 57,000 miles

   “The front end collision warning goes off less than a mile after I begin driving. It was repaired after an accident (unrelated) & was fine until my state had snowfall that covered the road, that's when it began again! My cruise control suddenly stopped working & the metal piece that props up the hood snapped off when checking the oil, luckily I seen it snap and was able to jump back! Gear shift sticks in park & sometimes even with my foot on the bake it wont start!”

   NHTSA complaint #11415987, filed 2021-05, 5 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light stays on

   • 34 complaints (15%)
   • median 46,477 mi at 2.7 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,244 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe the air bag or passenger air bag warning light staying illuminated, sometimes after restarting the car, which owners understand to mean the air bags are disabled. Dealers are said to have blamed objects under the seat, reset the occupant sensor, or replaced an air bag, with at least one owner reporting the light returned. Some owners were told the item was outside warranty. Mostly between about 13,000 and 80,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: With the ignition on, confirm the air bag light goes out after the bulb check. A service bulletin addresses a stored occupant detection sensor code when the zero-point reset cannot be performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We were driving and the air bag light illuminated. We were not in any kind of accident. Pulled over and turned the car off, had passenger get out of car and back in then restarted the car. Light went off like normal. Shortly after driving it came back on and now no longer turns off, disabling my air bags. Have tried to not have passengers, have passengers, not have seat belt, have seat belt and nothing fixes it. Checked the airbag fuse and fuse is intact. Checked that front bumper sensor was clean and had no damage. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11319186, filed 2020-03, 55,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the passenger's side air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had yet to take the vehicle to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11404199, filed 2021-03, 79,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Steering noise, shake or looseness

   Mentioned in 7 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe shaking or vibration through the steering wheel, a noise from the steering when turning, or a wheel that feels loose or out of control at highway speed. Owners report that dealers sometimes found nothing wrong or called the noise normal, and some had wheel balances done without improvement. Spread from about 33,000 to 100,000 miles.

   What to check: Drive at highway speed and feel for wheel shake or wander, and listen for steering noise on turns. Ask about alignment and steering component checks.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving home and just entering my neighborhood, I noticed a low tire warning on my dashboard. I looked at the pressure and there was approximately 26 pounds still in the tire and the closest place to fill up was at my house. While approaching a right turn in the neighborhood and because of the winter weather conditions of snow and ice on the road, I slowed down to a crawl and applied my brake prior to and while turning. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11399856, filed 2021-03, 15,300 miles

   “When I first purchased the vehicle I did notice that the steering wheel felt loose but then I figured, it's a new vehicle that I have to get a custom to. This was in february 2020, it is august and I had two wheel balances done on the vehicle assuming that was the issue, however, the steering wheel continued to worsen and was out of control as I drove on the highway. I had to literally guide the steering wheel, holding it tightly, especially in turns. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11351065, filed 2020-08, 65,450 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Backup camera black or intermittent screen

   • 11 complaints (5%)
   • median 49,500 mi at 2.5 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Owners describe the reverse camera screen going black, showing static lines, or cutting in and out when backing up. Some report the problem along with the forward radar warnings; others say the camera simply fails intermittently. Complaints mention a prior attempt to correct the camera under a recall or dealer visit without a lasting fix. Reported from about 30,000 to 83,000 miles.

   Recall 19V6540002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Shift into reverse and check the image quality, then look for lines or a dark screen. Ask whether the backup camera recall work was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I will see a warning notice in my dashboard while I'm driving on city streets and sometimes on the highway, during clear weather and rainy weather that says 'front end collision undetectable' and my rear collision camera will sometime either have vertical lines or go completely out. This was supposed to have been fixed by musiccity autoplex in nashville, tn in late october of 2019.”

   NHTSA complaint #11407075, filed 2021-04, 83,000 miles

   “The backup camera would not work. Camera screen was black in reverse mode. Sometimes the screen get static lines and then blacks out. I need the backup camera very much because I have limited twisting at my waist.”

   NHTSA complaint #11322609, filed 2020-04, 48,000 miles

Buying note. Check that the forward radar and AEB behave normally on a test drive and that the car starts reliably when parked, since those are the most common complaints here. Also confirm any open recall work was completed and that the air bag light goes out.

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.