CarFaultIQ

Nissan Altima

Nissan Altima representative vehicle image
Representative editorial illustration of the Nissan Altima; family image, not a trim- or year-specific photograph.

Nissan Sedan 1995–2026

Updated Next review February 28, 2027By CarFaultIQ Editorial Team

Verify with official recall databases, service records, a mechanic inspection, and local market data before relying on this summary.

At a glance

Vehicle coverage snapshot

This snapshot uses the current page hierarchy, year-range meta, and vehicle taxonomy only.

Page roleModel Hub
Make
Nissan
Model
Nissan Altima
Year range
1995–2026
Generation
1993–1997 · 1st Generation; 1998–2001 · 2nd Generation; 2002–2006 · 3rd Generation; 2007–2012 · 4th Generation; 2013–2018 · 5th Generation; 2019–2026 · 6th Generation
Vehicle taxonomy
Altima

Model-year and generation details come from structured catalogue data; confirm the exact vehicle from its VIN.

Vehicle coverage

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Coverage path

Choose a make, model, and supported year from the structured US/Canada vehicle database.

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Model coverage

Coverage dashboard

Coverage at a glance

3year ranges 7fault pages 0OBD/symptom links
Model hub Common problems Best/worst years Buyer warning

Known checks by year range

2007-2012 Archive
Nissan Altima: Early CVT Whine (2007–2012)
2013-2016 Archive
Nissan Altima ECM Stalling Reports Nissan Altima: CVT Failure and Shudder (2013–2016)
2013-2018 Archive
Nissan Altima Front Strut Noise Nissan Altima Interior Trim Wear Nissan Altima Power Steering Pump Leak Nissan Altima: Secondary Hood Latch Corrosion (2013–2018)

Buyer path

  1. Start with the model hub
  2. Check common problems
  3. Check best/worst years
  4. Review used-car buyer warnings
  5. Use OBD and symptom pages for current issues
  6. Verify recalls by VIN and inspect service records.

Coverage status

10 related public pages are available for this model.

View documented evidence for the Nissan Altima 35,781 official records held across recalls, bulletins, investigations and complaints.

What is on the record for the Nissan Altima

Owner complaints for this model most often concern:

  • Engine5,920 (14.8%)Official recall records for this system: 13, covering model years 2001–2020.
  • Powertrain (transmission & drivetrain)4,396 (11.0%)Official recall records for this system: 1, covering model years 1995.
  • Air bags (restraint system)3,806 (9.5%)Official recall records for this system: 23, covering model years 1995–2025.

Where a mileage was given (20,818 reports), it averaged 76,865 miles.

These are counts of records held, not a failure rate: no vehicles-in-service figure exists in this data, so no reliability score can be derived from it.

Explore Nissan Altima problems by model year

Short answer

Nissan Altima coverage spans 1995-2026 with structured year, market, configuration, evidence-state, and inspection context. It is not a reliability score.

Key takeaways

  • Supported years: 1995-2026.
  • Structured variants: 238.
  • Tier: Tier A.
  • Recall applicability must be checked by VIN.
  • Complaint signals do not prove defects or frequency.

CarFaultIQ's structured records for the Nissan Altima span six generations from the early 1990s to the current model, in four- and six-cylinder configurations on regular and premium gasoline, with a hybrid recorded on one generation. Five of the six generations have their own dedicated coverage page; the first (1993–1997) predates CarFaultIQ's structured coverage.

The Nissan Altima hub gathers everything CarFaultIQ tracks for this model: common problems by year, the strongest and riskiest years to buy, and what a used-car inspection should focus on.

Capable and inexpensive used, but CVT transmission reports concentrate heavily on 2013–2016 cars — a test drive that probes the CVT is non-negotiable.

Start with the common-problems page below, then cross-check any candidate car against the symptom and OBD-code pages it links to.

Evidence-backed model intelligence

Nissan Altima diagnostic overview

Structured coverage spans 1995-2026. Use the exact model year and symptoms when narrowing a fault.

Vehicle coverage

  • Powertrain evidence: Premium Gasoline and Regular Gasoline
  • Electrification: Hybrid
  • Drivetrain coverage: AWD and FWD

Start with the evidence you have

A symptom and an OBD code are separate evidence channels. Use either one; do not assume a stored code proves a particular repair.

Choose a symptomLook up an OBD code

Official evidence for this model

Coverage below spans the explicitly mapped model years. Records do not apply to every model year or configuration.

US safety recalls

64 distinct official identifiers · US

Campaigns matched to recorded model years. Only an official VIN check can confirm whether an individual vehicle is affected.

  • 26V526000 — model years 2025

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2025 Altima vehicles. The front passenger air bag and front passenger knee air bag may have been installed with incorrect mounting fasteners, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended.

  • 26V023000 — model years 2025

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2025 Altima, Sentra, 2025-2026 Frontier, and 2026 Kicks vehicles. The door strikers may have been improperly welded and break, allowing the door to open while moving. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of…

  • 25V437000 — model years 2019, 2020

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Rogue, 2019-2020 Altima, 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50, and 2022 Infiniti QX55 vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5L or 4-cylinder 2.0L variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engines. The engine bearings may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine failure.

Official NHTSA source

Manufacturer communications / TSBs

1,056 distinct official identifiers · US

Manufacturer service communications are not safety recalls and do not prove that every vehicle has the described condition.

  • 11031705 — model years 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

    CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by…

  • 11031704 — model years 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

    CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by…

  • 11031699 — model years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

    TELEMATICS SERVICE INFORMATION HINT: This bulletin applies to vehicles equipped with a 4G network compatible TCU. TCUs compatible with 3G network only are no longer supported. SERVICE INFORMATION The APPLIED VEHICLES that come equipped with a factory installed SOS switch, located near the overhead map…

Official NHTSA source

US defect investigations

14 distinct official identifiers · US

An investigation records a regulator review of a suspected defect. It is not automatically a finding or a recall.

  • PE23023 — model years 2019, 2020, 2021

    On December 13, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-023 to investigate allegations of engine failures leading to loss of motive power in model year (MY) 2021-2023 Nissan Rogue; MY 2019-2021 Nissan Altima; and MY 2019-2021 Infiniti QX50 vehicles. At that time, ODI…

  • AQ22003 — model years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

    NHTSA is opening this audit query to investigate whether The Hertz Corporation (Hertz) has complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Safety Act). The Safety Act requires, among other things, that a rental company shall not rent a vehicle…

  • EA21002 — model years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

    From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to…

Official NHTSA source

Canadian recalls

33 distinct official identifiers · CA

Canadian-market records remain separate from US campaigns. Confirm applicability with Transport Canada and the manufacturer.

  • 2023504 — model years 2019, 2020, 2021

    Issue: On certain vehicles, the rearview camera wiring harness could be damaged by movement and vibrations. If this happens, the rearview camera image may not display correctly or may not display at all. Canadian regulations require the rearview image to display when reversing. Safety Risk:…

  • 2021140 — model years 2019, 2020

    Multiple source assertions are retained for this identifier. Consult the official record for configuration-specific details.

  • 2021117 — model years 2020, 2021

    Issue: On certain vehicles, the steering tie rod nut may not have been properly tightened. As a result, the tie rod could become loose and separate from the steering knuckle. This could result in a loss of steering control. Safety Risk: A loss of steering…

Official Transport Canada source

US owner complaint reports

15,222 distinct reports · US

Distinct ODI complaint identifiers, deduplicated across component and product rows. Reports are allegations, not confirmed defects, failure rates or reliability scores.

  • POWER TRAIN: 1,912 reports
  • AIR BAGS: 1,663 reports
  • ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 1,555 reports

A report can name several components. Do not add component totals together.

Official NHTSA source

Evidence is served from a locally stored official-source snapshot. No external API is called to render this page. These records do not replace inspection or diagnosis. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.

Five Altima generations have their own coverage page — 1998–2001, 2002–2006, 2007–2012, 2013–2018 and 2019–2026 — each scoped to that generation's real Fault, recall and complaint evidence. Because six of the seven documented Fault pages sit on the fifth generation, that page currently carries the most detail; the sixth generation's page is built mainly from its own recall record instead.

Deep dives

Common Problems The most-reported Nissan Altima problems are cvt failure and shudder (2013–2016), early cvt whine… Best & Worst Years The strongest used Nissan Altima years are 2019+ and later strong windows below; the…

Known common problems

Seven Fault pages are currently linked to the Altima, and six of the seven concentrate on the fifth generation (2013–2018) — a power-steering pump leak, ECM stalling reports limited to 2013–2016, interior trim wear, front strut noise, CVT failure and shudder, and hood-latch corrosion. The seventh, an early CVT whine record, belongs to the fourth generation (2007–2012). No Fault page currently covers the second, third or sixth generations.

Nissan Altima Interior Trim Wear

Body & Interior2013-2018

  • Worn steering-wheel or shifter trim
  • Peeling soft-touch surfaces
SeverityLowDrive?Usually OK to drive short-term

Nissan Altima Front Strut Noise

Suspension & Steering2013-2018

  • A knock over bumps from the front
  • Uneven tire wear in some cases
SeverityModerateDrive?Usually OK to drive short-term

All common problems →

Problems by year range

2007-2012 1 known issue
2013-2016 2 known issues
2013-2018 4 known issues

CarFaultIQ holds records for a substantial number of official recall campaigns tied to the Altima, across eight systems, most prominently latches and locks, steering, and reversing-camera systems. Nearly all of the campaigns in CarFaultIQ's current records concern 2018 or later — the sixth generation — rather than the earlier cars, and most cover only one or two specific model years. A VIN check remains the most reliable way to confirm whether a given campaign applies.

Eight complaint categories recur in aggregated owner reports for the Altima, most consistently power train, structure, air bags and an unclassified group, tracked from 2000 through the newest model years, alongside engine cooling and exterior lighting recorded for narrower spans. These are owner-filed reports and evidence signals, not confirmed failure rates.

Used-car checks

No structured used-car checks are verified on this model hub yet.

Recall/safety notes

No hand-written safety notes have been added to this hub. Official recall, bulletin and investigation records held for this vehicle are listed under documented evidence on this page — the absence of a note here does not mean no records exist. Always confirm by VIN.

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Buying one used?

Comparisons featuring this car

The Common Problems and Best & Worst Years pages below summarize what is documented across the nameplate. Because the fifth generation carries records that stop at 2016, its own generation page is the more precise place to check a specific car's exact model year.

Keep going

Next best action for this model

Check common problems See the main public fault clusters for this model. Review best and worst years Use year windows before you buy or diagnose. Inspect buyer risk Check used-car warning notes and inspection priorities. Search current issues Use OBD codes or symptoms for the car in front of you.

All Altima coverage →