Nissan Altima problems by model year
NHTSA data checked October 31, 2026
Summary
Across model years 2010–2020, NHTSA's public databases list 7,021 owner complaints and 31 distinct recall campaigns for the Nissan Altima.
The year with the most complaints is 2013 (2,314; owners name air bags most). The year with the fewest is 2020 (182). The median year has 393.
These are raw counts. They are not adjusted for how many of each year were sold, and older years have had longer to collect complaints.
Every model year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crash | Fire | Most-named component |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 381 | 3 | 25 | 9 | Electrical System (19%) |
| 2011 | 242 | 1 | 11 | 5 | Power Train (28%) |
| 2012 | 426 | 4 | 24 | 2 | Power Train (35%) |
| 2013 | 2,314 | 12 | 63 | 9 | Air Bags (22%) |
| 2014 | 1,113 | 8 | 51 | 8 | Exterior Lighting (27%) |
| 2015 | 955 | 10 | 46 | 5 | Exterior Lighting (28%) |
| 2016 | 555 | 4 | 28 | 3 | Power Train (42%) |
| 2017 | 393 | 3 | 24 | 7 | Power Train (34%) |
| 2018 | 226 | 2 | 11 | 0 | Service Brakes (21%) |
| 2019 | 234 | 7 | 22 | 5 | Electrical System (25%) |
| 2020 | 182 | 6 | 16 | 7 | Electrical System (25%) |
Linked years have a full page with every component and recall. Other years get pages over time; the counts above are already live.
Quick answers
What is the worst year for the Nissan Altima?
By NHTSA owner complaints, 2013 (2,314 complaints; top component air bags). That is a raw count, not adjusted for sales or age.
Which Nissan Altima year has the fewest complaints?
2020, with 182 complaints in NHTSA's data, among model years 2010–2020.
Which Nissan Altima year has the most recalls?
2013, with 12 recall campaigns in NHTSA's recall database.
Sources
Each count comes from NHTSA's Complaints API (complaintsByVehicle) and Recalls API (recallsByVehicle) for make NISSAN, model ALTIMA, one request per model year, for example https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make=NISSAN&model=ALTIMA&modelYear=2013. Checked 2026-10-31. See method.