What breaks most · 1993 to 2025 model years
Nissan Altima problems by year
Owners have filed 15,450 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Nissan Altima across model years 1993 to 2025. Three years stand out: 2013 for air bags complaints, 2009 for steering complaints and 2014 for exterior lighting complaints. The quietest years are 2023, 2022 and 2021.
- Years to check closely: 2013, 2009, 2014
- Fewest complaints: 2023, 2022, 2021
- Complaints on file
- 154501993 to 2025, all trims
- Worst year
- 20132309 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 861216 fires · 736 injuries · 16 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 75kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 138Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 122 | 19 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (34) | |
| 106 | 34 | 4 | Air bags (40) | |
| 180 | 37 | 5 | Air bags (61) | |
| 92 | 21 | 2 | Air bags (37) | |
| 108 | 31 | 3 | Air bags (35) | |
| 123 | 17 | 4 | Air bags (15) | |
| 87 | 19 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (14) | |
| 160 | 25 | 2 | Engine and cooling (49) | |
| 159 | 22 | 2 | Engine and cooling (59) | |
| 1047 | 29 | 12 | Engine and cooling (594) | |
| 883 | 41 | 10 | Engine and cooling (450) | |
| 276 | 14 | 5 | Engine and cooling (109) | |
| 1091 | 48 | 2 | Body and structure (351) | |
| 824 | 43 | 4 | Body and structure (221) | |
| 471 | 28 | 3 | Suspension (121) | |
| 1028 | 53 | 4 | Body and structure (312) | |
| 1547 | 36 | 4 | Steering (859) | |
| 380 | 25 | 3 | Electrical system (74) | |
| 241 | 11 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (68) | |
| 425 | 24 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (149) | |
| 2309 | 63 | 12 | Air bags (513) | |
| 1113 | 52 | 8 | Exterior lighting (298) | |
| 949 | 45 | 10 | Exterior lighting (269) | |
| 552 | 28 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (235) | |
| 390 | 24 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (133) | |
| 225 | 11 | 2 | Unknown or other (60) | |
| 229 | 22 | 7 | Electrical system (58) | |
| 158 | 15 | 6 | Electrical system (42) | |
| 69 | 6 | 2 | Forward collision system (22) | |
| 30 | 5 | 0 | Forward collision system (10) | |
| 29 | 5 | 0 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 41 | 7 | 1 | Unknown or other (8) | |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | Wipers and visibility (1) |
What fails on the 2013 Nissan Altima
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 22% |
513 | 29 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 22% |
505 | 8 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 19% |
441 | 9 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2013 Nissan Altima |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 13% |
289 | 2 | Shop suspension parts for the 2013 Nissan Altima |
| Unknown or other | 10% |
240 | 7 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 7% |
159 | 8 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2013 Nissan Altima |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 7% |
158 | 3 | Shop engine parts for the 2013 Nissan Altima |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
133 | 10 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2013 Nissan Altima |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
I bought the car at 48, 750 miles at 71,000, transmission was sputtering and stalling. Extended warranty from Zurich paid for new parts in an old transmission. Now, car is at 106,000, transmission is shot, it is banging and knocking while driving.
-
After the steering Lock anti theft activated, steering lock ESCL module does not allow to turn on the ignition even keys are inserted.
-
Headlights on Nissan Altima started to dim, even when replacing bulbs. There was a settlement to get the bulbs replaced: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Nissan Altima years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2013, 2009, 2014 carry the most filings on the Nissan Altima. The 2013 alone has 2309 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Nissan Altima problem?
On the 2013 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 513 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Nissan Altima problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Nissan Altima complaints that include mileage is about 75,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.