🚗 AutoDefect IQ

2014 Nissan Altima problems, complaints & recalls

Most-reported problem areas: Exterior Lighting (264) · Power Train (174) · Air Bags (156)

🧭 Reliability snapshot

45 /100
⚠ Known trouble spots — research carefully

Compared against other Nissan Altima model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →

🛣️ Complaints by mileage

<25k miles: 189 complaints 189 <25k 25–50k miles: 94 complaints 25–50k 50–75k miles: 151 complaints 50–75k 75–100k miles: 140 complaints 75–100k 100–125k miles: 86 complaints 100–125k 125–150k miles: 40 complaints 125–150k 150k+ miles: 27 complaints 150k+

727 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.

1,114
Complaints
8
Recalls
317
Service bulletins
52
Crashes reported
8
Fires reported
1
Deaths

Safety recalls (8)

Latches/Locks/Linkages:hood:latch 2020-05-28 · campaign 20V315000 · 1,831,818 vehicles

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time.

Risk: Corrosion to the secondary latch may cause it to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. If the primary latch is inadvertently released again and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a stronger release spring in the hood release lever, a warning label near the secondary hood latch, and an Owner’s Manual addendum card with instructions on how to lubricate and maintain the secondary hood latch mechanism, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 30, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: Recall 16V-029 remains open for any unremedied 2013-2015 Altimas and this recall app

Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2016-12-19 · campaign 16V911000 · 757 vehicles

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger

Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2016-04-26 · campaign 16V244000 · 3,296,947 vehicles

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrec

Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy par

Latches/Locks/Linkages:hood:latch 2016-01-22 · campaign 16V029000 · 846,000 vehicles

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.

Risk: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Fix: These vehicles were previously included in recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116, however the previous remedy plan may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk. To correct this issue, Nissan will re-notify all affected owners and dealers will replace the hood latch with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on February 17, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116.

Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2015-10-20 · campaign 15V681000 · 919 vehicles

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Fuel System, Gasoline 2015-08-04 · campaign 15V486000 · 46,846 vehicles

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affect

Risk: If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Latches/Locks/Linkages:hood:latch 2015-02-27 · campaign 15V116000 · 625,400 vehicles

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.

Risk: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall is an expansi

Electrical System:software 2014-03-25 · campaign 14V138000 · 989,701 vehicles

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Service bulletins (317)

Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.

Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions

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 availabl

Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions

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 availabl

Air Bags 2024-09-19 · NTB19-071D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions

dtc b00a0-00 stored this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin. if you confirm dtc b00a0-00 (occupant detection sensor unit) is stored, and ocs zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page)

Power Train 2024-06-07 · NTB12-103I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions

cvt/tcm calibration data “write” procedure this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions

vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-027D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions

can communication – network diagnostic flow chart this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

Showing the 6 most recent of 317 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.

What owners report

2026-09-07 · Exterior Lighting

“my 2014 nissan altima has experienced loss of visibility from the headlights significantly to the point of feeling unsafe driving at night. i believe the cause of these issue is due to degradation of the reflective coating within the headlamps. new bulbs installed have not improved the quality of the headlights performance leading me to believe thi…”

2026-08-09 · Suspension

“rear lower control arm broke while driving on interstate car darted to the left but control was maintained…”

2026-08-07 · Suspension

“right rear lower control arm fully broke while traveling 35 mph and going around a curve. the car immediately pulled hard right into the adjacent lane. fortunately, there were no vehicles in that lane at the moment. i have contacted the dealership. this issue is addressed in service bulletin ntb21-045. however, the local dealership will not cove…”

2026-07-03 · Air Bags

“as far as i am aware there are no causes to the failure but the sensor of the left panel on the driver side airbag is alerting. nissan checked it and advised it would be @ $2000 to repair because it required the replacement of the entire driver side chair. however i am now being told that they don't have/make the replacement part(s) needed. scourin…”

2026-07-01 · Suspension · 216,000 mi

“the contact owns a 2014 nissan altima. the contact stated that while his son was driving 50 mph, the abs warning illuminated, and the vehicle failed to exceed 15 mph. the vehicle was driven to the residence and parked. the vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. the dealer associated the failure with tsb: ntb21-045a. the vehicle was not re…”

2026-06-23 · Air Bags

“at159,000 main console air bag light came on and won't turn off.…”

2026-06-22 · Exterior Lighting

“-upon research, it appears my nissan has an issue with the headlight lamps that have caused the low beams to diminish over time. this is a recorded defect (class action lawsuit [xxx], et al. v. nissan north america, inc.) of nissan altimas years 2013-2018. -there is a nissan dealership in my city i can take the vehicle to for further inspection a…”

2026-06-19 · Air Bags

“airbag light for driver turned on and took it to the dealership to get it fixed. they fixed it but it came back on and they reset it. a few months later it turned back on and they said they couldn't fix it because that part was not available anymore. …”

2026-05-05 · Suspension

“what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the rear control arm (rear suspension component) failed catastrophically by snapping while the vehicle was in motion. this is a critical structural component responsible for maintaining proper wheel alignment and vehicle stability. the failed part has…”

2026-05-01 · Suspension

“nissan has put a service campaign p9324 as a known issue for rear lower suspension corrosion. last week as i was driving my vehicle collapsed on its back tire there was no safety warning lights that had come on. i was able to safely pull off the road however if i had been driving in a highway this would have more than likely put myself and others a…”

Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.

Other Nissan Altima years