2018 Nissan Altima problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (28) · Air Bags (24) · Power Train (17)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Altima model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
110 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
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 Owners 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
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2019-09-12 · campaign 19V654000 · 1,228,830 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible an
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Service bulletins (192)
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
Electrical System 2026-03-30 · NTB15-049CC · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 m
Service Brakes 2025-02-20 · NTB19-033G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
intelligent cruise control inoperative and aeb/feb warning light on or radar obstruction message displayed with dtc c1a16 or c2582 if you confirm important: the purpose of action (on the next page) is to give you a quick idea of the work you will be performing. you must closely follow the entire ser
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 192 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-04 · Power Train“while operating my 2018 nissan altima on september 19, 2026, at approximately 9:20 a.m., during daytime highway traffic, the vehicle suffered a sudden and complete loss of propulsion, leaving me entirely immobilized on a highway ramp with no ability to accelerate or move out of danger. i was stranded in an extremely hazardous location with vehicles…”
2026-08-25 · Air Bags“the passenger‑side airbag warning light first appeared within the first year of ownership. during that visit, the dealership did not repair the defect. they only reset the warning light and told me it was not a problem. no diagnostic documentation or repair explanation was provided, and the underlying issue was not addressed. the warning light ret…”
2026-08-17 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:hood:latch“while driving at regular road speeds, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic safety component failure. the primary hood latch disengaged, and the secondary safety backup latch failed to catch or secure the hood. this caused the hood to violently slam completely open against the front windshield without warning, instantly and totally obscuring forward …”
2026-07-07 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:internal:cvt“i am currently experiencing cvt failure as of i have filed a case with the nissan consumer affairs unit, case number 56846043. i was advised that even though there was a class action suit in 2022 for cvt issues, my cvt warranty extension expired on 12/09/2024 for this class action suit. i purchased the car in may of 2025. the dealership failed to …”
2026-06-09 · Fuel/Propulsion System“so i have the 2.5l qr25de engine with the exact exhaust failure from campaign pc717, and i need goodwill assistance because the part failed identically.…”
2026-05-28 · Unknown Or Other“transmission stopped working on me in the highway cvt code that comes up is p17f0 was in the highway going 45 mph then dropped 5 mph very dangerous. almost crashed …”
2026-05-03 · Air Bags“the warning light on the dash is indicating that there is a problem with the airbag. i took it to a nissan dealership and was told that the side airbag needed to be replaced. i was quoted $3,241.41labor only. i was told there was no recall. i certainly don't want there to be a collision and it doesn't deploy as it should. so i would like to report…”
2026-04-14 · Power Train“the problem is i have that transmission in my car that nissan was sued for . yes i received a extended warranty 85 months or 85,000 miles . my transmission started going out as soon i rolled over 85,000. dealer told me the warranty was no good. now it's sitting in the yard. all i can do is make the payment. not only am i making payments but i h…”
2026-03-30 · Unknown Or Other“in 2022, there was a recall on the hood latch system. at that time the dealership was able to spray a substance on the latch and close out the recall instead of replacing the latch. now my car is having issues with the latch that should’ve been replaced from the start. therefore, the solution during the recall only prolonged the issue and did not f…”
2026-02-06 · Air Bags“while driving my nissan altima 2018 on sunday 2-1 the indicator light came on. i looked it up in the manual to the car and it stated it was something with the air bag. i took it to the larry miller nissan mesa az. wednesday, 2-4. according to them i was told the light indicated the air bag would not deployed if i were in an accident. that is life…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.