The Used Car Index

2016 Nissan Altima problems

NHTSA lists 553 complaints for the 2016 Nissan Altima, 28 of them mention a crash and 3 mention a fire. 17 complaints mention an injury, with 32 injuries and 1 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as NISSAN ALTIMA.

At a glance

Complaints
553
With crash
28
With fire
3
With injury (complaints)
17
Injuries
32
Deaths
1
Recalls
4
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
3,296,947
Investigations
3
Open investigations
1
Manufacturer communications
323

Complaints per 100k sold: 179.908. Units sold: 307,380; sales year: 2016; basis: calendar_year_us_sales_proxy_for_model_year. goodcarbadcar.net.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
POWER TRAIN23542.5%
ENGINE8615.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER8114.6%
AIR BAGS7012.7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL6511.8%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM427.6%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING427.6%
STRUCTURE295.2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM274.9%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES224.0%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY27
EXTERIOR LIGHTINGHEADLIGHTS4
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGESHOOD4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMINSTRUMENT PANEL3
POWER TRAINAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION3
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL2
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGESDOORS2
AIR BAGSSENSOR1
BACK OVER PREVENTIONSENSING SYSTEM1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMHAND HEATER1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
loss of control16028.9%0.77
mechanical failure14926.9%0.80
restraint or airbag6611.9%0.87
electrical electronic6511.8%0.74
visibility or lighting407.2%0.95
structural or corrosion315.6%0.70
unclear234.2%0.75
fire or overheating81.4%0.93
noise or comfort71.3%0.65
fluid or fuel leak40.7%0.83
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate39270.9%0.83
low11721.2%0.70
high386.9%0.83
none50.9%0.89
critical10.2%1.00

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 553 tagged complaints of 553 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

4 recalls.

20V315000

Date: 2020-05-28. Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.

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. (excerpt)

Consequence: 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. (excerpt)

Remedy: 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 OwnerA 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- (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

18V915000

Date: 2018-12-19. Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES, STRUCTURE.

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Altima vehicles, previously remedied under recall number 17V-040. The door latch-lock cable may not have been routed properly in the rear door when the remedy was applied. As a result, the cable may interfere with the window regulator causing the rear passenger door to unlatch and inadvertently open without warning when the windo (excerpt)

Consequence: If the rear passenger door opens while the vehicle is moving, the rear passengers have an increased risk of injury. (excerpt)

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will secure the latch-lock cables in the correct position using the new remedy procedure, free of charge. The recall began February 5, 2019. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7669. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

17V040000

Date: 2017-01-18. Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Altima vehicles. The rear door latch/lock cable on the vehicles may have been improperly routed. As a result, lowering a rear window may inadvertently cause that door to unlatch and open.

Consequence: If the rear passenger doors inadvertently open while the vehicle is in motion, it may increase the risk of injury to the rear passengers.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will correct the rear door latch/lock cable routing, free of charge. The recall began on February 16, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

16V244000

Date: 2016-04-26. Systems: AIR BAGS.

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 vehi (excerpt)

Consequence: 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. (excerpt)

Remedy: 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. Inter (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

3 investigations; 1 open.

EA21002

Opened: 2021-09-17. Closed: Not listed.

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

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 burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupt

Systems: AIR BAGS.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

EA19002

Opened: 2019-07-29. Closed: 2025-06-16.

Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure

On July 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened EA19002 to investigate instances of alleged rear lower control arm failures in 2013-2018 Nissan Altima and 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima vehicles. At the time the investigation was opened ODI had 91 consumer complaints alleging rear lower control arm failures in the subject vehicles.ODI was concerned about these complaints because many o

Systems: SUSPENSION.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

PE18013

Opened: 2018-12-01. Closed: 2019-08-21.

Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure

PE18-013 was opened on December 1, 2018, with 4 complaints to ODI alleging incidents of the lower control arm fracturing at a connection point to the vehicle chassis due to corrosion. ODI has received an additional 87 complaints since the PE was opened. During PE18-013, Nissan indicated model years 2013-2018 shared a common rear lower control arm design. Nissan provided complaint and warranty data

Systems: SUSPENSION.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

323 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT100
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM98
POWER TRAIN70
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING34
ENGINE25
EXTERIOR LIGHTING24
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY17
AIR BAGS9

11031704

Date: 2026-04-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

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

11031705

Date: 2026-04-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

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

11014471

Date: 2025-02-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE, SERVICE BRAKES.

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

11009068

Date: 2024-09-19. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: AIR BAGS.

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)

11001192

Date: 2024-06-07. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

CVT/TCM CALIBRATION DATA a WRITEa PROCEDURE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11004960

Date: 2024-05-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

CAN COMMUNICATION CODES a DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11004961

Date: 2024-05-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

CAN COMMUNICATION a NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11004962

Date: 2024-05-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

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.

11001194

Date: 2024-04-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VISIBILITY/WIPER.

REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11001201

Date: 2024-04-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VISIBILITY/WIPER.

WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
ALTIMA553

Same model, other years

All model years | All Nissan models

Other Nissan models, 2016

Sources

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