The Used Car Index

2021 Nissan Altima problems

NHTSA lists 70 complaints for the 2021 Nissan Altima, 7 of them mention a crash and 1 mention a fire. 4 complaints mention an injury, with 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as NISSAN ALTIMA.

At a glance

Complaints
70
With crash
7
With fire
1
With injury (complaints)
4
Injuries
4
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
153,376
Investigations
2
Open investigations
1
Manufacturer communications
109

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. The available sales group does not match this vehicle variant.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE2231.4%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2130.0%
SERVICE BRAKES1825.7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1217.1%
STEERING710.0%
ENGINE68.6%
SUSPENSION57.1%
BACK OVER PREVENTION45.7%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES34.3%
POWER TRAIN34.3%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEAUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING18
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEWARNINGS7
BACK OVER PREVENTIONWARNINGS3
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGESDOORS2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMINSTRUMENT PANEL1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGESELECTRONIC LOCK/LATCH ACTUATOR1
SEAT BELTSFRONT1
STRUCTUREBODY1
VISIBILITYWINDSHIELD1
VISIBILITYWINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER1

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
electrical electronic2535.7%0.81
loss of control1825.7%0.83
mechanical failure1217.1%0.82
visibility or lighting57.1%0.74
restraint or airbag45.7%0.88
unclear22.9%0.96
fire or overheating11.4%0.95
fluid or fuel leak11.4%1.00
noise or comfort11.4%0.81
structural or corrosion11.4%0.72
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate4665.7%0.85
low1622.9%0.71
high710.0%0.97
none11.4%0.74

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 70 tagged complaints of 70 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.

2 recalls.

23V628000

Date: 2023-09-08. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Altima and 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility." (excerpt)

Consequence: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for t (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

21V138000

Date: 2021-03-04. Systems: STEERING.

Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Nissan Altima vehicles. The tie rod ball joint fastener was not tightened properly, which could result in the tie rod ball joint detaching from the steering knuckle.

Consequence: A detached tie rod ball joint can cause a loss of steering control, and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the left and right-side tie rod ball joint fasteners, or install new fasteners as necessary, free of charge. The began March 31, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PC795.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

2 investigations; 1 open.

PE23023

Opened: 2023-12-13. Closed: 2025-07-18.

Complete loss of motive power due to engine failure

On December 13, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-023 to investigate allegations of engine failures leading to loss of motive power in model year (MY) 2021-2023 Nissan Rogue; MY 2019-2021 Nissan Altima; and MY 2019-2021 Infiniti QX50 vehicles. At that time, ODI had received 6 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) and multiple early warning reports, with consumers reporting e

Systems: ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.

Linked campaign numbers: 25V437.

AQ22003

Opened: 2022-12-16. Closed: Not listed.

Hertz/Vehicles Rented with Open Recalls

NHTSA is opening this audit query to investigate whether The Hertz Corporation (Hertz) has complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Safety Act). The Safety Act requires, among other things, that a rental company shall not rent a vehicle subject to a safety recall unless the recall remedy has been performed. 49 U.S.C. A? 30120(i).NHTSA is in receipt of in

Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

109 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM55
POWER TRAIN19
EQUIPMENT13
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING10
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE8
STRUCTURE8
BACK OVER PREVENTION5
AIR BAGS4

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

11031699

Date: 2026-03-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

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

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

11014472

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

AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WARNING LIGHT BLINKING APPLIED SYSTEMS: Vehicles equipped with a lane camera (see Figure 1) SERVICE INFORMATION If the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) warning light or is blinking (but not illuminated steadily) or the customer states it is blinking, and there are no rel

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)

11006996

Date: 2024-07-11. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

FALSE ACTIVATION OF AEB OR FCW APPLIED VEHICLES: 2021-2022 Altima (L34) 2022-2023 Frontier (D41) 2020-2022 Sentra (B18) APPLIED DATES: Altima: All Frontier: All Sentra: Built on or before March 10, 2022 APPLIED SYSTEMS: Automatic Emergency Braking/Forward Collision Warning IF YOU CONFIRM The custome

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.

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
ALTIMA70

Same model, other years

All model years | All Nissan models

Other Nissan models, 2021

Sources

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