The 2015 Nissan Altima has 10 safety recalls and 955 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is exterior lighting (270 complaints).
Recalls10safety recalls
Complaints955filed by owners
Crashes · fires46 · 5reported in complaints
Injuries · deaths27 · 0reported in complaints
2015 Nissan Altima in an NHTSA crash test
Safety recalls
Latches/locks/linkages › Hood › Latch
NHTSA recall 20V315000 · May 28, 2020 · 1,831,818 vehicles
Problem: 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 OwnerÂs 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 applies to all vehicles covered by 16V-029 even if those repairs have already been performed.
Structure › Emergency › Escape/egress/exit
NHTSA recall 18V915000 · Dec 19, 2018 · 341,003 vehicles
Problem: 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 window is lowered.
Risk: If the rear passenger door opens while the vehicle is moving, the rear passengers have an increased risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
NHTSA recall 17V040000 · Jan 18, 2017 · 341,005 vehicles
Problem: 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.
Risk: If the rear passenger doors inadvertently open while the vehicle is in motion, it may increase the risk of injury to the rear passengers.
Fix: 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.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
NHTSA recall 16V911000 · Dec 19, 2016 · 757 vehicles
Problem: 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 seat occupant.
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
NHTSA recall 16V244000 · Apr 26, 2016 · 3,296,947 vehicles · opened after NHTSA action (ODI)
Problem: 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 incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
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 parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Latches/locks/linkages › Hood › Latch
NHTSA recall 16V029000 · Jan 22, 2016 · 846,000 vehicles
Problem: 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.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Caliper
NHTSA recall 15V733000 · Nov 5, 2015 · 119 vehicles
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2015 Altima and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured October 6, 2015, to October 7, 2015. The affected vehicles have front brake calipers whose mounting bolts may not be properly tightened.
Risk: If the bolts were not properly tightened, the caliper may detach and reduce braking ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will check the brake caliper mounting bolts, tightening them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
NHTSA recall 15V681000 · Oct 20, 2015 · 919 vehicles · opened after NHTSA action (ODI)
Problem: 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.
Components: Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification; Air bags › Frontal
Fuel system, gasoline
NHTSA recall 15V486000 · Aug 4, 2015 · 46,846 vehicles
Problem: 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 affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank.
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
NHTSA recall 15V116000 · Feb 27, 2015 · 625,400 vehicles
Problem: 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 expansion of recall 14V-565.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA side barrier crash testNHTSA side pole crash test
2015 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★★
Rollover
★★★★★
Rollover risk
10.3%
Forward collision warning: No · Lane departure warning: Optional
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Fuel economy
Altima
31mpg combined
City / highway
27 / 37 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
2.5 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,150/year to fuel
Altima
26mpg combined
City / highway
22 / 31 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
3.5 L · 6 cyl · Automatic (AV-S7) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,600/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
Problem area
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Typical mileage*
Exterior lighting Headlights; Headlights › Bulbs
270
8
0
0
68,000 mi
Air bags Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger; Sensor › Occupant classification › Driver
177
23
0
16
30,400 mi
Power train Automatic transmission; Automatic transmission › Internal › Cvt
161
4
1
3
61,500 mi
Unknown or other
93
5
1
3
45,000 mi
Engine
66
2
2
0
55,000 mi
Suspension Front › Control arm
64
0
0
0
68,656 mi
Structure Body; Interior panels › Sun visor
63
3
2
1
58,000 mi
Electrical system Instrument panel › Speedometer/odometer
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
Oct 3, 2026Unknown or other On Sunday 10/04/26, the hood unexpectedly flew open while I was driving. I am very lucky I was the only person on the road at the time this occurred as this blocked all of my visibility. I had to stop my vehicle with the hood completely blocking the windshield, I could barely get the hood back down as it was bent, a bolt even broke off the front of the hood where the hood and body attach. The car isnât safe to drive due to this . A subsequent inspection shows that the secondary latch was severely corroded and bound in the unlatched position, and the striker was rusted with paint flaking to bare metal. This matches the NHTSA defect description exactly: "secondary hood latch may bind and…
Sep 26, 2026 · 117,974 milesElectrical system › Instrument panel › Speedometer/odometer Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a used car dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 73,328, and the Carfax report provided by the Bank listed the mileage as 69,850 on August 19, 2022. However, while attempting to trade in the vehicle, the dealer discovered through Auto Check that the mileage was listed as 117,974 on May 24, 2022.
Sep 17, 2026Exterior lighting The headlights are so dim we cannot see safely at night, we have had everything professionally cleaned and installed new super bright bulbs, it has made zero difference. Does someone really have to die for this to be taken seriously? There was a huge lawsuit apparently but we never heard about it and missed the window!
Sep 10, 2026 · crash · 1 injuryAir bags My car was hit and airbags did not deploy from driver side. The front driver side of my car is totalled. Not sure what force of an impact is needed for airbags to deploy but if my driver side tire rod broke and tire came off is this not sufficient force. This 2015 Nissan Altima has had many recalls. The last one was my front driver side head lamp almost caught on fire but mechanic found everything burned and melted because of electrical issue which was a recall. With my luck the recall expired apparently because it happened after the fact when it was no longer covered. I called and basically I was told too late. Now my airbags did not deploy.
Jun 1, 2026Air bags A vehicle airbag light is staying on which indicates my airbags will not work this is a common problem in a 2015 Nissan Altima SL but it is not showing up as a recall on my certain vehicle. This recently started happening at 114,000 miles. When the light first came on it would go on and off at different times it would not be every single time I started the car but now it will not shut off
Sep 9, 2026Service brakes Service brakes, hydraulic foundation components: disc: caliper The bolts on all 4 of my tires are constantly going loose and I have problems with my front brakes never lasting as long as they should and always burn out very fast.
Aug 29, 2026Suspension The passenger side rear spring mount/Lower Control Arm separated at the weld and failed at highway speed. Control of the vehicle was momentarily lost and I was able to safely pull to the side of the highway to await a tow truck. Vehicle is not drivable. Mechanic confirmed it was an "Insufficient Weld" consistent with a safety bulletin that expired less than a year ago. Nissan corporate would not assist in getting this repaired, but stated I could pay to have it towed to them for a customer-paid diagnostic.
Aug 24, 2026Suspension The rear lower control arms (lower links) on my 2015 Nissan Altima are actively cracked and broken at 91,359 miles. An authorized Nissan dealership inspected the vehicle and confirmed the severe structural failure on video, explicitly stating it is an immediate safety hazard. However, the manufacturer is refusing to repair this dangerous manufacturing defect under Campaign PC690 due to an expired calendar date, forcing an unstable, hazardous vehicle back onto public roads where I transport my children. Nissan chose not to notify owners of this defect by mail, and the dealership network actively delayed my scheduling for weeks. The vehicle is completely unsafe to operate.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.
NHTSA defect investigations
EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · openDesiccated 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 rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled…
EA19002 · opened Jul 29, 2019 · closed Jun 16, 2025Rear 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 of them alleged an increased steering effort or loss of vehicle control.At the time these complaints were received, ODI was also aware of a proactive service campaign addressing 2013 Nissan Altima in salt-belt states for a similar concern. Since opening the investigation, ODI has confirmed, based on consumer complaints, warranty data, and testing conducted by Nissan and ODI, that owners of the subject vehicles are experiencing a corroded bushing at one of three mounting points of the control arm…
PE18013 · opened Dec 1, 2018 · closed Aug 21, 2019Rear 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 regarding 48 incidents of the subject failure. The majority of the complaints are from vehicles registered in salt belt states. There have been no crashes, injuries, or fatalities confirmed as of this date. Nissan advised that it has conducted testing to assess safety risk. Nissan states that due to low incident rate, high detectability, and low risk of adverse vehicle dynamics, it does not believe the subject lower control arm failure poses an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.This…