2016 Nissan Altima problems and recalls

Owner complaints on the 2016 Nissan Altima include 1 fatality report, 28 crashes and 3 fires across 552 filings.

552
Complaints
4
Recalls
28
Crash reports
3
Fire reports
32
Injuries
74.7
Severity index

Severity index 74.7 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 74.7p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 45 of 141 by severity index among 2016 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 68% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2016 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

Power TrainPower Train: 235 complaints (42.6%)235 43%EngineEngine: 86 complaints (15.6%)86 16%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 80 complaints (14.5%)80 14%Air BagsAir Bags: 70 complaints (12.7%)70 13%Vehicle Speed ControlVehicle Speed Control: 65 complaints (11.8%)65 12%Exterior LightingExterior Lighting: 42 complaints (7.6%)42 8%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 42 complaints (7.6%)42 8%StructureStructure: 29 complaints (5.3%)29 5%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
POWER TRAIN23542.6%
ENGINE8615.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER8014.5%
AIR BAGS7012.7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL6511.8%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING427.6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM427.6%
STRUCTURE295.3%

Complaints filed per year

0601202016: 142017: 252018: 552019: 1152020: 802021: 572022: 672023: 532024: 342025: 362026: 16 (partial year)1617181911520212223242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
201614
201725
201855
2019115
202080
202157
202267
202353
202434
202536
2026 (year to date)16
Filings in 2023 to 2025 were close to 2020 to 2022 (123 against 204).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
18V91500019/12/2018STRUCTURE:EMERGENCY:ESCAPE/EGRESS/EXITNissan 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 wi
17V04000018/01/2017LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCHNissan 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.
16V24400026/04/2016AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATIONNissan 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 N
20V31500028/05/2020LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCHNissan 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.

Other Nissan Altima model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 13 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-08-22. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.