2020 Nissan Altima problems and recalls

Owner complaints on the 2020 Nissan Altima include 1 fatality report, 16 crashes and 7 fires across 179 filings.

179
Complaints
6
Recalls
16
Crash reports
7
Fire reports
15
Injuries
117.2
Severity index

Severity index 117.2 High. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 117.2p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 5 of 103 by severity index among 2020 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 95% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2020 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

Electrical SystemElectrical System: 45 complaints (25.1%)45 25%EngineEngine: 36 complaints (20.1%)36 20%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 35 complaints (19.6%)35 20%Forward Collision Avoid…Forward Collision Avoidance: 29 complaints (16.2%)29 16%SteeringSteering: 20 complaints (11.2%)20 11%Service BrakesService Brakes: 18 complaints (10.1%)18 10%Power TrainPower Train: 17 complaints (9.5%)17 9%Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 10 complaints (5.6%)10 6%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM4525.1%
ENGINE3620.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER3519.6%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE2916.2%
STEERING2011.2%
SERVICE BRAKES1810.1%
POWER TRAIN179.5%
VISIBILITY/WIPER105.6%

Complaints filed per year

018372020: 212021: 192022: 162023: 342024: 312025: 372026: 21 (partial year)2021222324253726
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
202021
202119
202216
202334
202431
202537
2026 (year to date)21
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 1.8x those in 2020 to 2022 (102 against 56).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
21V13800004/03/2021STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLYNissan 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.
21V16900011/03/2021TIRESNissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Altima and 2018-2021 Titan vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
20V57000022/09/2020VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REARNissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima, Maxima and Leaf vehicles. The rear window glass may not remain properly secured to the vehicle.
20V68500005/11/2020TIRESNissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima S grade vehicles equipped with Continental ProContact TX tires, size 215/60 R16 H, with TIN date code 3320 and Mold ID S-419149. The tires may have been over cured.
23V62800008/09/2023BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERANissan 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
25V43700027/06/2025ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICALNissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Rogue, 2019-2020 Altima, 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50, and 2022 Infiniti QX55 vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5L or 4-cylinder 2.0L variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engines. The engine bearings may have manufa

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 2026-09-04. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.