2020 Nissan Altima: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 175 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 6 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
175
Complaints
6
Recalls
16
Crash reports
7
Fire reports
15
Injuries
152.0
Severity index
Severity index 152.0 - High. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 103 2020 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2020 Nissan Altima ranks 5 of 103 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 95% of its model-year peers. See the full 2020 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 44 | 25.1% |
| ENGINE | 35 | 20.0% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 34 | 19.4% |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 29 | 16.6% |
| STEERING | 20 | 11.4% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 18 | 10.3% |
| POWER TRAIN | 17 | 9.7% |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 10 | 5.7% |
The single most-reported system is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, cited in 44 of 175 complaints (25.1%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 21 |
| 2021 | 19 |
| 2022 | 16 |
| 2023 | 34 |
| 2024 | 31 |
| 2025 | 37 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 17 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 1.8x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21V138000 | 04/03/2021 | STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | 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. |
| 21V169000 | 11/03/2021 | TIRES | Nissan 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. |
| 20V570000 | 22/09/2020 | VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR | Nissan 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. |
| 20V685000 | 05/11/2020 | TIRES | Nissan 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. |
| 23V628000 | 08/09/2023 | BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA | 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 |
| 25V437000 | 27/06/2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL | Nissan 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 |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.